Smith School and Merrill College faculty joined journalists to explore innovative business models, AI tools and cross-disciplinary solutions to help local news organizations adapt to declining revenue, shrinking readership and the disruptive impact of digital platforms.

The Smith School has awarded 2025 Smith Internal Research Grants to 20 faculty-led teams to support high-impact research in areas including AI, entrepreneurship, labor markets, corporate communication, and online learning, fostering innovation across disciplines.

Smith School professors earned AI research seed grants from UMD’s AIM Institute. Louiqa Raschid and Eaman Jahani will use AI for public health; Lauren Rhue will explore legal limits of AI-generated content. AIM awarded 22 grants across interdisciplinary categories.

On May 10, 2024, the University of Maryland’s Smith School hosted the AI and Analytics for Social Good Workshop, featuring experts from leading institutions discussing the use of analytics for social impact, including misinformation, platform regulation, and educational analytics.

Balaji Padmanabhan is among the earliest professors to bring machine learning into an MBA program. Sining Song’s research explores environmental-to-fintech-related factors in supply chain sustainability. And Agustin Hurtado recently analyzed 87 million minority-borrower accounts in a study showing minority bank ownership reduces information frictions and improves credit allocations.These professors are among the nine new tenure-track faculty members and three full time professional track faculty joining the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business this fall.