El-Java Abdul-Qadir is a Social Science Ph.D. student with academic and professional experience in urban entrepreneurship and economic development.

In addition to his studies at Maxwell, El-Java holds a full-time position as director of the South Side Innovation Center, an entrepreneurial project of the Whitman School of Management at Syracuse University, where he develops and administers programs for entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs in the Greater Syracuse Region.

El-Java’s research interests include entrepreneurial motivation and the socio-political factors that influence business growth and economic development, particularly amongst marginalized populations.