UCO College of Business Professor Earns 2026 Responsible Research in Management Award
Oct. 14, 2026
Saheli Nath, Ph.D., associate professor of management at the University of Central Oklahoma, received the 2026 Responsible Research in Management Award for her book “The Privilege of Blue Skies: Tracing the Uneven Legacy of Air Pollution Across Nations.” Nath was selected as a winner from a pool of 121 nominations.
The award was presented at the Academy of Management Annual Meeting by the Fellows Group of the Academy of Management in collaboration with the Responsible Research in Business and Management (RRBM) network. The annual award celebrates rigorously conducted and societally beneficial research articles and books that reflect the seven principles of responsible research. Honorees are recognized for producing credible and useful knowledge with the potential to address important societal challenges and contribute to a better world.
“This award means a lot to me because it signals that the problem at the heart of the book resonated with the readers. For the scholarly community, it is a recognition of a problem-solving orientation where we start with messy, but important, challenges that our communities face,” Nath said.
"Our work highlights how business decisions can create multiple overlapping socioeconomic entanglements, such that even small interventions can have a disproportionate impact, both positive and negative.”
Nath’s book examines the global air pollution crisis through the interconnected lenses of economic development, environmental justice and human rights, exploring how the consequences of pollution and access to clean air are experienced unevenly across nations.
The book has earned additional recognition, including the 2026 ONE Book Award from the Organizations and Natural Environment Division of the Academy of Management; finalist recognition in the Education/Academic Non-fiction category of the Next Generation Indie Book Awards; and a 2025 Gold Award from the Nonfiction Book Awards.
“It is always a privilege to see our faculty recognized for producing high-quality, societally beneficial research,” said Russell Evans, Ph.D., dean of the UCO College of Business.
“Dr. Nath’s work being acknowledged on both national and international stages, combined with her recent UCO Vanderford Teaching Award for excellence in the classroom, reflects the well-rounded excellence any dean hopes to see in a faculty member. We are proud to have her in the UCO College of Business.”
Formed in fall 2014, RRBM is a global network of scholars committed to advancing credible and useful research that contributes to society. Its work promotes responsible research practices and scholarship designed to address societal challenges and create meaningful impact through business and management research.
For more information about the UCO College of Business, visit www.uco.edu/cob/.
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Cutline: Saheli Nath, Ph.D., pictured, middle left, associate professor of management at the University of Central Oklahoma, received the 2026 Responsible Research in Management Award for her book “The Privilege of Blue Skies: Tracing the Uneven Legacy of Air Pollution Across Nations.” Nath was selected as a winner from a pool of 121 nominations.
