Fabian Fagerholm is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Aalto University. His work bridges software engineering, human-computer interaction, and empirical research methodologies. He actively participates in research groups such as Software and Service Engineering (SSE) and Human-Computer Interaction and Design (HCID). Fagerholm's research explores: Continuous experimentation in software development Developer cognition and mental models Agile methodologies and team dynamics Low-code platforms and end-user programming Software engineering education and pedagogy His publications reflect a strong empirical focus, with recurring themes of human factors in technical systems and educational innovation. He has received notable awards including: Journal of Systems and Software Best Paper Award (2018) EUROMICRO SEAA Distinguished Paper Award (2017) Teacher of the Year (2013) Nokia Foundation Scholarship (2013) Fagerholm contributes to software engineering infrastructure through tools for experimentation and boundary artifacts, enhancing collaboration in distributed teams.
Christopher L. Tucci is a Professor of Digital Strategy & Innovation at Imperial College London's Business School and currently serves as Interim Vice Dean of Education. He is also the Founding Dean of NEOM's College of Business & Innovation in Saudi Arabia. Previously, he held the Chair in Corporate Strategy & Innovation at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), where he served as Dean of the College of Management from 2013 to 2018. His academic qualifications include a PhD in Management from MIT and multiple degrees from Stanford University: an AB in Music, BS in Mathematical Sciences, and MS in Computer Science and Computer Science. His research focuses on digital strategy, innovation management, open innovation, and business model innovation, with particular emphasis on how firms transition to new technologies and organizational forms. He has pioneered work on crowdsourcing, inter-networking, and AI-driven innovation. His award-winning article 'Crowdsourcing as a Solution to Distant Search' (co-authored with Allan Afuah) has received multiple accolades, including the AMR Decade Award in 2022. Professor Tucci teaches courses such as AI Ventures, Co-Creation in AI & Robotics, and Design Thinking. He actively contributes to academic leadership roles, including serving on the Academy of Management's Board of Governors and leading initiatives like Imperial's I-X (Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation hub). His work integrates technology, strategy, and organizational dynamics to address modern business challenges. Educations: PhD in Management, MIT (1992–1997) SM in Technology & Policy/EECS, MIT (1989–1991) BS in Mathematical Sciences, Stanford (1978–1982) AB in Music, Stanford (1979–1983) MS in Computer Science, Stanford (1982–1984) Labs/Teams: Co-Director of Imperial's I-X initiative, focusing on AI, data science, and digital innovation.
Dr. Kenan Arifoglu is an Associate Professor at the UCL School of Management. He previously held a postdoctoral position at the Ross Business School, University of Michigan (2008–2012). His education includes a PhD in Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences from Northwestern University (2012), two MSc degrees from Northwestern University (2008) and Koç University (2007), and a BSc from Koç University (2005). His research focuses on behavioral motivations in healthcare, supply chains, pricing, and entrepreneurial operations. Key projects include analyzing inefficiencies in flu vaccine supply chains and developing frameworks for high-growth startups. His work bridges operations management with practical challenges in healthcare, retail, and entrepreneurship. Recent publications address topics such as luxury brand licensing dynamics, incentive programs in healthcare systems, and the theoretical foundations of lean startup methodologies. These contributions span disciplines like marketing, operations research, and public health, emphasizing cross-sectoral applications. Dr. Arifoglu’s advising and grant activities are not detailed here. He is affiliated with the UCL School of Management and actively contributes to academic discourse through his research and teaching roles.
Lynn Wu is an Associate Professor at the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, focusing on the intersection of artificial intelligence, analytics, and innovation. She teaches MBA, undergraduate, and doctoral courses on emerging technologies' transformative impact on business and society. Education: B.S. in Finance and Computer Science, MIT M.S. in Computer Science, MIT Ph.D. in Management Science, MIT Sloan Her research explores how AI and digital platforms reshape productivity, workforce dynamics, and innovation strategies, with applications in antitrust policy and startup ecosystems. Key trends in her publications include AI's role in post-IPO innovation, robotics' impact on managerial roles, and social media's ability to mitigate funding disparities. Scientific Awards: Kauffman Best Paper Award (2019) Sandy Slaughter Early Career Award (2019) AIS Early Career Award (2018) ISR Best Published Paper (2014) Best Paper Awards at ICIS (2009), HICSS (2013), etc. She has collaborated with IBM, Google, Meta, and advised the U.S. Department of Justice and World Bank, with her work cited by The New York Times , The Economist , and Harvard Business Review .
