Welcome! 

I am a Professor of Entrepreneurship & Organizations at Emlyon Business School (France), where I joined in September 2024 as part of the research track at assistant professor level. Previously, I was an Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship at the University of Essex (UK), where I also served as the Deputy Director of the MBA. Prior to that, I was a Postdoctoral scholar collaborating with Sharon A. Alvarez at the University of Pittsburgh, PA, USA. 

I earned my Ph.D. in Management from IE Business School, Madrid, Spain, where I graduated with the highest distinction and specialized in Entrepreneurship and Organization Theory. 

Dissertation: Disentangling Legitimacy: Three Essays on Legitimacy Perceptions 

Advisor: Julio O. De Castro (IE Business School, Spain) 

Committee members: Sharon A. Alvarez (Univ. of Pittsburgh, USA); Marco Giarratana (IE Business School, Spain); Isabel Guttiérez-Calderón (Carlos 3 Univ. Spain); Dean A. Shepherd (Univ. of Notre Dame, USA); Taiyuan Wang (CEIBS, China)

My research program broadly examines the factors that enhance or constrain the success of entrepreneurial endeavors and innovation in new and established firms. More specifically, I study how different audiences form legitimacy judgments under conditions in which legitimacy is fragile or contested, and how those judgments shape entrepreneurial outcomes.

I draw on theories of legitimacy, justice, social psychology, and linguistics to uncover the microfoundational mechanisms underlying broader, observable macro-level phenomena. My research uses a range of methods, including experiments, surveys, interviews, and text analysis. By combining these approaches, I seek to address distinctive and previously underexplored research questions.

My research has been published in journals such as the Journal of Management Studies (FT 50), Journal of Management Inquiry, European Management Review, or Industrial Economics. It is also regularly featured in best paper proceedings, including Frontiers of Entrepreneurship Research and the Academy of Management Annual Meeting Best Paper Proceedings.  I regularly present at leading international conferences, such as Academy of Management (AOM), the Babson College Entrepreneurship Research Conference, the European Group for Organization Studies (EGOS), or the European Academy of Management (EURAM). Additionally, my work has been shared with influential think tanks like The Brookings Institution in Washington D.C. 

I was honored to be awarded the French State Award for Academic Excellence, a Best Paper Award at the Iberoamerican Academy of Management, and best paper nominations at the Academy of Management Conference.

For research collaborations, speaking engagements, consultancy, or media inquiries, please get in touch. See Research Activities & Conferences for further information.