Prof. Salvatore Di Falco appointed Dean of the Geneva School of Economics and Management

The University of Geneva is pleased to announce the appointment of Professor Salvatore Di Falco as Dean of the Geneva School of Economics and Management (GSEM), effective July 15, 2025. He succeeds Professor Markus Menz, who concludes his four-year term as Dean (2021–2025).

Professor Di Falco will lead the School, which educates over 1,600 students from diverse backgrounds across its Bachelor's, Master's, and Ph.D. programs, and employs approximately 200 staff members, including 60 internationally recognized faculty.

As Dean, he aims to strengthen the Faculty’s attractiveness by recruiting new talent and maintaining a high level of pedagogical innovation to address the evolving world of work. He intends to build a strong GSEM alumni network, deepen partnerships, and pay particular attention to geopolitical, economic, and technological disruptions by fostering rigorous and interdisciplinary approaches. His ambition is to make the GSEM a vibrant, demanding institution fully connected to the major contemporary challenges. These initiatives will be pursued while upholding the GSEM’s accreditation from the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

The new Dean will be supported by a leadership team comprising:

• Professor Tina Ambos, Full Professor of International Management, as Vice Dean for Societal Impact;
• Professor François Grey, Associate Professor of Information Science, as Vice Dean for Teaching Innovation;
• Professor Kerstin Preuschoff, Associate Professor of Neurofinance, as Vice Dean for Research;
• Beatriz Iglesias, Administrator of the School.

Professor Di Falco joined the University of Geneva in 2012 as Full Professor of Environmental Economics. From 2021 to 2025, he served as Vice Dean for Research at the GSEM, where he oversaw the School’s research strategy, supported faculty in developing competitive research projects, fostered interdisciplinary collaboration, and enhanced the visibility and impact of research outputs.

Prior to joining the University of Geneva, Professor Di Falco was Assistant Professor at the London School of Economics and Political Science (2009–2012), where he also served as Visiting Senior Fellow at the Grantham Research Institute in 2012. He previously held a faculty position at Imperial College London (2006–2009). He holds a Ph.D. in Environmental Economics from the University of York, awarded in 2004. An expert in agricultural, environmental, and development economics, Professor Di Falco’s research examines the role of natural resources in agricultural productivity, food security, and resilience to climate shocks in arid regions.

His work also explores how institutional frameworks, such as community-based forest management, contribute to natural resource conservation, rural development, and poverty alleviation. More recently, he has investigated how social capital and traditional sharing norms influence consumption patterns, savings, investment behaviors, and climate adaptation strategies. He has published more than 60 articles in leading peer-reviewed journals and regularly serves as a consultant for multilateral research and development finance institutions.