Leading professors! Tec initiative to attract international talent

World-renowned thought leaders and researchers have come to Tec de Monterrey as professors of excellence thanks to the Faculty of Excellence initiative. 

The Tec created this initiative in 2021 to attract 100 of the best leaders from around the world in various areas to contribute to strategic areas of the institution’s national schools. 

These professors contribute to the generation of knowledge, form global collaborative networks, and lead high-impact projects at the institution, said Daniel Mullen, head of Extraordinary Academic Talent at the Tec. 

“The strategy is that these professors can come in and push these areas forward by inspiring and adding to our faculty, doing academic co-publishing, mentoring, and implementing different methods to impact our students,” Mullen said. 

To date, the Tec has hired 27 professors of excellence from 10 countries. In the last year, they generated some 80 intellectual contributions, impacting more than 500 professors and 2,500 students. 

 

 

The qualities of a professor of excellence 

Mullen said that professors of excellence are internationally renowned thought leaders, scholars, and researchers with whom the Tec seeks to broaden students’ learning experience. 

Furthermore, they seek to promote international cooperation, innovation, diversity, and multidisciplinary research, he added. 

They can also contribute through their work to the positioning of the institution in different aspects, such as climbing in university rankings and boosting academic networking in global networks. 

Although they may have different profiles and fields of operation, these international professors have several aspects in common: 

 

- They are leaders with authority in their discipline 

Whether in engineering, design, health, or the humanities, these professors of excellence are recognized as leaders in their disciplines and are distinguished for their knowledge and experience in their respective areas. 

Being seen as authorities in their respective areas, they have become role models not only for students but also for other experienced colleagues. 

 

- Internationally renowned 

Their background of work and contributions in various parts of the world means that the reputation of these scholars, thinkers, and researchers transcends the borders of their home nations. 

Moreover, these professors’ worldwide recognition makes it possible to attract international students who hope to learn from the experiences and knowledge they have to share. 

 

“We want these leaders to come and engage with the Tec’s very lively and very active ecosystem.” 

 

- With publications in high-impact scientific journals and books 

Their ability to generate disruptive ideas and execute high-impact research has led to the work of these leaders and professors of excellence being published in prestigious scientific journals and books. 

They contribute to the generation of knowledge with these publications, and writings about their findings become tools for students seeking to develop in these areas. 

 

- With unparalleled academic credentials 

Those who form part of the Faculty of Excellence initiative are professors who have long careers in their education and development as professionals. They have credentials that set them apart as leaders in their respective areas. 

 

- They understand the global context and the world’s challenges 

In addition, their experience across the globe means these professors are able to analyze and understand the challenges facing the world in the current global context of the fields and disciplines in which they work. 

 

- They have great influence and global networks 

Because their leadership has helped them to inspire others around the world, professors of excellence have the ability to influence others and generate international collaborations to stay abreast of the most current developments in their disciplines. 

 

 

 

How the Tec finds professors of excellence 

Mullen pointed out that the process for a professor of excellence to arrive at the Tec is divided into three parts: search, selection, and retention. 

The consideration for those who might join the institution as professors of excellence is based on the strategies defined by each of the Tec’s six national schools. 

These national schools are: 

• School of Architecture, Art, and Design 
• School of Engineering and Sciences 
• School of Humanities and Education 
• School of Social Sciences and Government 
• School of Business 
• School of Medicine and Health Sciences 

The scouting teams that are part of this initiative find them through peer referrals, at conferences, and at international summits.  

In addition, an analysis of the international profiles of leaders, academics, and researchers was conducted at the outset of the initiative to define metrics that could help select potential candidates to become professors of excellence. 

“These are metrics that we’re looking to adhere to and that we consider part of the profiles we’re looking for. For example, in the case of scientists, it could be their rank as a researcher, the number and type of publications they’ve written, or the status they have,” he said. 

 

“The Tec offers them, for example, nationwide impact across all of its campuses, an infinite number of different projects and initiatives, and relationships that they can capitalize on.” 

 

Additionally, Mullen mentioned that an important part of the search for candidates for this initiative is ensuring that their profiles are aligned with the strategies of the schools they might join. 

