Highest degree earned
M.S.W., Syracuse University, 2002
Graduate Student Dissertation
Bio
El-Java Abdul-Qadir, Ph.D. is a graduate of the Social Science Ph.D. program, specializing in urban entrepreneurship and economic development. His research centers on entrepreneurial motivation and the socio-political factors that govern business growth, with a dedicated focus on marginalized populations. His doctoral dissertation is titled “The Sociological Determinants of Entrepreneurial Performance: A Study of Structural Barriers, Creative Strategies, and Heterogeneity Amongst REMI Entrepreneurs in the United States.”
Throughout his doctoral studies at Maxwell, Abdul-Qadir served as the director of the South Side Innovation Center (SSIC), an entrepreneurial project of the Whitman School of Management. In this executive role, he developed and administered strategic growth programs for business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs across the Greater Syracuse Region.
Beyond his administrative leadership, he was an active educator within the Whitman School's Department of Entrepreneurship and Emerging Enterprises. He instructed both undergraduate and graduate students in foundational courses like Introduction to Entrepreneurship and engineered innovative, interdisciplinary curriculum such as Minorities and Women in Entrepreneurship, bridging sociological insights with management education.
In April 2024, Abdul-Qadir was recruited by Micron Technology as the senior program manager, Supplier Ecosystem Program within the Global Procurement Center of Excellence. In this role, he spearheaded the strategy for the identification, development and inclusion of regional and SEDI (Socioeconomically Disadvantaged Individuals) suppliers participating in their historic $100B U.S. expansion.