DrJarrod Vassallo

Jarrod Vassallo is a Senior Lecturer at the University of Sydney Business School and serves on the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Product Innovation Management, the leading journal on innovation management. He is a recognized expert on social innovation and social entrepreneurship, including adjacent topics including biocultural innovation and public sector innovation that seek to address environmental crises (e.g., biodiversity loss) and social crises (e.g., rising inequality). His research particularly emphasizes emerging solutions to these crises in developing economies-notably in the Global South-ranging from Digital Public Infrastructure (DPI) to Indigenous-led solutions to food insecurity.

Jarrod's teaching portfolio encompasses Undergraduate, Master's, and PhD programs, and he was the academic lead for the acclaimed Global Executive MBA module, Thriving in New Markets. His teaching philosophy is deeply rooted in experiential learning, enabling students to engage directly with startup founders, social entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, and other industry experts. His dedication to student success has earned him multiple accolades, including the Dean's Citations for Outstanding Teacher, the Dean's Award for Teaching, and multiple Outstanding Achievement in Teaching awards. In 2024, he was named Supervisor of the Year by SUPRA for his exceptional mentoring of PhD candidates.

As a prolific scholar, Jarrod has collaborated with world-leading academics to publish in some of the field's most impactful journals, including the Journal of Management (FT50/A*), Research Policy (FT50/A*), Journal of Retailing (A*), Journal of Product Innovation Management (A*), Journal of Business Research, Journal of Business Venturing Insights, and the Stanford Social Innovation Review. His research has been presented at leading institutions such as the Yale School of Management, INSEAD, Ross School of Business, and the Wharton Business School. In 2024, Jarrod received the Research Excellence Award, recognizing him as the highest-performing researcher among lecturers at the Business School, based on objective publication metrics.

Beyond his teaching and research, Jarrod has significantly contributed to institutional strategy and impact. He served on the University's Thematic Review Committee in 2024, focused on maximizing social venture outputs across the University and collaborated with the University's Commercialisation Unit to develop a major proof-of-concept funding initiative aimed at translating research into high-impact social ventures. He has also been instrumental in advancing the United Nation's Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) agenda, helping map the Business School's research outputs against the 17 United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Prior to academia, Jarrod held leadership roles as a Senior Strategy Consultant, advising multinational corporations, and served as an expert witness for the Federal Court of Australia. His global experience includes working on programs affiliated with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), the Government of India, the Government of Bangladesh, and leading NGOs such as the Grameen Bank, BRAC, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.