We are thrilled to announce that Dr Niranjan Janardhanan, Assistant Professor of Management, and Caleb Phillips, PhD candidate in Organisational Behaviour, have received the 2025-26 LSE-SMU Research Seed Fund for their project “Outsourcing the Leader Self: Generative AI, Agency, and Identity in Leadership work”.
The joint grant, valued at £30,000, from LSE and Singapore Management University (SMU), was designed to support cutting-edge research that tackles the world's most urgent challenges, focused on three areas:
- Urban Sustainability
- AI and the Future of Work
- Longevity and Healthy Ageing
Dr Janardhanan, lead researcher of the project, said: “I’m truly happy and excited to receive the 2025-26 LSE-SMU Research Seed Fund. It will empower us to study important questions about how leaders' AI use fundamentally (re)shapes who they are and how they think as leaders, and in turn, their relationships with their subordinates.”
The project, selected as the AI and the Future of Work project, was recognised for the originality of its research concept, presenting an innovative idea with the potential to advance knowledge and break new ground in its field.
“I’m excited the LSE-SMU Research Seed Fund is backing this work, and to be doing it alongside Niranjan and Burak,” Caleb Phillips shared. “Studying leaders in both Singapore and the UK lets us examine how leaders are interacting with AI across different cultures.”
The project stood out for its long-term potential, offering opportunities to attract further external funding, produce high-quality collaborative research outputs, and strengthen international academic partnerships. These qualities highlighted the project's excellence, relevance and capacity to deliver lasting value beyond the initial funding period.
Wednesday 21 October 2026