IE University Unveils Roadmap to Double Research Faculty, and welcomes Nobel Laureate Joachim Frank to Open the Academic Year

IE University unveiled today a strategic roadmap that will see the doubling in size of its internal research faculty within the next five years, and the strengthening of its research output and knowledge transfer. Presented by Manuel Muñiz, Provost of IE University, the roadmap foresees the hiring of more than 200 professors and an increase in resources dedicated to research. This initiative marks a milestone in the history of IE University and in European higher education.

During the event Joachim Frank, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry, delivered the keynote address in which he defended the pivotal role of universities in producing and disseminating knowledge. Frank, a distinguished biophysicist and Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biophysics at Columbia University, shared his vision on the transformative power of research and its capacity to shape society for the better. 

The event also featured remarks by Santiago Iñiguez de Onzoño, Executive President of IE University; Salvador Carmona, Rector of IE University; and Juan Santaló, Vice-Rector of Faculty and Research.   Isabela del Alcázar, Chief Purpose and Sustainability Officer of IE University, and Marco Giarratana, Vice-Dean of Scientific Knowledge and Impact of IE University, announced the winners of the Sustainable Impact Research Awards 2025. In addition, Martina Pasquini, Director of Learning Innovation at IE, shared the main goals of the Learning Innovation strategy to transform the student experience.

During his address at IE University, Joachim Frank stated: “We cannot think of a moment when science and technology have lived such crucial times in our society.” He emphasized the importance of promoting critical thinking in a world that speaks with cacophonic voices. “The future is in the hands of students, who will face new challenges in a complex scenario,” he added.

The event also served to welcome the over 30 new full-time professors and researchers joining IE’s faculty this academic year. Coming from 14 countries and holding PhDs from leading institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Princeton University, the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), or Bocconi University, these new professors join IE at a critical moment. All of them will become part of the newly created research clusters designed to focus IE’s research on addressing pressing social challenges. The clusters will concentrate on four key fields: boosting productivity and fostering long-term growth, navigating geopolitics and building stronger political systems, advancing technology for the benefit of society, and promoting climate resilience and social adaptation.

“Education and research are among the most powerful tools to address the world’s pressing challenges. We are today reaffirming our commitment to strengthening our research capacity across fields, enabling the generation and transfer of knowledge from academia to society. This is our most significant contribution to building a better future”, said Manuel Muñiz. 

Commitment to Research

IE University dedicates 16.7% of its total expenditure to R&D, with an annual growth rate of 8%—above the national average. 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 University 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.

These are some of the findings of the ‘2025 Socioeconomic Impact Report of IE University’ conducted by PwC. The study quantifies for the first time the institution’s transformative effect through its academic, research, innovation, and entrepreneurship activity, as well as its efforts to preserve heritage and attract students, faculty, and researchers from around the world to foster a transformative academic experience and fulfill its purpose of promoting positive change.

New full-time Faculty members

IE Business School:

• Catia Sofía Alves, Assistant Professor of Marketing (Ph.D. in Management, Nova School of Business and Economics, Portugal)
• Ionela Irina Andreicovici, Assistant Professor of Accounting (Ph.D. in Accounting, ESSEC Business School, France)
• Begum Celiktutan, Assistant Professor of Marketing (Ph.D. in Marketing Management, Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University, The Netherlands)
• Sahand Davani, Assistant Professor of Finance (Ph.D. candidate in Management Sciences, ESADE Business School, Ramon Llull University, Spain)
• Uri Levine, Professor of Practice in Entrepreneurship
• Manuel Morán Pelaez, Assistant Professor at the Information Systems and Technology Department (PhD Candidate in Operations Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA)
• Ali Nickpour, Post-Doctorate at IE University (Ph.D. in Accounting, Aalto University, Finland)
• Jack Sadek, Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship (Ph.D. Candidate in Management, Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University, Canada)
• Mikel Tapia, Distinguished Visiting Professor of Finance (Ph.D. Economics, University of the Basque Country, Spain)
• Cinthia Valle Ruiz, Assistant Professor of Accounting and Control (Ph.D. in Business Administration, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain) 

IE School of Science and Technology:

• Arce Domingo Relloso, Assistant Professor of Mathematics (Ph.D. University of Valencia, Spain)
• Bissan Ghaddar, Full Professor of Computer Science (Ph.D. in Management Science, University of Waterloo, Canada)  
• Enrico Marchesini, Assistant Professor of Computer Science (Ph.D. University of Verona, Italy)
• Jose Ignacio Molina Clemente, Professor of Computer Science (Ph.D. in Computational Biology, University of Basel, Switzerland)
• Javier Muro Martin, Assistant Professor in Earth Observation (Ph.D. in Remote Sensing, University of Bonn, Germany) 
• Pedro Branco, Assistant Professor of Computer Science (Ph.D. Instituto Superior Técnico, Portugal) 
• Stefano Mingolla, Assistant Professor of Computer Science (Ph.D. The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, HKUST)
• Joe Naoum Sawaya, Assistant Professor of Computer Science (Ph.D. in Management Science, University of Waterloo, Canada)  
• Pratiksha Srivastava, Professor of Environmental Science (Ph.D. University of Tasmania, Australia) 

IE Law School:

• Laura Zoboli, Assistant Professor of Digital and Tech Law (Ph.D. in Legal Studies, Bocconi University, Italy) 

IE School of Politics, Economics and Global Affairs:

• Catherine De Vries, Chair of the Political Science and International Relations Area and Professor of Comparative Politics (Ph.D. in Political Science, Vrije Universiteit, The Netherlands)
• Korhan Koçak, Assistant Professor of Political Science (Ph.D. in Politics, Princeton University, USA)
• Jafar Javar, Professor of Practice of Sustainable Development (Ph.D. in Psychology, North Carolina State University, USA)
• Lorenzo Sileci, Assistant Professor of Economics (Ph.D. in Environmental Economics, London School of Economics and Political Science, UK)
• Amanda Sloat, Professor of Practice of International Relations (Ph.D. in Politics, University of Edinburgh, UK)
• Sigrid Weber, Assistant Professor of International Relations (Ph.D. in Political Science, University College London, UK) 

IE School of Architecture and Design:

• Joana Blochtein Burd, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Design (Ph.D. in Advanced Studies in Artistic Productions, University of Barcelona, Spain)
• Fernando García Pino, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Design (Ph.D. in Architectural Design Projects, Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid ETSAM, Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, Spain)
• Maxon Morrison Higbee, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Design (PhD candidate in Visual Studies, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain)
• Kathryn Mary Walters, Assistant Professor of Architecture and Design (Ph.D. candidate in Design, Swedish School of Textiles, University of Borås, Sweden) 

IE School of Humanities:

• Tierra McMahon, Assistant Professor of Humanities (Ph.D. Candidate in Anthropology, London School of Economics, UK)