Imperial Business School welcomes global scholars as new faculty for 2025–26
From corporate finance to healthcare innovation, our new faculty are set to strengthen Imperial’s interdisciplinary edge
Imperial Business School is delighted to announce the new academic, research and teaching staff joining for the 2025–26 academic year, strengthening its global reputation at the intersection of business and technology.
The new colleagues join across all four academic areas — Finance, Management & Entrepreneurship, Analytics & Operations, and Economics & Public Policy — bringing world-class expertise in fields ranging from asset pricing and healthcare innovation to entrepreneurship, diversity and inclusion, and macroeconomic policy.
Finance
Two new assistant professors join the School’s Finance department: Dr. Alireza Aghaee and Dr. Harsha Dutta, alongside Luigi Rizzo who joins as a professor of practice.
Dr. Aghaee, who completed his PhD at Bocconi University, is an empirical researcher with interest in asset pricing and corporate finance. His award-winning work on the “index effect” in the S&P 500 has been recognised with the European Finance Association Doctoral Tutorial Best Paper Prize.
“I am excited to join Imperial’s vibrant research community, where collaboration across disciplines drives innovative thinking in finance. The School’s strong ties to policy and industry provide a unique environment to translate research into real-world impact.”
Dr. Harsha Dutta, previously at Hong Kong University of Science & Technology, studies the intersection of finance and development, with complementary interests in economic history and political economy. His research has appeared in journals including Science Advances and explores how financial incentives and institutional constraints shape the behaviour of households and firms in developing economies.
“I’m looking forward to working alongside Imperial’s exceptional business scholars. London’s rich historical legacy provides an inspiring environment for uncovering new insights from the past to inform modern financial policies.”
Luigi Rizzo has more than three decades of investment banking experience. He is Vice Chair of Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley, having previously been a partner at Goldman Sachs and Head of Investment Banking for the EMEA region at Bank of America. He is an adjunct professor of business at Columbia Business School and has previously taught mergers and acquisitions as a visiting professor at the Business School. Eager to share practical insights with Imperial students, he is an expert connecting theory to the realities of corporate finance.
“It is a privilege to be part of the Imperial community and help students bridge the gap between theoretical frameworks and the daily realities of global finance.”
Management & Entrepreneurship
The department welcomes three globally recognised scholars, including two full professors, Professor Tobias Kretschmer and Professor Jeffery S. McMullen, as well as Dr. Poornima Luthra as a principal lecturer.
Professor Jeffery S. McMullen, former Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Business Venturing, is internationally recognised for advancing the theory of entrepreneurship and has been honoured with multiple awards, including the Foundational Paper Award from the Academy of Management.
“I am excited to explore the potential of entrepreneurship at a world-class STEM university dedicated to serving humanity and to do so in the middle of one of the most vibrant cities the world has ever known.”
Professor Kretschmer, coming from LMU Munich School of Management, is a leading expert in strategy and organisation design in technology-intensive industries. His work focuses on strategy and organisation design in technology-intensive industries. He currently serves as an associate editor at Strategic Management Journal.
“I’ve been studying new technologies for my entire career. Being at Imperial gives me a chance to learn in depth how these technologies work and to understand the strategic implications of technological change (and vice versa).”
Dr. Poornima Luthra is a leading practitioner-academic in talent management and EDI, known for bridging research and practice across Asia and Europe. She is joining from Copenhagen Business School A TEDx speaker and author of multiple acclaimed books, she advises global organisations and was named a Thinkers50 top management thinker and Nordic Blaze Inclusion Trailblazer.
“I am thrilled to join Imperial Business School as it offers a dynamic environment at the forefront of global business education and research. The School’s strong commitment to innovation, interdisciplinary collaboration, and real-world impact aligns perfectly with my vision for advancing knowledge and nurturing future leaders. I look forward to contributing to its diverse academic community and shaping its continued success.”
Economics & Public Policy
Two early-career scholars are joining this department Dr. Jasmin Moshfegh as Assistant Professor and Dr. Patrick Schneider as Associate Professor. Ragvir Sabharwal will also be joining the Department as Senior Teaching Fellow from October.
Dr. Moshfegh, who joins from Stanford University, studies the causes and consequences of healthcare innovation, with a focus on information technologies. Her doctoral research, supported by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality, examined how new technologies diffuse through healthcare systems and their impact on health inequality.
“What excites me most about joining Imperial is the opportunity to be part of a department and institution that sits at the intersection of cutting-edge research, interdisciplinary collaboration, and real-world impact. In health economics and public policy, the challenges we face—whether around healthcare access, innovation, or inequality—require perspectives that cut across economics, medicine, technology, and data science. Imperial’s unique ecosystem brings these disciplines together in a way that few other places can.”
Dr. Schneider, who earned his PhD at the London School of Economics, previously worked as an economist at the Bank of England, contributing to debates on Brexit and UK productivity. His work focuses on the distributional effects of macroeconomic policy. with a particular interest in inter-generational conflicts and behavioural biases.
“I’m most excited to work with our students. Understanding economics is essential to functioning in today’s world, and I want to help our students tool up for their futures.”
Analytics & Operations
Joining the department are Dr. Jónas Oddur Jónasson as Associate Professor, Dr. Heeyoung Yoon as Assistant Professor and Angela O'Connell as Senior Teaching Fellow.
Dr. Jónasson, previously at MIT Sloan, specialises in improving healthcare delivery in resource-limited settings. His data-driven models have supported organisations such as the Clinton Health Access Initiative and the London Ambulance Service, and his award-winning research has influenced public health outcomes worldwide.
Dr. Heeyoung Yoon, who completed her PhD at New York University, focuses on prediction bias, consumption experiences and decision-making. Her research investigates why individuals mispredict their consumption patterns and how it affects consumer welfare as well as market outcomes.
“Imperial’s commitment to world-leading research and global impact makes it an inspiring place to be. I’m excited to contribute to and learn from colleagues who are advancing solutions to some of the most pressing challenges of our time.”
Angela O'Connell's journey started with a Maths degree at University of Bristol, followed by a CIMA qualification and an MBA at INSEAD. Since then, She’s worked across finance, consulting and marketing in consumer goods companies L’Oreal and P&G , and technology companies, including eight years at Google leading marketing teams across EMEA and more recently scaling teams at high-growth companies like Onfido and Plaid. Outside work, she's learning the trumpet, coaches her daughters' hockey teams, and plays padel.
“What I enjoy most is translating real world business challenges into practical learning experiences, and I’m excited to continue that approach here at Imperial Business School.”
This diverse academic cohort embodies world-leading research, innovative teaching and a strong connection to practice. Their contributions will further strengthen the Business School’s mission to bring business and science together for the benefit of society.
This article was updated on 8 September 2025 to include revised details for Luigi Rizzo; on 9 September 2025 to include information on Angela O'Connell and Ragvir Sabharwal and on 12 September 2025 to reflect Poornima Luthra's correct title.
