4th Annual AIB Sustainability SIG PhD and Early Career Researchers' Virtual Symposium

Aims of the Symposium

Sustainability has become a top priority for international business (IB) practitioners and researchers alike. The Sustainability Shared Interest Group (SIG) of the Academy of International Business (AIB) has been leading and supporting this development in IB research. Since the SIG’s official launch in 2020, the AIB Sustainability SIG has concentrated its efforts in providing a platform for IB researchers. While the sustainability topic is relevant and appealing to researchers of all academic standing, there is a continuing, growing interest among PhD and early career researchers. The Sustainability SIG is organizing the 4th annual symposium for current PhD and early career (within 5 years) researchers to provide a platform for discussion, exchange, and feedback for the doctoral student community interested in sustainability and IB.

The event is a virtual workshop tailored for early career researchers aiming to refine their research ideas, from fully developed manuscripts to preliminary concepts that can be summarized in a one-page abstract. Additionally, the workshop will include Q&A sessions on how to conduct sustainability research. Participants are encouraged to send their questions prior to the event. During the online workshop, breakout room sessions will be featured, where participants will be grouped based on the relevance of their topics, enabling them to share and discuss their research with mentors (see below). 

The event is a virtual workshop designed for early career researchers to refine their research ideas, ranging from fully developed manuscripts to preliminary concepts that can be summarized in a one-page abstract. Also, the event will facilitate Q&A sessions on how to do sustainability research – participants should send their questions prior to the event. The online workshop will feature breakout room sessions where participants will be grouped according to the relevance of their topics, allowing them to share and discuss their research. The event will take place on 20th March 2026.  

To join the AIB Sustainability SIG symposium, kindly submit an extended abstract of your current sustainability research project (maximum 1 page, excluding references). Additionally, if you have specific questions about conducting sustainability research, please send them prior to the symposium. All documents, including the extended abstract and questions, should be submitted to sustainabilitysig@aib.world by March 6th, 2026.

Topics can fall into research fields such as the UN’s Sustainability Development Goals in IB, sustainability in emerging economics, circular and sharing economy, sustainability issues related to innovation, the global value chain, and other topics on sustainability in international business research. Abstracts should be submitted to sustainabilitysig@aib.world with the subject line ‘4th Annual SIG symposium’. The event will take place online and open to all current AIB members (including PhD members). To join AIB, please visit https://www.aib.world/membership/

Acceptance of abstract emails will be sent out by early March 2026. The event intends to be inclusive and supportive. Questions can be directed to event organizers Marina Schmitz (Marina.Schmitz@iedc.si), Irene Margaret (Irene.Margaret@liverpool.ac.uk ), and Shasha Zhao (shasha.zhao@surrey.ac.uk).

Mentors

• Grazia D. Santangelo, Copenhagen Business School, Denmark

Bio: Grazia D. Santangelo is Professor of Strategic and International Management at Copenhagen Business School. She researches across the fields of international business, global strategy, and innovation management. Her most recent research concerns MNEs' strategies in the context of geopolitics and Grand Challenges. Her research has been published in leading academic journals, including the Journal of International Business Studies, the Journal of Economic Geography, and Organization Science, and has been recognized with international awards. She is the co-editor of Global Strategy Journal. Prior to that, she served as a Reviewing Editor for the Journal of International Business Studies. She is a Fellow of the Academy of International Business (AIB) and the European International Business Academy (EIBA). She is an elected member of the AIB Board and served in elected leadership roles in the Academy of Management International Management Division, Global Strategy Interest Group of the Strategic Management Society, and EIBA.

• Sandra Seno Alday, University of Sydney, Australia

Bio: Sandra Alday is Deputy Head of the Discipline of International Business at the University of Sydney Business School. Extending her experience in strategy and organisation development consulting, her scholarly and industry research explore risk management and transformational learning for sustainable futures. Committed to excellence and innovation in higher education, Sandra is a recipient of an Australian Learning and Teaching Council (ALTC) Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning. She is an Associate Editor of the Journal of Management Education (JME).

• Miguel Cordova, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico

Bio: Miguel Cordova is an Associate Professor at the Business School, at Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico. He holds a PhD in Strategic Management and Sustainability. His research interests are Power and Influence, Sustainable Development, Strategy, Global Value Chains, Blue Economy, and Economic Democracy. He serves as Chair at the Teaching & Education SIG of the Academy of International Business (AIB), as Vice Chair at the AIB Latin American Chapter (AIB-LAC), as Associate Editor at the International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education, and as Member of the Expert Council for Economic Democracy of the European Union.

• Valentina De Marchi, ESADE Business School, Spain

Bio: Valentina De Marchi is Associate Professor at the Department of Society, Politics and Sustainability and director of the center for Teaching and Learning at ESADE Business School. She is interested in environmental innovations and circular economy in the context of global value chains. Her more recent research aims at understanding the role of paradoxical approaches to support achieving sustainability results, and on regeneration strategies. She is deputy editor of Journal of International Business Policy and member of the editorial board of Organization & Environment and Journal of International Business Studies. She has been the Italian representative at the European International Business Academy (EIBA), president of the GRONEN association, and member of the organizing committee of Network O (Global Value Chains) within the SASE conference. For more information: www.valentinademarchi.it

• Lisa Fröhlich, ISPIRA Think Tank for Sustainable Supply Chains, Germany

Prof. Dr. habil. Elisabeth Fröhlich served as President of CBS University of Applied Science, Germany, until 2022. She is a Full Professor of Sustainable Procurement and Supply Chains and an internationally recognized expert in sustainable supply chain management. She is the founder of the ISPIRA Think Tank for Sustainable Supply Chains and has developed an innovative business mentoring approach designed to help companies navigate the challenges of emerging European sustainability regulations. In this context, she has created several practical templates and tools that support organizations in transforming their supply chains into resilient and sustainable systems.

Lisa is strongly committed to Responsible Management Education and serves as a Board Member of PRME and is the Chair of the PRME DACH Chapter. In addition, she acts as Vice Chair of the AOM Management Education Division Ambassador Program. Her research focuses on sustainable supply chain management, green and strategic procurement, circular economy approaches in global value chains, and strategic supplier relationship management.