Business Research Unit

BRU Research Seminar: Travis Maynard
2026-05-05 12:30 - 13:30 (Europe/Lisbon) | Room A104, Building 4 (CVTT), Floor 1
Guest Speaker: Travis Maynard (Colorado State University)
Time: 12:30
Title: My Journey of Studying Teams in Organisations and Current Work on Teams in Complex Environments
Abstract:Travis Maynard is a professor in the Management Department at the College of Business at Colorado State University. Travis’ research centers on organizational team effectiveness. In his session on May 5, Travis will share a bit about his research journey which has included studies in a variety of contexts including military, professional sports, healthcare. His work in several extreme contexts has shaped his interest in team resilience and adaptation and he will share work that he and his colleagues are doing in this area.

Session Chair: Patrícia Costa
Building 4
Room A104

TRANSFORM final event: Online Symposium
2026-05-18 08:30 - 13:00 | ONLINE
On May 18, 2026, from 08:30 to 12:00 (09:30 to 13:00 CET) the European project TRANSFORM: The Future of the Human Workforce: Embracing Change, Challenges and Opportunities is organising the Symposium on Knowledge Sharing and Insights into the Future of the Human Workforce, to be held online and in English (free of charge).
The purpose of this symposium is to foster critical reflection on the results achieved within the project, as well as to gather policy- and organization-oriented contributions that may enhance knowledge and preparedness in response to the ongoing transformations in the world of work.
The event will have a rich Panel Discussion on Perspectives and Insights into the Future of the Human Workforce, scheduled to take place between 10:30 and 11:45 (11:30 and 12:45 CET), with the presence of policymakers, researchers, HR specialists, and other relevant stakeholders.
The programme covers the presentation and discussion of findings from:

The Blueprint of Tomorrow Survey and stakeholder focus groups
Workforce 2050 scenario planning and ethical challenges
A Policy Hackathon on shaping the future workforce
The Future Workforce Roadmap
Reflections on the Contributes of the Project and Open Debate (moderated by André Callus, NCPE Malta)

The morning closes with a high-level panel discussion, moderated by DINÂMIA’CET- Iscte researcher and TRANSFORM team member Sara Ramos, featuring:

Maria Helena André – Former Minister of Labour of Portugal & former ILO Director
Mark Bergfeld – Director of Property Services & UNI Care at UNI Europa
Renee Laiviera – Commissioner & A/Executive Director at the National Commission for the Promotion of Equality (NCPE) Malta & member of the Council of Europe’s ECRI
Susana Abad de las Heras – Deputy Director General of New Forms of Employment and Labour Market Foresight, Spanish Ministry of Labour and Social Economy

The event is free of charge and registration is open:

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BRU Research Seminar: Jano Jiménez-Barreto
2026-05-26 14:00 - 15:00 | Room B226, Building 4 (CVTT), Floor 2
Guest Speaker: Jano Jiménez-Barreto (Universidad de La Laguna / Oxford Brookes University)
Time: 14:00
Title: How Time and Place Adverbs Influence Shared Control in Consumer–AI Chatbot Interactions
Abstract:AI chatbots have become standard interfaces, but companies still lack clear guidance on how to set up chatbot language to benefit consumers and brands alike. Prior research shows that language concreteness shapes persuasion and service perceptions in consumer-AI chatbot interactions. Yet there is no clear path to design specific linguistic structures that ensure these outcomes or to understand how brand characteristics can modulate AI chatbots’ linguistic performance. Building on an interaction-centric approach, we investigate whether—and under what brand conditions—chatbots that intensively use time and place adverbs produce more efficient interactions by shaping a mechanism we term shared control.

Session Chair: Sandra Loureiro
Building 4
Room B226

BRU Research Seminar: Sajid Ali
2026-06-02 16:00 - 17:00 | Room A104, Building 4 (CVTT), 3rd floor
Guest Speaker: Sajid Ali (BRU-Iscte)
Time: 16:00
Title: Machine Learning Strategies for Pricing Options in Financial Markets
Abstract: An extensive analysis of European call option pricing on the S&P 500 (SPX) index over 2017–2022, covering both low- and high-volatility regimes. A comprehensive set of models is considered, including the classical Black–Scholes framework and a wide range of machine learning approaches, such as Random Forest, XGBoost, AdaBoost, Support Vector Regression, K-Nearest Neighbours, Linear Regression, and a Neural Network. The study evaluates model performance in terms of pricing accuracy across different market conditions, demonstrating the robustness of ensemble tree-based methods. We also employ explainable AI (XAI) techniques, to analyze contributions of input features in option pricing models.

Session Chair: João Pedro Nunes
Building 4, Room A104
Link to join online:

NOKIA: Human-centric Leadership in a Tech-driven World
2026-06-23 09:00 - 13:00 | ONLINE
On Tuesday, June 23, from 09:00, BSI_Iscte: Competence Centre Business for Societal Impact presents a business talk in partnership with NOKIA, Iscte Business School, and BRU-Iscte (Business Research Unit) under the theme NOKIA: Human-centric Leadership in a Tech-driven World. The event includes discussions on the topics of:
Future Leadership Competencies
Fabrizia Pennati (Director Nokia ME)
Maria João Velez, Susana Tavares (Iscte)
Diversity and Inclusion in Digital Workplaces
Kelly Forrest Macdonald (Head of Culture, Nokia)
Ana Patrícia Duarte, Inês Sousa (Iscte)
Leading Hybrid Teams
Suleman Ali Qureshi (Head of Project and Programme Management, Nokia)
Ana Junça Silva, Patrícia Costa (Iscte)
The webinar will be online, free of charge, and in English.
Join online:
