Fabrizio Salvador Appointed Dean of IE Doctoral School

IE University today announced the appointment of Fabrizio Salvador as Dean of IE Doctoral School, reinforcing its commitment to advancing doctoral education, attracting world-class researchers, and generating knowledge that helps address the challenges the global business community faces.

Fabrizio Salvador, professor, researcher, and Chair in Operational Excellence at IE University, leads the launch of the IE Doctoral School and the design of its new doctoral programs. "The IE Doctoral School articulates and strengthens doctoral training at IE University, serving as the institutional framework that ensures academic excellence, research quality, and the comprehensive development of doctoral students," says Fabrizio Salvador. 

"We are working on the design of an innovative portfolio of third-cycle programs, supporting their design and implementation, attracting top-tier talent and anchoring it in rigorous and high-impact research. We will also promote synergies across programs, reinforce the development and fundraising strategy of doctoral offerings, and ensure compliance with national and international certification and accreditation standards, consolidating a rigorous, competitive doctoral model fully aligned with the university's research strategy," adds Salvador.

The academic offering of IE Doctoral School includes, in this first stage, the Master in Business Research and the Ph.D. in Business. This program features a full‑time track, aimed at students who aspire to pursue an international academic career, and a part-time track, designed for senior executives seeking to differentiate their knowledge of business reality through research and innovation. 

In the coming years, IE Doctoral School will launch new Ph.D. programs in collaboration with IE University’s six schools, strengthening interdisciplinary cooperation and reinforcing the academic institution’s strategic roadmap, which foresees the incorporation of more than 200 professors and researchers, a milestone in the European higher education ecosystem.

Academic Strategy

IE Doctoral School, in line with IE University's academic strategy, will promote the development of research work focused on four major clusters: boosting productivity and fostering long-term growth (economics), navigating geopolitics and building stronger political systems (politics), advancing technology for the benefit of society (innovation), and promoting climate resilience and social adaptation (technological regulation and ecological transition).

"IE Doctoral School is the ‘institutional home’ of doctoral training at IE University. It ensures that our doctoral programs meet the highest standards of academic excellence, research quality, and student development," says Fabrizio Salvador. He adds that the school "provides a structured environment that supports doctoral candidates and their advisors through clear governance, rigorous training, transparent evaluation processes, and a vibrant academic community."

Juan Santaló, Vice-Rector of Faculty & Research at IE University, also highlights that "the creation and strengthening of doctoral programs across different disciplines is a decisive step toward consolidating IE University's research capacity and fostering rigorous research with real impact on business and society. Fabrizio Salvador brings together, in an exceptional way, the qualities needed to lead this new stage: a top‑level academic trajectory, with publications in the leading journals of his field, and extensive experience in developing applied research in collaboration with companies and organizations."

Fabrizio Salvador will combine his position as Dean with his responsibilities as Chair Professor in Operational Excellence, an academic chair designed to strengthen collaboration between industry and academia in the field of operational excellence. Salvador obtained his Ph.D. in Operations Management from the Università di Padova, where he graduated in Industrial Engineering. He has been a visiting professor at MIT and Shanghai University, and an adjunct Faculty at Arizona State University. His research lies at the intersection of operations management and strategic human‑capital management, focusing on organizational mechanisms that promote flexibility, efficiency, and innovation among teams and employees. Throughout his career, Salvador has played a leading role in establishing IE University’s applied research unit, has received numerous awards, and has seen his academic work featured in internationally renowned publications.

IE University dedicates 16.7% of its total expenditure to R&D, with an annual growth rate of 8%. Its R&D intensity (1.4% of direct GDP) surpasses the average for higher education institutions in both Spain (0.4%) and the EU (0.48%). Over the past three decades, IE faculty and researchers have published more than 3,300 academic articles, cited over 55,000 times, reflecting the university’s strong contribution to global knowledge.