About me
Maria is a Reader in Social Innovation, a researcher, a knowledge manager and a social enterprise consultant with a wealth of experience in the private, social economy, and academic sectors. She began her career as a knowledge management practitioner and also consulted with private sector and social economy organizations in Colombia. She then moved to the UK and started her academic career as a researcher in social enterprises, social innovation, knowledge management, informal entrepreneurship, marginalised social groups, and sustainability.
Education
- PhD Business Information Management and Operations, University of Westminster, UK
- MEng Industrial Engineering, Universidad de los Andes, Colombia
- BEng Industrial Engineering, Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Teaching
Maria is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. She has taught business-related topics on undergraduate and postgraduate modules, including innovation, knowledge management, sustainable business and global strategic management. She is currently leading the popular elective module 'Social and Green Innovation' in our BA Business Management degree, the 'Strategic Innovation in the digital world' module, and co-lead the 'Designing value' module in our MBA programme.
Research
Maria is a social impact and community-engaged scholar who believes in conducting research that makes a difference by driving forward businesses and societal transformation. Her research is focused on social innovation, social enterprises/entrepreneurship, and barefoot entrepreneurship. Maria aims to promote innovative entrepreneurial inclusion of marginalized and peripheral communities through her work.
Maria co-leads the Peripheral Populations and their Integration Research Group (PPIRG) and has projects in Brazil, Colombia, and the UK. Her research explores social enterprises, social innovations, community-based enterprises, barefoot and informal entrepreneurship, waste pickers, economically marginalized migrants, and circular/spiral economy and society.
Maria was awarded funding from the British Academy/Leverhulme Trust to investigate the challenges faced by waste pickers in the Colombian informal economy. Her research aims to inform policy and practice to empower waste pickers and promote a more inclusive economy.
Recently, Maria received certification in SDG Impact Standards for Enterprise Training and Social Value and SROI Practitioner Training.
PhD supervision interest:
Maria welcomes the opportunity to work with PhD students from various backgrounds and disciplines who want to embark on a PhD. She would especially encourage applicants to use a critical theoretical framework and innovative research approaches.
- Social entrepreneurial and social innovation practices
- Informal and collective entrepreneurship
- Barefoot, marginalised entrepreneurs, innovations and their challenges
- Entrepreneurship as a poverty reduction strategy
- Social impact management / social value
PhD Supervision Completions:
- Dr Marco Cuvero 'The Effects of Knowledge Spillovers, Incubators and Accelerator Programmes on the Product Innovation of High-Tech Start-Ups: A Mixed Methods Approach' Awarded 2020 (Director of studies - First supervisor)
- Dr Irma Mäkäräinen-Suni 'Innovative digital start-ups and their venture creation process with enabling digital platforms' Awarded 2021 (Second supervisor)
- Dr Louis Spring 'Practical application of the Information Seeking and Communication Model (ISCM) in Higher Education - Westminster Business School Module Leader practice - DProf' Awarded 2023 (Second supervisor)
Publications
For details of all my research outputs, visit my WestminsterResearch profile.