ALFONSO GAMBARDELLA

I teach three Master courses on innovation management and decision-making. Under different angles and technicalities, they show why and how a scientific approach, based on theoretical framing of problems and tests using data, help managers and entrepreneurs to make better decisions. I also teach two executive courses on the topic, adapted to this audience. Finally, I teach a PhD course that tries to help students to use econometrics for business analysis.

I am a Professor of Corporate Management. I obtained my PhD in 1991 from the Department of Economics of Stanford University. My work focuses on the economics and management of technological innovations and the technology strategies of firms.

I am Department Editor of Business Strategy at Management Science. I am also a Fellow of the Strategic Management Society (SMS), and a Research Fellow of the Center for Economic Policy Research (CEPR)

In 2021 I was awarded a European Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grants 2021 entitled  A Scientific Approach to Innovation Management (SAIM) (2021-2026)

I am interested in the implications of innovation activities in firms for strategy, market structure and economic growth more generally. Since innovation plays such an important role in firms and our economies, in recent years I have focused on how firms and entrepreneurs can make better decisions under uncertainty. Through a series of randomized control trials, with Arnaldo Camuffo and other colleagues we have shown that decision-makers who use a scientific approach (theory and tests) make better decisions. I think that this is an important micro-foundation of management and strategy especially in light of the current digital revolution.