- Programme studied: PhD in Employment Relations and Human Resource Management
- Year of Graduation: 2019
- LinkedIn profile
Elisa completed her PhD in Employment Relations and Human Resource Management (HRM) in 2019 and currently serves as a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in HRM at the University of Greenwich in London.
Current job title and description of what this role entails:
I am a lecturer in HRM at the University of Greenwich. I teach HRM and Research Methods courses, supervise students alongside working on my own research. I have found a great team of colleagues at Greenwich and have been enjoying working on revamping our HRM programmes for the coming years, especially the novelty of building a new programme and the challenges that come with it.
Tell us about your career journey since graduating from LSE?
After finishing my PhD at LSE I had my second baby and remained working with colleagues in the Department for a couple of years to build some teaching experience, whilst publishing a chapter of my dissertation and other articles. I finalised my portfolio for the Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education thanks to the wonderful Eden Centre at the LSE and obtained my Fellowship to the Higher Education Academy. I then decided to pursue my own journey in teaching and research, and build experience working for other institutions, therefore I moved to the University of Greenwich, where I knew my research would find a perfect home in their Centre for Research on Employment and Work (CREW).
Can you provide a short summary of your PhD thesis and how it shaped the direction of your academic career?
My thesis focused on labour market regulation, and the role of unions in improving working conditions and stabilising the workforce. I had the opportunity to try different approaches and methods to answer my research question, where I developed an interest into researching and began to understand the different levels of interventions that help build a better world of work for everybody. This is still my research focus, even if the perspective or domain of my inquiry changes. At the moment I am working on comparing different avenues of regulation for platform work, the impact of AI use in call centres, and the best HRM strategies to ensure the inclusion of disabled talent in the workplace.
What’s the best piece of career advice you’ve received?
It might not seem career-related, but it is the one piece of advice that will always stay with me. Once I had a clash between an important workshop I was co-organising, and my first child’s primary school assembly. My PhD supervisor and mentor immediately stepped in and went the extra-mile to rearrange everything, allowing me to do both; he stated to always value and prioritise important things in your life. I often go back to this advice any time I talk to my students, or I need to make difficult decisions.
What’s the greatest challenge you’ve had to overcome?
The PhD journey can be a difficult one, especially if you doubt yourself or you're juggling other things in life that may take energy or focus away from the task at hand. Overcoming those difficulties has been important for me to build a bank of self-confidence and strength that has been useful throughout my career. I have also learnt that academia is not a lonely journey, I have built professional relationships and good friendships along the way.
Share with us your fondest memory of the Department of Management.
It is a difficult choice, because I had many beautiful, intense, uplifting moments in my years in the Department, and some of my best, long-lasting friendships were born here. I fondly remember the emotional celebrations when the first colleagues in our cohort were awarded their PhD; the fun we had during dinners and drinks with peers and faculties; the excitement of attending the first conferences as a student; but I also cherish those quiet moments in the Shaw library where I often stopped to read and think.
If you would like to be our Alum of the Month or if you would like to nominate a Department of Management alumni, please email dom.alumni@lse.ac.uk.