I am Chaired Professor in Social Innovation at NOVA School of Business and Economics in Lisbon Portugal. I lead the SocialinNOVA Hub and the Design for Social Innovation and Sustainability (DESIS) Lab. Prior to joining NOVA SBE, I was faculty at New York University as well as INSEAD. I also held visiting positions at Imperial College Business School. London School of Economics and Ecole des Mines.
My recent research focuses on cross-sector collaboration and open innovation for social innovation and the future of work. I research, teach and practice human-centered design. My work has been published in several leading academic journals such as Administrative Science Quarterly and Harvard Business Review. My work has been highlighted in major newspapers such as New York Times, Financial Times and The Economist.
What drives you to work and focus in academia?
I aim to develop meaningful research on collaboration for social innovation which can be turned into applied knowledge and help create social impact. There are a lot of broken things in our world: inequalities, poverty, education, climate change, etc. the list is long. Yet, I am a “possibilist”: I see so many amazing initiatives, small and big, to change things; I met, worked with, numerous inspiring individuals who are all working hard to create change. Through our projects at the SocialinNOVA Hub at NOVA School of Business and Economics, I want to give these individuals a voice and produce knowledge, create tools, that are constructive and useful for them to continue creating social impact.
What do you want to achieve in the next 10 years especially for the fulfilment of SDG Goals?
Achieving the SDG Goals requires collective action and cross-sector collaboration between civil society, public sector, non-for-profit and for-profit organisations. Being the ERA Chair holder in Social Innovation and leading the SocialinNOVA Hub provides me with a unique opportunity to leverage research, teaching, and community engagement in order develop a community of passionate researchers, social innovators, and change makers. Through this community, we aim to nurture an experimental and collaborative mindset, that support new ways of consuming, interacting, and living together. Such a mindset will hopefully lead individuals to make demands on companies, institutions, and governments so that they play their part too.
