“What is my role in society? What can I do except publish papers with the intention of having an impact?” These are the questions on Tom’s mind since he decided to give a new direction to his academic career.  

In this episode, you will hear him talk about his involvement in an educational project in Ecuador. This scientific-based project is really meant to change the lives of young people by showing them new opportunities. This project is on its way to becoming a groundbreaking one, as it has already sparked the interest of other Latin American countries and could one day be conducted globally. 

You will also hear Tom’s commitment to fight climate change through the support of science tech-based startups and through his lectures.  

His engagement comes in many different forms and illustrates how scientific research can, not only have concrete results but also benefit individuals as well as society as a whole. techA perfect example is the new training schemes he designed to help the unemployed start their own business. Although he considers that, in the end, his impact will not be a big one… it is still very real and inspiring.  

Thomas Astebro is a professor and researcher in entrepreneurship at HEC Paris. Starting in Ecuador, to the Silicon Valley, to now the French public employment agency, he takes us on his path from imparting knowledge and research to creating a worldwide impact.   

Also in this episode: Francisco Flores,  researcher at the International Center for Higher Education Research Kassel (INCHER) and PhD candidate at the University of Kassel in Germany. He is one of the initiators of the “Showing Life Opportunities” project in Ecuador. 

You will also hear from the Ecuadorian high school students who benefited from the program (Source: video produced by the Ministry of Education in Ecuador)

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