Rossella Salandra

Why did you choose to do your PhD at Imperial College Business School?

I had been playing with the idea of pursuing a PhD since completing my MSc. After moving to the UK, I started working in consulting and the opportunity to start a PhD didn’t arise until a few years later. My MSc advisor talked so highly about Imperial that he certainly passed onto me his ‘infatuation’: I only applied to Imperial College Business School. I was delighted to be accepted into the programme, to be awarded a scholarship and, most of all, to have a dream supervision team.

What was the most important learning point you took with you from the Business School?

Never settle for less than the best. Receiving outstanding supervision really pushed me to deliver quality in research. I also developed the ability to conduct academic research, which was not in my pre-PhD skills set and become more resilient.

Can you recall a favourite memory from your time on the programme?

I really enjoyed teaching, helping students with their learning is an incredibly rewarding experience. Attending international conferences is also a very exciting part of PhD life and academic life more in general.

Career & professional development

How has the Business School helped develop your career? 

The programme was instrumental in helping me transition from industry to academia.

How do you plan to use the skills and knowledge you gained during the programme within your career going forward?

I hope I can carry on delivering research and teaching up to the same standards I was exposed to during my time at Imperial College Business School.

What is your current role like?

As an assistant professor, I am expected to contribute to research and teaching, as well as to participate to the life of the department. It is a challenge to juggle teaching and research. However I really enjoy being able to contribute directly to the productivity of my institution as well as to learning outcomes of our students.

What is your proudest achievement in the job so far?

My proudest achievement was being able to jump from the PhD straight into a lectureship, which is becoming increasingly difficult in management studies. Receiving outstanding supervision was a key driver of this success.

The alumni network

In what way is remaining connected to your alumni network important to you?

It allows me to access a network of talents, which could help me develop research collaborations as well as help me to keep me in touch with practice and to explore opportunities to work with other academics and industry representatives.

Advice for future students

What advice would you give to a prospective student considering studying the same programme as you?

That a PhD is not a ‘walk in the park’. It takes a lot of self-motivation to stay committed to research projects that can last for a long time. Also, I would encourage students to look for opportunities to teach and to be engaged in research collaborations. These add variety to the day-to-day work and allow you to develop skills that are highly valued by employers. Finally, think about yourselves more as doctoral researchers and less as students. Despite its demands, the programme is very flexible and allows you to manage your time effectively, so make the most of all incredible resources available to you.