Every year, Vlerick Business School highlights exceptional research results by means of the Vlerick Researcher of the Year Award. All the professors and researchers who achieved an A* publication in 2017 could apply. After comprehensive discussions, the interuniversity jury finally selected researcher Jeroen Neckebrouck, who recently successfully defended his thesis on family businesses at Ghent University. Before he even finished his PhD, Jeroen managed to get a paper published in the Academy of Management Journal, one of the most highly regarded professional publications in the management arena. “And that is truly a unique achievement,” says Research Manager Eva Cools.