Pallab Sanyal, area chair of information systems and operations management (ISOM) at Costello College of Business at George Mason University, has been involved with the Virginia Research Seminar Series (VRSS) in information systems since its inception. Rotating among Virginia business schools, it was Costello’s turn to host the 10th annual event on Saturday, March 28, 2026.
Pallab Sanyal, area chair of information systems and operations management, presenting at the Virginia Research Seminar Series. Photo courtesy of Pallab Sanyal.
After a year of coordinating speaker topics and many other event logistics, Fuse at Mason Square opened its doors to faculty researchers, and doctoral students in information systems to learn from each other and share the latest innovative research from across the commonwealth’s higher education institutions.
“This conference truly brings together the information systems scholars from universities across Virginia and helps foster a strong sense of community, which I think is one of the biggest benefits of this conference,” says Sanyal. “At the same time, it provides a wonderful opportunity to learn about the exciting and innovative research colleagues are pursuing and to exchange ideas across institutions.”
Delivering the keynote was Monideepa Tarafdar, Charles J. Dockendorff Endowed Professor at the Isenberg School of Management, University of Massachusetts Amherst. Also the editor-in-chief of Journal of the AIS, her remarks focused on working with algorithms and centering the human.
“This conference truly brings together the information systems scholars from universities across Virginia and helps foster a strong sense of community, which I think is one of the biggest benefits of this conference,” says Sanyal. “At the same time, it provides a wonderful opportunity to learn about the exciting and innovative research colleagues are pursuing and to exchange ideas across institutions.”
— Pallab Sanyal, area chair of information systems and operations management
In setting up the session presentations, Sanyal sought to diversify the topics, the speakers, and the institutions they represented. Research presentations ranging from cyber warfare to AI infrastructure drew more than 70 attendees from eight Virginia universities—up from 45 attendees the last time George Mason hosted the conference in 2019.
VRSS continues to gain momentum and grow as a convening ground for leading research in information systems. Noting how many other information systems research conferences have become too large, Sanyal sees a real advantage for attendees, especially doctoral students, to exchange ideas and connect with senior professors, many of whom are editors of journals. “At larger conferences, I may introduce doctoral students to senior scholars, but with hundreds of attendees, it can be difficult for those connections to stick and for people to remember one another,” he says.
Mariia Petryk, corporate partner faculty fellow and assistant professor of ISOM, presenting at the Virginia Research Seminar Series. Photo courtesy of Pallab Sanyal.
Presenting faculty members from Costello included Abhishek Ray, assistant professor of ISOM; Mariia Petryk, corporate partner faculty fellow and assistant professor of ISOM; Hang Ren, associate professor of ISOM; and Brad Greenwood, Dean’s Distinguished Professor in ISOM. Faculty members who chaired and led sessions came from the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Virginia Commonwealth University, James Madison University, Old Dominion University, University of Richmond, and William & Mary.
“The venue was outstanding, as was the catering,” says Sanyal. “Several attendees are distinguished scholars in our field and serve on the editorial boards of leading journals, and they all left with a very positive impression of our college.”
The success of the 10th VRSS in information systems demonstrates the Costello College of Business’s ability to deliver high-impact events and to serve as a hub for collaboration among leading researchers in the field. It was a valuable opportunity for the 23 doctoral students in attendance—and for all participants—to actively shape the field of information systems moving forward.