SMU Assistant Professor of Finance Gennaro Bernile received the Ig Nobel Prize during the 2015 Prize Ceremony at Harvard University in September. He clinched the award for his research on the influence of early-life disasters on the behaviour of chief executive officers.

SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business Dean and Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship Gerry George said he was delighted that Assistant Prof Bernile had won the prize for “research that is not only revealing, but also relevant to business’. Prof George added that the findings “could shed light on why Singaporeans might be less risk-taking across generations because the imprinting effect of individual hardship when young has now changed’.