The annual Bradford-Osborne Research Award recognizes peer-reviewed scholarly research that advances knowledge to accelerate the growth of businesses owned by people of color. The award is named for its founders, William “Bill” Bradford, dean emeritus and emeritus professor of business at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business, and UCLA Anderson’s senior associate dean of external affairs, Professor Alfred E. Osborne, Jr.

The 2021 Bradford-Osborne Research Award recipient is University of California, Santa Cruz, Professor of Economics Robert Fairlie, for his paper “The Impact of COVID-19 on Small Business Owners: The First Three Months After Social-Distancing Restrictions.” Fairlie’s research was published in the Journal of Economics and Management Strategy and is one of the first papers published in an academic journal to explore the impact of COVID-19 on small businesses.

In addition to serving as Anderson’s senior associate dean of external affairs, Osborne is a professor of management and the founding director of the Price Center for Entrepreneurship & Innovation. He received his Ph.D. from Stanford University. He was recognized as one of the top 100 influential corporate directors in America, and he received the Greater Los Angeles African American Chamber of Commerce’s President’s Award for contributions to the growth and development of the African American economic base.

Bradford is dean emeritus and an emeritus professor of finance at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business. He received his undergraduate degree from Howard University and earned his Ph.D. at Ohio State. For nearly 40 years, Bradford’s research has focused on success factors and barriers to wealth creation and entrepreneurial success for African Americans and other people of color. Prior to his roles at the Foster School, Bradford was an associate professor at Stanford and associate dean at the University of Maryland. He was inducted to the Minority Business Hall of Fame in 2013.

In 2020, Peter Younkin (University of Oregon, Lundquist College of Business) and Venkat Kuppuswamy (Northeastern University, D’Amore-McKim School of Business) received the inaugural Bradford-Osborne Award for their paper titled “The Colorblind Crowd? Founder Race and Performance in Crowdfunding,” published by Management Science. Wayne State University Distinguished Professor of Economics (ret.) Timothy Bates received a Lifetime Leadership Award.

The 2021 Bradford-Research Award was presented at a virtual ceremony on November 2, 2021.