Saifur Rahman

PhD (ABD), MSc, MBA, OCGC, BBAAssistant Professor, Master of Management

Saifur (Saif) Rahman is an assistant professor with more than 15 years of professional experience in management consulting, investment banking, and fintech, coupled with more than a decade of teaching and training experience across four continents. Currently, he teaches in the Master of Management program at the University of Niagara Falls Canada, where he leads courses such as Emerging Technology and Transformation.

Saif’s academic journey includes a Master of Science in Management and an ongoing PhD in Management (ABD) with a focus on Entrepreneurship, Innovation, and Strategy from Toronto Metropolitan University. His research spans entrepreneurship, social innovation, and venture financing, with a particular interest in equity, diversity, and inclusion. He has secured competitive research grants, including a $70,000 grant to study decentralized finance and its role in financial inclusion for equity-deserving entrepreneurs.

An active scholar, Saif has presented at numerous reputed international conferences, such as EGOS, ASAC, and ECIE. His teaching philosophy emphasizes outcome-based learning and active engagement, leveraging his professional certifications in project management and business analysis, including a PMP, PMI-ACP, PMI-PBA, and CBAP, and a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (CSSBB), to bridge the gap between academia and industry.

Courses taught

Emerging Technology and Transformation, Finance for Managers, Entrepreneurship and Strategy

Areas of academic interest

Entrepreneurship and strategy, social innovation and equity, diversity, and inclusion, venture financing

Areas of specialization

Project management, emerging technologies (artificial intelligence and decentralized finance), entrepreneurship and strategy, business plan development, business analysis and business process improvement

Professional certificates and licences

PMP (PMI), PMI-ACP, PMI-PBA, CBAP-IIBA, CSSBB-ASQ

Awards

(Grant) Decentralized Finance (2023-24): $70,000 to explore decentralized finance for equity-deserving entrepreneurs (PI).
(Grant) Inclusive Economic Development (2023-24): $45,000 to assess Toronto’s inclusive growth (co-Investigator).
(Grant) Women in Venture Capital (2022): $15,000 to study women’s participation in venture capital (PI).
Ryerson Graduate Fellowship (2020-2025)
TRSM Grad Dean’s Scholarship (2021-2025)
Dean’s Medal for Highest CGPA from George Brown College (2019)

Publications

Journal publications, reports, and conference proceedings

Cukier, W., Robson, B., Rahman, S., Higazy, A., Abid, R., Mo, G.Y. (Apr 20, 2023). The Advanced Digital and Professional Training Program (ADaPT): Inclusive Digital Upskilling. https://fsc-ccf.ca/blog-adapt/
Cukier, W., Rahman, S. M., & Chavoushi, Z. H. (2023). Women in the venture capital industry. Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH).
Cukier, W., Rahman, S., Jacobson, D., Chavoushi, Z. H., Leung, V. (2023). Motherhood and entrepreneurship. Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH).
Cukier, W., Mo, G. Y., Chavoushi, Z. H., Rahman S. M. (2023). The State of Women's Entrepreneurship in Canada 2023. Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH)
Cukier, W., Chavoushi, Z. H., & Rahman, S. M. (2023). Briefing note: Financing entrepreneurs from equity-deserving groups (Mini-report). Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH)
Cukier, W., Chavoushi, Z. H., Pestun, S., & Rahman, S. M. (December 23, 2022). Financing Women Entrepreneurs in Canada [Report]. Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH). https://wekh.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Financing-Women-Entrepreneurs-in-Canada-Final.pdf
Cukier, W., Elmi, M., Rahman, S. (2022). Women Business Owners and Their Contributions to Sustainability. BMO and Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub. https://wekh.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/BMO_Celebrating_Women_Grant_Program_2021_Full_Report.pdf
Cukier, W., Chavoushi, Z.H., Pestun, S., & Rahman, S.M., (2022). Financing Women Entrepreneurs in Canada. Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub (WEKH). https://wekh.ca/research/financing-women-entrepreneurs-in-canada/
Cukier, W., Rahman, S., Jae, K., Sabat, D. M., & Jae, K. (2022, November). Technology and Inclusive Innovation. In Proceedings of the 32nd Annual International Conference on Computer Science and Software Engineering (pp. 237-239).
Grant, K., & Rahman, S. (2021, September). Assessing the participation and success of women entrepreneurs in unicorn startups. In ECIE 2021 16th European Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship Vol 1 (p. 397). Academic Conferences limited.

Land acknowledgement

University of Niagara Falls Canada acknowledges that the land we gather on is located on the traditional territory of the Haudenosaunee, Hatiwendaronk and Anishinaabe peoples. We also acknowledge the many other First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples who call this region home.

We commit to building relationships based on respect, reciprocity, and reconciliation as we work, learn, and gather on this land. Furthermore, we acknowledge that the Niagara region is situated on treaty land, and we stand with all Indigenous peoples, past and present, in promoting the wise stewardship of the lands on which we live.

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