Alessia Argiolas is a Postdoctoral Researcher at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), Germany, and serves as the Research Coordinator for the TUM SEED Center. She holds a Ph.D. in Management and Innovation from the Catholic University of Milan, Italy.
Her research centers on Social and Sustainable Enterprises and social impact, with a particular focus on contexts in the Global South and the Energy Sector. Alessia’s work has been published in leading academic journals, including the Journal of Business Venturing, Business & Society, and Business Research Quarterly.
Recognized for her innovative and interdisciplinary research agenda, Alessia was awarded a prestigious fellowship from the Joachim Herz Foundation.
| July 2023 – present | Academic Positions: Post-Doctoral Researcher Technical University of Munich, School of Management Chair of Corporate Sustainability, Munich, Germany |
| Dec 2022 – June 2023 | Post-Doctoral Researcher Università degli studi di Bergamo, Italy |
| July 2023 - present | Research Positions: Research Coordinator TUM SEED Center, Technical University of Munich |
| 2018 – 2021 | Social Impact research lead E4impact Foundation, Milan, Italy |
| 2019 - 2020 | Junior Research Fellow ALTIS, School of Business and S o ciety, Catholic University of Milan, Italy |
| July 2023 – present | Teaching:
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| Dec 2022 – June 2023 | Università degli studi di Bergamo, Italy
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| 2020 | Catholic University of Milan, Italy
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| 2020 | Impact Hub, Milan Trainer of Sustainability and Social Impact Measurement for start-ups |
| 2020 | Ashoka, the Visionary Program East Africa, Nairobi Trainer of Impact and Social Business Modeling |
| 2019 - 2022 | Education: Ph.D. Management and Innovation |
| 2016 - 2018 | Master Degree in Management Catholic University of Milan, Italy Thesis: "Social and Environmental Impact Measurement: Insights from Kenyan Start-ups” Supervisor: Prof. Mario Molteni |
| 2013 - 2016 | Bachelor's Degree in Management for the Arts and Heritage Catholic University of Milan, Italy |
Journal articles
Whittingham, K. L., Argiolas, A., Leyva-de la Hiz, D. I., & Earle, A. G. (2024). Mapping Liability of Origin and Mimetism in MNE Engagement across the UN Sustainable Development Goals: An Analysis of Sustainability Reports. Business & Society, 00076503241255040.
Argiolas, A., Rawhouser, H., & Sydow, A. (2023). Social entrepreneurs concerned about Impact Drift. Evidence from contexts of persistent and pervasive need. Journal of Business Venturing, 39(1), 106342.
Whittingham, K. L., Earle, A. G., Leyva-de la Hiz, D. I., & Argiolas, A. (2023). The impact of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals on corporate sustainability reporting. BRQ Business Research Quarterly, 26(1), 45-61.
Zaccone, M. C., & Argiolas, A. (2023). Is a critical mass of women always enough to improve firm performance? The importance of the institutional context. Corporate Governance: The International Journal of Business in Society, 24(8), 1-21.
Book chapters
Alexander, K., Argiolas A., Bohlayer, C., Sydow, A., Taghvaee. (2024) Workaround Practices within Gender-Biased Entrepreneurship Ecosystems – Evidence from Female Entrepreneurs in Africa. In De Gruyter Handbook of Women Entrepreneurs in Emerging Economies. De Gruyter.
Argiolas, A., Benamar, S. (2024). How universities enable sustainable solutions to persistent social problems in Africa: the case of a Pan African university alliance. In Sustainable Universities and Colleges (pp. 132-159). Edward Elgar Publishing.
Case studies
Sydow, A., Ciambotti, G., Sottini, A., Argiolas, A. (2019). Ecotact: Making Public Restrooms in Kenya Sustainable and Attractive. SAGE Business Cases
2025 - 2027
| Grants: Call: Social innovation - Actions to develop impact performance intelligence services for the social impact investing market actors. |
| 2025 - 2027 | Fellowship: Joachim Herz Stiftung Add-on Fellowship for Interdisciplinary Economics and Business Administration |
| 2024 | European Talent Academy Selected for a research exchange program focused on interdisciplinary, including researchers from TUM, Imperial College London, and Politecnico di Milano |
| 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018 | Scholarships: Educatt Scholarship for outstanding academic results |
- Sustainable Entrepreneurship in Developing Countries
- Social Impact Measurement
- Sustainable Energy and Entrepreneurship
Contact
E-Mail: alessia.argiolas(at)tum.de LinkedIn: Alessia Argiolas