Three new associate professorships at the MCI

In recognition of their achievements in research and teaching, the MCI recently awarded three associate professorships to Manuel Ferdik from the Department of Industrial Engineering, Kristina Kleinlercher from the Department of Business & Management and Raphaela Stadler from the Department of Tourism & Leisure Management. With their impressive backgrounds and future-oriented specialisations, they stand for innovation, creativity and entrepreneurship at the MCI.

Associate Prof. Dr. techn. Manuel Ferdik

After completing his bachelor's degree in mechatronics at Leopold-Franzens University (LFU) and UMIT Hall, Manuel Ferdik completed two master's degrees at once: a master's in mechatronics at LFU and UMIT and a master's in industrial engineering at the Entrepreneurial University®. This was followed by doctoral studies at the LFU in the field of microelectronics and implantable systems.

While working on his dissertation, for which he eventually received the 2019 Science Award of the Tyrol Chamber of Commerce, Manuel Ferdik worked as a university assistant at the Institute of Mechatronics at LFU and was instrumental in setting up the department. After graduation, Manuel Ferdik worked as Senior Production System Manager at Swarovski and was a part-time lecturer at the University of Applied Sciences Kufstein.

His ties to academia and his great interest in teaching and research finally led him to the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management at the Entrepreneurial University® in 2021 as a Senior Lecturer, where he currently devotes himself in particular to the area of Data Science with a focus on Machine Learning.

"The MCI stands for innovation and entrepreneurship. It is precisely at this interface that I would like to help regional companies develop innovative solutions, products and processes with my research. In addition, the MCI enables me to pass on my knowledge to potential employees of tomorrow through my work in teaching, and at the same time to learn from young creative and motivated people myself."

Associate Prof. Dr. Kristina Kleinlercher

Kristina Kleinlercher began her academic career at the University of Innsbruck in international economics, specialising in marketing. After graduation, she completed a doctorate in business administration at the University of St. Gallen.

She then worked as a project manager and head of the Omnichannel & Customer Experience Management Competence Centre at the Research Centre for Retail Management at the University of St. Gallen, where marketing and sales consulting for companies as well as project management of practical studies were among her many tasks. In her research, teaching and consulting work, she deals with omni-channel and customer journey management, consumer behaviour and digital marketing communication, among other things.

Over the years, numerous publications in journals followed, including the article "Loyalty formation for different customer journey segments" (2019) published in the Journal of Retailing, which won the 2020 Davidson Award and the 2021 Best Retail and Pricing Paper Award from the American Marketing Association.

She finally found her way to the Department of Business & Management at the MCI in September 2021, first as Senior Lecturer and then as Associate FH Professor of Digital Marketing & Sales: "The MCI and the Department of Business & Management are an ideal fit for my research interests, my teaching goals and my interest in practice-oriented topics, and reflect my passion for academic research with high practical relevance."

Associate Prof. MMag. Raphaela Stadler, PhD

After Raphaela Stadler completed her degree studies in International Economics and Musicology at the University of Innsbruck, she was able to gain practical experience at numerous national and international events such as the Innsbruck Early Music Festival and the Queensland Music Festival. In the process, she recognised the need for improvement in efficient knowledge management in event organisations, which is why she specialised in this area in her PhD studies at Griffith University in Australia and recently published a book on the subject entitled "Knowledge Management in Event Organisations" (2021).

Her expertise in event management has been shared over the last few years as a Senior Lecturer at the University of Hertfordshire, where she also focused on research projects on events and wellbeing and developed recommendations for action that are actively implemented by UK institutions.

Raphaela Stadler has been supporting the Department of Tourism and Leisure Management at the MCI since February 2022: "I am very pleased to be able to contribute my international experience here at the MCI and to work in a creative and innovative team. I currently see very interesting and exciting developments in the tourism destination Tyrol, and it is very important to me to use my knowledge and expertise in the event sector to set new trends in both teaching and research