Newly promoted Business School academics share their tips and proudest moments

Professor Paola Criscuolo

Five academics from Imperial College Business School were among staff across the College to receive promotions to mark the start of the new term.

Five academics from Imperial College Business School were among staff across the College to receive promotions to mark the start of the new term.

Professor Francisco Veloso, Dean of Imperial College Business School said: “I’m delighted to offer a huge congratulations to all our faculty who have been recognised for their incredible work. These five faculty are distinguished scholars who make an important contribution to the intellectual leadership of the Business School and are having a significant impact in their fields.”

Innovation Management

Dr Paola Criscuolo has been made Professor of Innovation Management. Describing her research, Dr Criscuolo said:  “My research focuses on how companies can be better innovators, through collaborating with other companies, managing their R&D staff, and managing their R&D projects.

“One phenomenon I’ve identified is ‘bootlegging’ – where scientists at big companies go underground with their research and innovation, and secretly work on extra projects outside the ones they’ve been assigned. Sometimes this is because they have an idea, but need to gather enough evidence to be able to demonstrate that the company should take it on as an official project. Or it can be because they had an idea which has been abandoned by the organisation, but which they think has potential and they want to gather evidence to support resurrecting it.”

Asked what advice she’d offer to early-career faculty, she said: “Throughout my career I’ve learnt a lot from my co-authors in addition to my PhD supervisors. My advice to young academics is to engage in long-term working relationships with other academics, whether senior or not, and learn as much as possible from them.”

Analytics & Operations

Dr Wolfram Wiesemann has been promoted to Professor of Analytics & Operations. His research covers machine learning, supply-chain operations and data analytics. He teaches on the MSc Business Analytics programme, both the on-campus and online versions, including a class on machine learning.

Looking to the future, he said: “The world is changing at a rapid pace and increasingly, decisions will be taken by mathematical models and algorithms instead of humans. I hope my work will help create better understanding of these developments, through cutting-edge research as well as training a generation of responsible future leaders.”

Dr Wiesemann said his proudest moments involved seeing his students and colleagues’ successes: “When former students send me e-mails years after graduation and tell me how they are applying material from my classes in the real world; when the doctoral and post-doctoral researchers of my group win awards or take on faculty positions at prestigious universities — those are the moments that make me truly proud.”

Finance

Dr Robert Kosowski has been promoted to Professor of Finance. His research interests include asset management, risk management, hedge funds, mutual funds, performance measurement, business cycles, derivative trading strategies and economic forecasting.

Asked what advice he would offer to new academics at the start of their careers he said: “Follow your passion. To achieve excellence, innovate and enjoy the process, it is important to work on topics that you are genuinely interested in.  To translate this passion into publication success you  need to develop strong project management skills.” 

Marketing

Dr Rajesh Bhargave and Dr Gokhan Yildirim have both been promoted to Associate Professor of Marketing.

Dr Bhargave’s research specialises in consumer behaviour, mainly how online tools and technology influence consumers’ judgement and decision-making when faced with choices between products. 

He said: “I’ve been fortunate to present my research to managers from a wide range of industries, helping them to become more customer-centric in their approach. Even more rewarding for me has been seeing my students implement the teaching lessons in their entrepreneurial activities and careers.”  

Asked what advice he would offer to early-career faculty he said: “Select co-authors that are a joy to work with and that complement your skills and expertise. To develop creative research ideas, read broadly and talk to many people outside of your field.”

Dr Yildirim’s recent research looks at digital marketing — examining the effectiveness of digital advertising channels, including earned media (e.g. Facebook, Twitter), paid media (e.g. banner ads), and owned media (e.g. websites) to raise the profile of familiar versus unfamiliar brands. Another area of his research in online marketing investigates consumers' sensitivities to price, and user ratings of mobile apps across different cultures.

Reflecting on his career achievements at Imperial, Dr Yildirim said: “One of my proudest moments at Imperial was when I was invited by the President Professor Alice Gast to a presidential address because of my award-winning research. It’s wonderful to feel that your work is appreciated and valued.”

Asked what advice he would offer to faculty at the start of their career he said: “Passion and patience are the two key factors to building a successful academic career. Producing high-quality research takes quite a bit of time, so you need to be patient. And you can only get into publishing cutting-edge research if you have a passion for your topic.”