Announcing the 2026 ServCollab PhD Student Scholarship Winner and Runners-Up
- Apr 23
- 3 min read
ServCollab is pleased to announce the results of the 2026 ServCollab PhD Student Scholarship contest.
In its second year, this scholarship continues to recognize and support doctoral students whose research aligns with Transformative Service Research (TSR) and contributes to serving humanity.
This year, we received 25 applications from PhD students around the world.
Following a rigorous review process, ServCollab awards one scholarship winner and recognizes two additional applicants as runners-up.
We are delighted to introduce this year’s scholarship winner and runners-up:
Flamure Ibrahimi
2026 ServCollab PhD Student Scholarship Winner
Flamure Ibrahimi is a PhD Researcher in Service and Marketing Management at the NaDI-CeRCLe Research Center, University of Namur (Belgium), under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Wafa Hammedi and Prof. Dr. Linda Alkire. Her research is grounded in Transformative Service Research and focuses on corruption in frontline service interactions, particularly its implications for vulnerable and underserved populations.
Shaped by her personal background as the daughter of refugees who rebuilt their lives in a new country with limited resources, Flamure developed an early awareness of the vital role service systems play in shaping access to rights, recognition, dignity, and well-being. This experience inspired her interest in the ethical and societal dimensions of service systems.
Her doctoral work examines corruption not only as a legal or structural issue, but as an interactional and processual phenomenon unfolding in everyday service encounters. Her current research, co-authored with Wafa Hammedi, Linda Alkire, and Gazi Islam, advances this perspective.
Hoda NAINIA
ServCollab PhD Student Scholarship Runner-up
I am Hoda Nainia, a final-year PhD candidate in Management Sciences at Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech, Morocco, and a member of the Research Laboratory in Organizational Management (LAREGO) at the National School of Business and Management (ENCG Marrakech), where I also earned my Master’s degree in Human Resource Management. My research focuses on work journeys and occupational culture, with a particular interest in service professions. Drawing on an extensive ethnographic study of urban bus drivers, I use Worker Culture Theory to examine how everyday work practices are shaped beyond formal organizational prescriptions. My work highlights the role of informal regulation, tacit knowledge, and collective dynamics in structuring frontline service activities and sustaining performance. More broadly, I am interested in labor, service systems, and the human dimensions of work, and I am committed to contributing to meaningful and impactful research on real work practices.
Syeda Mansura Khatoon
ServCollab PhD Student Scholarship Runner-up
Syeda Mansura Khatoon is a Doctoral Researcher at the Centre for Relationship Marketing and Service Management (CERS) at Hanken School of Economics, Helsinki, Finland. Her research lies at the intersection of service research and technology, with a focus on healthcare and elderly care services.
Her work aims to improve the well-being, dignity, and quality of care for older adults in increasingly resource-constrained care systems. Her research explores how AI can be leveraged to enhance customer experience in complex, multi-actor service ecosystems, with a focus on improving safety and efficiency while also addressing concerns related to autonomy, privacy, and social connection. She is privileged to be mentored by Professor Johanna Gummerus, Associate Professor Pia Polsa, and Assistant Professor Larissa Becker.
Syeda’s work has been presented at international conferences, including QUIS19 and LTAS24. She holds an MSc in Marketing from the University of Oulu, Finland.
ServCollab warmly congratulates the scholarship winner and runners-up for their meaningful contributions and commitment to advancing TSR.
ServCollab extends its sincere appreciation to all applicants for the time, care, and thoughtfulness reflected in their submissions. The quality of applications this year made the selection process highly competitive and inspiring.
We also wish to express our gratitude to the independent scholarship committee for their careful and dedicated evaluation of the applications. The scholarship committee was chaired by Amir Raki, ServCollab's Grants and Scholarships Officer. The other committee members were Janet Davey and Andrew Gallan. The committee represented three universities in three countries.
The committee carefully reviewed all applicants in a two-step process, with applications evaluated based on four core criteria: research quality and rigor, alignment with Transformative Service Research principles, potential for real-world impact, and applicant motivation and commitment.
ServCollab remains committed to supporting emerging scholars and fostering research that seeks to serve humanity.
Be part of serving humanity and contribute to ServCollab PhD Student Scholarship by donating to ServCollab:
