Who I am and how I work
Hello, I’m Alessia Patuelli!
I work as a freelance university teacher and researcher, designing and delivering courses and workshops in business, sustainability, entrepreneurship, research methods, and family businesses for European universities and international programmes.
My approach combines rigorous academic foundations with reflective practice, integrating peer learning and AI as a learning companion. For me, education is not only about mastering concepts: it is about understanding yourself, connecting with others, and making decisions that are responsible for both people and the environment.
Why Pharus Learning exists
When I graduated, I knew the theory of business administration, accounting, taxation, labour laws, and economics, but I didn’t know how to navigate uncertainty or express myself in teams. I often stayed silent in meetings, afraid of making mistakes or not doing enough.
Discovering Emotional Intelligence and Nonviolent Communication changed everything. I learned how to communicate needs clearly, listen without conflict, and approach challenges with awareness and confidence.
Pharus Learning is born from the question: what if learners could develop self-awareness and emotional intelligence alongside practical skills?
That question still guides what I do today.
I hold formal teaching qualifications and national academic accreditation in the Netherlands and Italy.
Basis Kwalificatie Onderwijs (BKO, the Dutch University Teaching Qualification) – Risbo, Erasmus University Rotterdam, 2025.
National Scientific Qualification as Associate Professor (Italy) – Business Administration & Accounting Studies (valid 2022–2034).
Carbon Literacy Certification (UK, 2024).
Daniel Goleman Emotional Intelligence Course (Online, 2025).
Education
Ph.D. in Business Administration and Management (2017).
University of Pisa, University of Florence, University of Siena (Italy). Awarded distinction.
MSc in Economics, Markets and Management (2013)– 110/110 cum laude
University of Ferrara
BSc in Business Administration and Financial Intermediaries (2010)– 104/110
University of Ferrara
Research & expertise
My research informs my teaching and course design, especially in sustainability, family business and qualitative research methods.
My work explores how businesses, especially family firms, interact with their local environment, adopt sustainable practices, and respond to global challenges. Collaborating with scholars from different fields, my research combines qualitative insights with AI-driven textual analysis, complex networks, and data-driven methodologies.
Key themes include family business, sustainability, UN Sustainable Development Goals, place attachment, resilience during crises, and digital innovation.
Family firms and local roots
Investigating how place attachment and territorial identity influence strategic decisions, long-term resilience and social responsibility in family businesses.
Sustainability and the SDGs
Analysing how companies communicate and implement sustainability strategies, with a focus on legitimacy, narratives, and stakeholder engagement.
Interdisciplinarity in management research
Collaborating with complex networks and machine learning scholars to understand firms’ communication, behaviours and relationships.
Previous academic positions
Lecturer and Assistant Professor (2022–2025)
Northumbria University, Amsterdam Campus, The Netherlands
(Teaching and collaboration within the joint Master in Global Sustainable Business Management, delivered with the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, HvA)
Assistant Professor in Management (2019–2022)
IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Italy
Adjunct Professor
University of Florence, Italy (2022) – Business Administration
University of Ferrara, Italy (2017–2019) – Public Management
Research Collaborator in Data analytics,
Management, Cognitive Neuroscience (2018–2019)
IMT School for Advanced Studies Lucca, Italy
Languages
English (Fluent)
Dutch (Intermediate – B1)
Italian (Native).