“We’re looking for an existing ecosystem or for the professor to help develop and strengthen one. What we don’t want is for the professor to come to a place where there are no projects they can work on and contribute to,” he added. 

Finally, the leader of Extraordinary Academic Talent pointed out that they are also looking for candidates who want to come to Tec de Monterrey to leave a legacy. 

“We want them to come and get involved with the Tec’s lively and active ecosystem. We want them to have a proactive attitude, with a desire to leave a legacy and generate a positive impact, not only in Mexico, but also in Latin America,” said Mullen. 

They discover this last part by approaching the candidate and informing him or her about the initiative, the school’s profile, and can then define commitments regarding the strategies he or she can contribute to. 

There are meetings on a bimonthly basis between the deans of the schools and the initiative’s Selection Committee in which the cases of these professors are presented and the contribution they could make to the institution is considered. 

 

Their goal at the Tec: forging legacies that transcend 

Professors of excellence come to Tec de Monterrey with several objectives, such as inspiring and attracting students and academic colleagues through their leadership and contributing to the generation of knowledge and the development of ideas. 

“In the end, what we want to achieve is that they leave a legacy. The Tec offers them, for example, nationwide impact across all of its campuses, an infinite number of different projects and initiatives, and relationships that they can capitalize on,” Mullen said. 

As internationally recognized figures, professors of excellence can be a source of inspiration for their students and guides for future generations being educated at the Tec. 

 

“The idea is to make those 100 professors catalysts for generating high-impact projects and interdisciplinary projects, even among themselves.” 

 

They are also able to motivate and collaborate with their colleagues and other stakeholders for the transformation of people’s lives through active participation in the creation and dissemination of knowledge. 

“There’s an event we do every year, the Faculty of Excellence Summit, in which we bring together these professors, those who live abroad or are on other campuses, so they can get to know each other. It’s a several-day event where they can meet and generate interdisciplinary projects.” 

These professors come to the Tec with ideas and advances in their different fields of research to share with students and other Tec professors through conferences and academic collaborations such as scientific publications. 

“The idea is to make those 100 professors catalysts for generating high-impact projects and interdisciplinary projects, even among themselves,” he added. 

This in turn helps position the institution to attract bright students and other experts in various fields to develop challenging and more culturally diverse learning environments together. 

As professors of excellence at Tec de Monterrey, they also seek to transcend and leave their mark at the national and global level, joining high-impact projects in search of a better society. 

 

 

The benefits of being a professor of excellence at the Tec 

As leaders in their respective fields, those who join the Faculty of Excellence come to Tec de Monterrey aware that its ecosystem, networks, and infrastructure can help them capitalize on opportunities and have a greater impact in the world. 

Both the institution and the leaders and experts themselves can reap the benefits of this synergy, which include the following: 

 

- Expanding and generating innovation ecosystems 

The ideas and projects that accompany teachers of excellence can be reflected in the materialization of technological and social advances that drive progress in different ways. 

 

- Developing high-impact research 

The arrival of these leaders at the Tec also contributes to the international research ecosystem and allows them to participate in high-impact projects that look for world-class results. 

 

 

- Connecting with networks and stakeholders 

Given the collaborative and university networks the institution is a part of, professors of excellence can connect with other stakeholders to find greater strategic, collaborative, and funding opportunities. 

Through coming into contact with stakeholders and networks around the world, leaders can generate connections that have an impact on internationalization and knowledge sharing. 

 

- First class facilities and laboratories 

The Tec is committed to promoting research and innovation by equipping its facilities and laboratories with advanced technologies. In this way, professors of excellence can develop in an environment conducive to carrying out high-level disruptive projects. 

 

- Support to capitalize on opportunities in the region 

Professors of excellence have support and resources at the institution to capitalize on opportunities in their areas of expertise and carry out concrete actions that look to positively impact Mexico and Latin America. 

 

 

Professors of Excellence who have come to the Tec 

To date, the Tec has been able to attract 27 international professors to join its schools, of which 16 are researchers and 11 are thought leaders. 13 of them are full-time professors. 

