Experiential Learning
Students learn by reflecting on authentic engagements with real problems and real partners, building the skills needed to address community, industry and societal challenges.
McLean Centre for Collaborative Discovery
Inside the McLean Centre for Collaborative Discovery
Real business. Real reflection. Real learning.
About the McLean Centre
The McLean Centre for Collaborative Discovery is a 10-storey, approximately 190,000-square-foot expansion of the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University. Made possible by a foundational gift from the McLean family, the building was created to transform how students learn, teach and collaborate.
The building includes dedicated learning hubs where students can work on real challenges alongside community partners, alumni and colleagues from across McMaster. Students can explore themes including entrepreneurship, artificial intelligence, sustainability, finance, social impact and leadership.
Along with the DeGroote School of Business, the building is home to McMaster’s Office of the Registrar, the Faculty of Health Sciences Biomedical Discovery and Commercialization (BDC) program, the Department of Surgery’s Innovation through Design, Evidence & Acceleration (IDEA) program, Media Production Services and the Innis Library.
A space for connection
The main-floor BMO Connection Zone features Remember · Honour · Renew, an art installation crafted by acclaimed sculptor David General, an Indigenous artist of Oneida/Mohawk heritage and member of the Six Nations of the Grand River.
An auditorium, smart classrooms, event spaces and a planned main-floor café further complement the facility.
A different way to learn
Learning in the McLean Centre is grounded in experiential learning and collaboration.
Collaboration
Students work with peers across DeGroote and McMaster, along with faculty, staff, community and industry partners, breaking down the walls between disciplines.
The Learning Hubs
At the heart of the McLean Centre are curated Learning Hubs: discovery-based spaces where students, faculty, alumni, industry and community partners collaborate on real challenges facing business today.
Allen H. Gould Trading Floor
The central hub for students interested in finance, offering access to a simulated trading floor and resources for building a strong understanding of financial markets.
Hub leads:
Zohair Alam
Assistant Professor
Finance and Business Economics
Adeel Mahmood
Assistant Professor
Finance and Business Economics
Data Analytics and AI Hub
Empowers students to make ethical, AI-informed decisions through applied learning, high-performance computing and real-world, data-intensive analysis.
Hub lead:
Manaf Zargoush
Associate Professor / Associate Dean, Faculty Affairs and Accreditation
Health Policy and Management
Design & Innovation Hub
Students learn to co-create inclusive, user-focused solutions by working directly with equity-deserving populations to address structural barriers.
Hub leads:
Gillian Mulvale
Professor
Health Policy and Management
Meena Andiappan
Associate Professor
Human Resources and Management
KPMG Ignition Lab
Accelerates business innovation by equipping students with emerging technologies, design-thinking methods and strategic foresight tools.
Hub lead:
Shane Saunderson
Assistant Professor
Information Systems
Marinucci Entrepreneurial Bridge
McMaster’s connection point for entrepreneurship across faculties, offering resources, mentorship and experiential learning in a collaborative, inclusive environment.
Hub leads:
Goran Calic
Associate Professor / Chair in Entrepreneurial Leadership
Strategic Management
Tej Sandhu
Entrepreneur-in-Residence
Leadership Lab
Pioneers the integration of neuroscience with real-time leadership study, applying brain-based tools and evidence-based approaches to build leadership capability.
Hub lead:
Yair Berson
Professor / Business Research Chair
Human Resources and Management
Sales and Marketing Analytics Hub
Home of Canada’s first Sales and Data Science lab, offering an immersive, analytics-driven experience that connects classroom learning with real-world practice.
Hub leads:
Mandeep Malik
Associate Professor / Area Chair
Marketing
Sash Vaid
Associate Professor
Marketing
Social Impact Hub
Empowers government, for-profit and social-purpose changemakers through cross-sector collaboration and practical activities focused on measurable impact.
Hub leads:
Brent McKnight
Associate Professor / Program Director, IBH
Strategic Management
Keiwan Wind
Assistant Professor
Information Systems
Sustainable Futures Hub
Students investigate how business can help address climate change, ecosystem degradation and equity through applied research and real-world data analysis.
Hub leads:
Elkafi Hassini
Professor / Associate Dean, Research / Purolator Research Chair in Sustainable Logistics and Supply Chain Management
Operations Management
Cansu Ekmekcioglu
Assistant Professor
Information Systems
Strategic Foresight Lab
Equips professionals with the skills to anticipate change, navigate complexity and drive innovation by combining strategic foresight with real-world application.
Hub lead:
Candice Chow
Assistant Professor / Director of the Strategic Foresight Lab
Strategic Management
CPA Ontario Hub
Hub leads:
Emad Mohammed
Associate Professor / Area Chair
Accounting and Financial Management
Justin Jin
Professor
Accounting and Financial Management
Discover the McLean Centre
The McLean Centre positions DeGroote students — and every student who studies here — at the forefront of business education.