Ravi Aron is a Professor of Healthcare Strategy & Technology at the C. T. Bauer College of Business, University of Houston, and Research Director of the Healthcare Business Institute. He holds a joint appointment in the Department of Health Systems & Population Health Sciences at the Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine. He earned his Ph.D. in Management Information Systems from New York University's Stern School of Business. His research focuses on healthcare IT, emergent technologies in healthcare operations, valuation of healthcare startups, and AI applications in healthcare. He has published widely in top journals like Management Science and Information Systems Research, and his work bridges information systems, operations management, and technology strategy. Dr. Aron has extensive teaching experience at The Wharton School, Johns Hopkins Carey Business School, and NYU Stern, winning multiple teaching awards. He advises Fortune 500 firms, startups, and policymakers on technology strategy, digital transformation, and risk assessment. His executive education programs address AI, machine learning, and digital business models for global executives. Key awards include the Dean's Faculty Excellence Award (2016), multiple teaching accolades from Wharton and Johns Hopkins, and the Herman E. Kross Best Dissertation Award (1999). His current projects explore healthcare supply chains, predictive models using machine learning, and valuing technology-enabled startups. He regularly participates in global forums like the World Economic Forum, advising on healthcare innovation and technology policy.
Dr. Seyed Mohammad Sadegh Khaksar is a Senior Lecturer in Technology Management at La Trobe Business School, specializing in digital transformation, innovation, and healthcare technology. He holds a PhD in Management and teaches courses like Project Management. As Head of the Project Management major, he employs innovative pedagogies such as blended learning and peer review to enhance graduate employability. His research focuses on digital excellence strategies in firms, with notable projects including an AUD 96k IoMT platform for rural healthcare and AUD 40k studies on aged care supply chain resilience. He advises startups and organizations on digital strategies, particularly in healthcare, oil & gas, and professional services. Key research areas include social robots in education and care, IoT applications, and agile-lean methodologies. He has secured over $300k in grants and serves on editorial boards like Technological Forecasting and Social Change . Awards include the 2024 Student Experience Award and 2021 Early Career Researcher Award. Current PhD supervision spans digital responsibility in healthcare and banking sectors, and IoT-driven service innovations. He leads funded projects on smart cities and pandemic logistics, reflecting his interdisciplinary impact across technology, healthcare, and education.
Stephan Golla is a full-time Professor of Business & Management at the Fulda University of Applied Sciences. His academic focus spans Corporate Management and Entrepreneurship, with an emphasis on venture capital dynamics, entrepreneurial orientation, and lean startup methodologies. He contributes extensively to research in technology commercialization and social identity in entrepreneurship. Ph.D. in Business & Management (2009): Empirical thesis on Corporate Venture Capital M.Sc. in Business & Management (2000): Majors in Banking, Mechanical Engineering, and Innovation Management Golla's research explores intersections between social identity and entrepreneurial performance, startup finance, and innovation ecosystems. His recent publications analyze how founders' identities influence business outcomes and the evolution of entrepreneurial finance frameworks. His awards include the 2018 Sauer Foundation Best Paper Award in Social Entrepreneurship and the 2010 Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence at the University of Western Sydney. He has taught courses in Start-up Management, Innovation & Technology Management, and International Management. 2018: Best Paper Award (Social Entrepreneurship) 2010: Vice Chancellor’s Award for Excellence
Guido Perboli is a Full Professor in the Department of Management and Production Engineering (DIGEP) at the Polytechnic University of Turin, where he also serves as Logistics Coordinator and Project Coordinator for activities supporting relationships with government bodies. He is a member of the Interdepartmental Center CARS@PoliTO (Center for Automotive Research and Sustainable Mobility) and serves as Director of the ICT for City Logistics and Enterprises (ICElab@Polito) research center, which he founded in 2016. His research interests span a broad range of topics including Operations Research, Logistics, Last-mile Delivery, Sustainable Logistics, Combinatorial Optimization, Stochastic Programming, Business Development, and Lean Business methodologies. His work particularly focuses on City Logistics, Green Logistics, and the application of emerging technologies like Blockchain and AI in supply chain management. He has developed GUEST, a Lean Business methodology for innovation processes from early idea definition to implementation. Professor Perboli's recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on urban logistics, last-mile delivery optimization, blockchain applications in supply chains, and the integration of AI techniques in transportation systems. His work shows an increasing trend toward interdisciplinary research that combines optimization methods with emerging technologies to address sustainable urban mobility challenges. Professional Recognition: CASE Best Paper award from IEEE Conference on Automation Science and Engineering (2011) Effective member of INFORMS (2019-present) Effective member of EURO (1995-present) Effective member of AIRO (1995-present) Associate Editor for Journal of Applied Research and Technology (2020-present) Associate Editor for Sustainability (2018-present) Professor Perboli actively advises PhD students and has supervised numerous research projects, including EU-funded initiatives like SINFONICA, HESTER, and 5G-LOGINNOV. He serves as Scientific Director for multiple commercial research projects focused on blockchain, IoT, and AI applications in logistics. Beyond academia, he is Chief Scientific Officer of Arisk S.p.A., a fintech company specializing in business crisis prediction using AI and machine learning. His research group, ICElab@Polito, focuses on two main areas supporting urban growth: logistics and enterprises. The center collaborates with numerous companies including Amazon, DHL, and FCA, addressing real-world challenges in urban logistics and supply chain management through innovative research approaches.