The Tec’s professors of excellence are: 

 

- School of Business and EGADE Business School 

Raj Sisodia: author, speaker, and co-founder and intellectual leader of the Conscious Capitalism movement. 

Dhruv Grewal: Toyota Chair in e-commerce and professor of marketing at Babson College. 

Howard Anderson: founder of The Yankee Group; has been a professor at Harvard, Brown, and MIT. 

Martin Reimann: neuroscience and marketing researcher; professor at the Eller College of Management at the University of Arizona. 

Oliver Schilke: professor at universities in Arizona, Los Angeles, and Munich, with a focus on organizational research. 

Juan Ignacio Sánchez: expert in organizational psychology; has been a member of the American Psychological Association. 

- School of Engineering and Sciences 

Marc J. Madou: expert in nanotechnology; has been a professor at the Ohio State University Materials Research Center; Director of the NSF Center for Industrial Sensors and Measurements. 

Cipriano Santos: holds 18 patents throughout his career; has forged a career in logistics, technology, and mathematics, with a focus on applications for the optimization and management of human resources. 

Francisco Falcone: researcher in telecommunications, has specialized in the study of smart cities; Director of the Institute for Smart Cities at the Public University of Navarra. 

Manish Kumar: expert in sustainability; professor at universities in India and the United States; appeared on Stanford University’s list of the world’s top 2% of researchers. 

Frank Loge: researcher focused on sustainability; professor in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering; member of the Secure Research Commuting Environment at the University of California, Davis. 

Carlos Coello: specializes in multi-objective optimization algorithms, applied mathematics, and computer science, researcher at the Center for Research and Advanced Studies at the National Polytechnic Institute (CINVESTAV-IPN). 

Sigfredo Fuentes: expert in plant physiology, environmental engineering, digital agriculture, and food science; international coordinator of The Vineyard of the Future initiative. 

Thomas Kurfess: expert in advanced manufacturing operations; Director of Manufacturing at the Georgia Institute of Technology; Executive Director at the Georgia Tech Manufacturing Institute. 

Gabriel Luna: researcher focused on smart biomaterials; was a tenured researcher and professor at CINVESTAV in Querétaro; delegate of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. 

 

- School of Social Sciences and Government 

Anthony Sillard: expert in leadership and emotions management; professor and Director of the Center for Sustainable Leadership at the Luiss Business School in Rome, Italy. 

Steven Popper: senior economist at RAND Corporation; professor of Science and Technology Policy at the Pardee RAND Graduate School. 

Sergio Fajardo: mathematician, politician, and expert in public leadership and public transformation; founded the Compromiso Ciudadano civic movement and governed Medellín and Antioquia; was a presidential candidate in Colombia.  

 

- School of Architecture, Art, and Design 

Alejandro Echeverri: Director and co-founder of the Center for Urban and Environmental Studies at EAFIT University, in Medellín, Colombia; specializes in the design of cities to drive social transformation. 

Ana Mallet: art curator and the first Latin American woman to serve on the acquisitions committee of the Museum of Modern Art in New York. 

Rob Roggema: expert in regenerative design, sustainable urban planning, and urban agriculture; former professor at Queen’s University Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Keio University, Japan. 

Peter Jones: specialist in systemic design; has been a professor at OCAD University in Toronto; was a founder of the Systemic Design Association. 

Zaida Muxi: architect and professor at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning at the Polytechnic University of Catalonia. 

 

- School of Medicine and Health Sciences 

Per-Olof Berggren: expert in experimental endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism; director of cell biology and signal transduction at the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami. 

Richard Wilson: researcher in medical diagnostics, molecular biology, and bioseparations; was a scientist at the University of Houston; affiliated with the Quantitative and Computational Biology Program at Baylor College of Medicine. 

 

- School of Humanities and Education 

Allan Tucker: music producer of more than 3,500 albums; nominated 26 times for a Grammy and 6-time winner, collaborating with groups such as Metallica, Kiss, and Earth Wind & Fire. 

Nilima Bhat: author and expert in the areas of leadership, gender equality, and wellness; founder of the global Shakti Fellowship program for women change-makers. 

 

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