Dr Mariana Estrada-Robles

Profile

I am a researcher in the field of entrepreneurship and family business. I joined the Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Studies at Leeds University Business School in 2017 from Sheffield University Management School. My research mainly focuses on studying the influence of family dynamics and institutional context on entrepreneurial families. I have also recently expanded my resesarch interests and started researching third age entrepreneurship looking at aging and entrepreneuership. I also investigate knowledge transfer in SMEs as part of the following grant award (Co-I) £10,000 BA Leverhulme Small Research Grant: “Mind the Gap: Investigating the Transfer of Digital Capabilities from the Classroom to the Business in SMEs”.

Reviewer for:

• International Small Business Journal
• International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation
• International Journal of Entrepreneurial Behaviour and Research
• Entrepreneurship Research Journal
• Industry and Higher Education

Visiting Faculty – Audencia Business School 

My teaching commitments include designing and delivering modules for postgraduate and undergraduate students in higher education institutions in the UK, Mexico, France and International Summer Schools. I have also worked for 6 years in EGADE Business School for Latin America developing postgraduate programmes in countries like Peru, Ecuador, Panama and Colombia. I have collaboratively taught entrepreneurship courses involving academic trips to New York, New Haven (Yale School of Management), Houston (Texas A&M) in the United States; and Madrid, Spain (BBVA Group Training Centre). I have also assessed start-up projects from MBA students in EGADE Business School.

Research interests

My primary research interest is in the field of family entrepreneurship, specialising in entrepreneurial families and family business. I am also interested in exploring informality, institutions and culture within entrepreneurship. 

I have also recently expanded my resesarch interests and started researching third age entrepreneurship and knowledge transfer in SMEs.

I am interested in supervising PhD students in the following areas:

•          Family Business
•          Family Entrepreneurship
•          Family businesses and entrepreneurship in emerging economies

Listen to my following podcasts based on a paper published recently in ER&D accessible here:
Podcast from Entrepreneurship and Regional Development: ‘Structural coupling in entrepreneurial families: how business-related resources contribute to enterpriseness’
Podcast from LUBS Research and Innovations Podcasts: 'How family members can support each other’s entrepreneurial activities'

Qualifications

• Fellow (Higher Education Academy)
• PGCAP- University of Leeds
• PhD in Managament- Entrepreneurship, University of Sheffield
• MBA, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico
• BA Marketing, Tecnologico de Monterrey, Mexico

Professional memberships

• Higher Education Academy
• Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship

Student education

In the academic year 2023-24, I am module leader/teaching on:

Undergraduate Level

• LUBS2028 Leading and Managing Small Businesses

Postgraduate Level

• LUBS5963M Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Creation 
• OLUB5208M Enterprise, Innovation and Sustainability

Research groups and institutes

• Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Studies