Pedro Oliveira is a leading academic and administrator with diverse roles across institutions. He currently serves as Dean at Nova School of Business and Economics , where he holds the Cascais Chair in Operations, Technology, and Innovation Management . Additionally, he is a Professor MSO at Copenhagen Business School , Academic Fellow at Cornell University , and Adjunct Professor at MIT Sloan School of Management . He also founded the Patient Innovation platform and co-founded PPL Crowdfunding . Education: Ph.D. in Operations, Technology, and Innovation Management (2004), University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill M.Sc. in Operations Research and Systems Engineering (2000), Instituto Superior Técnico Licenciatura in Naval Engineering (1996), Instituto Superior Técnico Research Focus: Pedro Oliveira's work centers on Open and User Innovation , Patient Innovation , and Social and Impact Innovation , with a strong emphasis on Service Operations Management and Artificial Intelligence in Innovation . His studies often bridge Technology Strategy with Healthcare and Financial Services , exploring how users can drive innovation in resource-constrained environments. Publication Trends: His recent works emphasize collaborative innovation in public and semi-public domains , patient-driven healthcare solutions , and user innovation in digital finance . He has also published extensively on knowledge commons and innovation during crises , such as the COVID-19 pandemic . Leadership and Advisory Roles: Pedro has held significant administrative roles, including Senior Associate Dean for Faculty & Research and Director of the Research Unit in Business and Economics . He has advised the Portuguese Ministry of Science, Technology, and Higher Education and served on the Environment & Sustainability Council at EDP Energias de Portugal . He is also the President of the Open and User Innovation Society and a counselor on the National Council for Science, Technology, and Innovation (CNCTI) and Economic and Social Council (CES) in Portugal. Labs and Teams: As founder of Patient Innovation , he has established a global platform for user-driven healthcare solutions. His work also includes collaborative digital health initiatives , such as the Saúde.Come Senior program addressing food insecurity in elderly populations through TV-based eHealth interventions.
Daniel A Levinthal is the Reginald H. Jones Professor of Corporate Strategy and Professor of Management at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. With extensive publications on organizational adaptation and industry evolution in technological contexts, he serves as Editor-in-Chief for Strategy Science and Organization Science. Research Interests Industry evolution Organizational learning Technological competition His 2024 research examines organizational search strategies, showing how cautious exploitation combines slow belief updating with strong explicit exploitation for effective adaptation. Recent work explores how political coalitions drive organizational change, with hierarchical belief influence structures proving more effective than flat designs in certain environments. Earlier studies developed the "Mendelian executive" framework and advanced Carnegie School decision-making theory. Scientific Awards Fellow of Strategic Management Society Fellow of Academy of Management Distinguished Scholar Awards (3 divisions) Irwin Award as Distinguished Educator 4 Honorary Doctorates Levinthal teaches advanced strategy courses (MGMT9000, MGMT9150) and graduate enterprise management (MGMT6110). His research has established foundational insights about organizational capabilities, knowledge aggregation, and strategic inertia.
Prof. Henk Kievit is a Professor of Entrepreneurship and Ecosystems at Nyenrode Business University. He directs the Faculty Research Center for Entrepreneurship, Governance & Stewardship and the Center for Strategy, Organization and Leadership. His teaching focuses on regional ecosystems, governance frameworks, and social entrepreneurship, employing blended learning methods. Research interests include digital transformation, innovation ecosystems, and societal governance transitions. His work bridges entrepreneurship theory with practical applications in food systems, digital economies, and social impact investing. Over 40 publications span journals like Journal of Technology Transfer and International Business Review , emphasizing ecosystem dynamics and policy implications. Active in Dutch innovation networks, he advises on agricultural transition initiatives in the Foodvalley region and sits on supervisory boards for social ventures.
