Esade-URL bolsters academic staff with outstanding international talent in sustainability, AI and finance

Wednesday, October 30, 2024. The Esade-URL faculty continues to grow with the arrival of nine professors for the 2024-25 year equipped with a robust background in world-renowned institutions and broad experience in fields including sustainability and global politics, applied AI, corporate finance and organizational innovation.

With these new members, the Esade-URL teaching staff now totals 164 from 26 different countries: confirmation of Esade’s commitment to academic excellence, diversity and cutting-edge research. This diverse, international faculty helps train and equip global leaders to tackle the challenges of a dynamic, constantly evolving business landscape. Esade-URL professors combine outstanding academic careers with close links to the corporate world, the public sector and international organizations. In addition, the global outlook of their research and consulting activities enhances the practice of management and leadership, preparing future executives to deal with complex challenges by creating innovative solutions.

This year’s new faculty members are:

• Alessandro Guasti, assistant professor in the Department of Society, Politics and Sustainability. PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science, he has been a postdoctoral researcher at the Saïd Business School of the University of Oxford. His research examines trade, governance and labor regulations, with a focus on global value chains.
• Angelo Romasanta, assistant professor in the Department of Operations, Innovation and Data Science, he holds a PhD in Innovation Management from Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, with a Marie Curie scholarship. His work focuses on the impact of AI upon scientific and technological innovation, highlighting its application to drug discovery by means of technologies such as AlphaFold.
• Dong Nghi Pham, assistant professor in the Department of Strategy and General Management, she will complete her PhD in Strategic Management at the ESSEC Business School in November. Specialized in the microfoundations of organizational learning, she has been a visiting professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania.
• Antonino Emanuele Rizzo, assistant professor in the Department of Economy, Finance and Accounting. PhD in Finance from Tilburg University, his research focuses on empirical corporate finance and financial brokerage. He has been a visiting professor at the University of Notre Dame and the Nova School of Business and Economics.
• Emma Felipe, senior associate professor in the Department of Strategy and General Management and the Department of Society, Politics and Sustainability, she brings outstanding professional experience as vice president of IBM and AECOM, and also as head of sustainability and corporate transformation strategies in London, Paris, Beijing and New York. She has also taught at Harvard and Yale universities.
• Jiho Yang, assistant professor in the Department of Operations, Innovation and Data Sciences. PhD in Management from Imperial College London, his research applies advanced analysis methods to examine the impact of organizational structure upon business innovation and creativity.
• Keyi Tang, assistant professor in the Department of Society, Politics and Sustainability. PhD in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University, her research analyzes the political economy of development and the impact of China’s global economic strategy in the global South, combining quantitative and qualitative analysis in Asia and Africa.
• Martina Pocchiari, assistant professor in the Marketing Department. PhD in Empirical Quantitative Marketing from the Rotterdam School of Management, her research focuses on consumer interaction with digital platforms and the use of big data and AI in brand consumption dynamics.
• Paolo Mengano, assistant professor in the Department of Economics, Finance and Accounting. PhD in Economics from the University of Zurich, he has been a postdoctoral researcher at the Harvard Business School. His research focuses on macroeconomics and market power dynamics.