Dr. Leif Willard Lundmark

Biography

Leif W. Lundmark received his Ph.D. from the David Eccles School of Business, University of Utah and is an Associate Professor of Strategy & Entrepreneurship at the University of Nebraska, Omaha. Prior to joining the College of Business Administration he founded and directed Lyssna Audio Inc.

Teaching Interests

Leif teaches Strategy, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship at the undergraduate, MBA, and executive levels. Known for his engaging style and supportive mentorship, his teaching has earned numerous awards and widespread praise from students and executives.

Research Interests

Leif’s areas of expertise include strategic management and entrepreneurship with a specific focus on the cognitive and behavioral foundations of strategic problem formulation and decision-making. Leif’s research explores: cognitive biases in the IPO process, how problem formulation impacts the development of solutions to complex and ill-defined problems, and the role of affect in altering knowledge search and recombination. Leif’s research has also examined macro-level phenomena including the determinants of formal and informal entrepreneurship as well as the influence of social media on organizational legitimacy and IPO performance. His research has been published in top scholarly journals, including the Strategic Management Journal and the Journal of Management, and featured in outlets such as the New York Times and The Wall Street Journal Online.

Service Summary

Leif currently serves as a Site Director for the National Science Foundation I-Corps program, an initiative that supports researchers, scientists, and entrepreneurs in assessing the commercialization potential of emerging technologies through entrepreneurial training. He also serves as the Academic Lead for the Maverick Technology Venture Alliance (MTVA), a cross-institutional collaboration between the College of Business Administration and the University of Nebraska technology transfer offices (UNeMed, UNeTech), focused on evaluating the competitive landscape and commercialization potential of university intellectual property. Leif is an active member of the Academy of Management and the Strategic Management Society and serves as a reviewer for leading academic conferences and journals. He has also served as chair of the Undergraduate Program Council and was a founding member of the Koraleski Commerce and Applied Behavioral Laboratory at the University of Nebraska Omaha, where he oversaw the administration and application of behavioral research utilizing psychophysiological instrumentation. In addition to his academic roles, Leif consults with established organizations and early-stage ventures across the Omaha and Salt Lake City regions, advising on strategy, innovation, and entrepreneurship.

Awards and Honors

Alumni Outstanding Teaching Award, Teaching - 2025

MBA Professor of the Year, Teaching - 2024

Department of Management Teaching Award, Teaching - 2018

Department of Managment Teaching Award, Teaching - 2017

Education

Ph D, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, Business Administration, Management, 2014

Selected Publications

Verhaal, J, Hoskins, Jake, Lundmark, Leif. 2017. Little Fish in a Big Pond: Legitimacy Transfer, Authenticity, and Factors of Peripheral Firm Entry and Competition in the Market Center, Strategic Management Journal, 38, 2532-2552.

Bigelow, Lyda, Lundmark, Leif, McLean Parks, Judi, Wuebker, Rob. 2014. Skirting the issues: Experimental Evidence of Gender Bias in IPO Prospectus Evaluations, Journal of Management, 40, 6, 1732-1759.

Lundmark, Leif, Oh, Chong, Verhaal, J. 2016. A little birdie told me: Social media, organizational legitimacy, and underpricing in initial public offerings, Information Systems Frontiers, 1-16.

Pleggenkuhle-Miles, Erin, Lundmark, Leif, Meglich, Patricia, Bass, Andrea. 2017. Competing to Learn: A Pedagogical Approach to Enhance Higher Level Learning Across Disciplinary Silos., Journal of Strategic Management Education, 12, 1-18.