James G. Combs (PhD, Louisiana State University) is the Della Phillips Martha Schenck Chair of American Private Enterprise at the University of Central Florida and a Visiting Professor at the University of Ottawa. His scholarly work focuses on family business , franchising , research synthesis , and corporate governance , with publications in top-tier journals like the Academy of Management Journal, Strategic Management Journal, and Journal of Business Venturing. His research explores critical themes such as: Strategic decision-making in family firms Franchising and organizational routines Corporate governance mechanisms (e.g., shareholder agreements) Meta-analytic techniques in management research His 2025-2023 publications highlight emerging trends in entrepreneurial pivoting , lean startup methodologies , alliance portfolio diversity , and CSR in family businesses . He has served as Associate Editor for multiple journals and held leadership roles in the Academy of Management and Southern Management Association (SMA), including SMA President. Combs ranks among the top 2% of management scholars by citation impact and has received the 2020 SMA Hunt Sustained Outstanding Service Award and the 2021 Rosenberg Center Eminent Franchising Scholar Award. He is a Fellow of the Southern Academy of Management and a 21st Century Entrepreneurship Fellow.
William Kaigler serves as an Adjunct Professor of Entrepreneurship at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business, teaching over 40 course instances since 2018 including Introduction to Entrepreneurship, Innovation & Entrepreneurial Mindset, and specialized courses for computer scientists and creative industries. He leverages two decades of entrepreneurial experience founding health-tech companies such as medSage Technologies (acquired by Philips Electronics in 2011) and NewCare Solutions, alongside current roles as Managing Director of WJK Enterprises and advisory board member for Idelic Inc. His educational background includes: MBA with Distinction in Entrepreneurship and Marketing from Carnegie Mellon University (1997) B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from West Virginia University (1985) Professor Kaigler's expertise focuses on translating entrepreneurial theory into health technology practice, particularly through elderly care monitoring systems and patient management solutions. His professional activities bridge academic instruction with hands-on startup mentorship at Alpha Lab, business coaching through Vistage International, and strategic investments in health-tech ventures. This applied approach emphasizes disruptive innovation in regulated industries while maintaining commercial viability. His teaching portfolio demonstrates consistent engagement with CMU students across disciplines, with recent courses addressing lean methodology and sector-specific entrepreneurship. Beyond the classroom, he cultivates entrepreneurial ecosystems through executive coaching and startup advisory roles, emphasizing his core philosophy: 'To be a success in business, be daring, be first, be different.'
Monica Bellgran is a Professor of Industrial Production at the Royal Institute of Technology (KTH). Her research focuses on optimizing production systems for efficiency and sustainability, emphasizing lean production, circular economy principles, and Industry 4.0 applications. She explores challenges faced by SMEs in adopting advanced technologies and scaling production processes. Key research areas include green design methodologies, circular production frameworks, and the integration of digital tools in manufacturing. Bellgran has contributed to studies on environmental sustainability improvements in pharmaceutical production and the operationalization of circular economy concepts at factory levels. Her work spans collaborations with industries like automotive, pharmaceuticals, and hardware startups, addressing topics such as production localization, deviation management, and the role of advanced digital technologies in strategic decision-making. She emphasizes the importance of balancing operational effectiveness with environmental responsibility in industrial systems.
Yuliya Snihur is an Associate Professor of Entrepreneurship at IESE Business School, University of Navarra . She holds a PhD in Management from IESE Business School and bachelor's degrees in International Business from Northeastern University and European Management from NEOMA Business School. Prior to her academic career, she gained industry experience in corporate finance at multinational corporations including Johnson & Johnson and Coca-Cola, as well as startup environments. Her research focuses on entrepreneurial framing , business model innovation , and strategic adaptation in digital transformation contexts. She examines how CEOs use linguistic tools to shape organizational responses to disruptive innovations, particularly through opportunity framing that influences business model blending versus separation strategies. Her work combines cognitive theory, organizational behavior, and strategic management principles. Current research explores the temporal dimensions of opportunity framing in prolonged adaptation processes, analyzing how intensity, concreteness, future orientation , and inclusiveness of executive communication affect organizational response to technological disruption. Her 2025 publications examine innovation legitimacy and ethical framing in entrepreneurial contexts.
