Background and experience
Currently, I am a sessional lecturer in marketing at the University of Agder (UiA), where I have the opportunity to combine two of the paths that most define my professional life: teaching and research. For me, the classroom is much more than a place to deliver content. It is a space to spark curiosity, challenge ideas, and encourage students to think critically about the world around them. That same spirit of inquiry is what also drives my research journey.
I am also a PhD candidate under a Cotutelle agreement between the University of Agder in Norway and RMIT University in Australia. My research explores the psychological and marketing drivers that activate consumer engagement to reduce food waste, with a particular focus on its cognitive, emotional, and behavioural dimensions. More broadly, my work is grounded in a strong commitment to understanding sustainable consumer behaviour and to exploring how marketing and behavioural interventions can contribute to meaningful social and environmental change.
Throughout my academic career, I have taught across universities in Norway, Australia, Ecuador, Ireland, and Panama. These experiences have strengthened my belief that teaching is not only about sharing knowledge, but about helping others discover new ways of seeing, questioning, and understanding. My scholarly work has contributed to internationally recognised journals, including the Journal of Business Research and Psychology & Marketing, and I was honoured to receive the Best Paper Award at the INEKA Conference in Verona.
Beyond academia, I have built industry experience across sustainability consulting, entrepreneurship, and brand management, including advisory work for companies such as Suzuki and The Central America Bottling Corporation (cbc), which has strengthened my ability to connect research and teaching with real-world business challenges.
I hold a Master of Environment from the University of Melbourne and a bachelor’s degree in marketing from Universidad San Francisco de Quito. Looking back at my journey, one thing has remained constant: teaching and research are not simply what I do, but what I am deeply called to pursue.
Research
- Velasco, F., Cárdenas J. & Cárdenas, M. (2020). “A Look at the Social Entrepreneur: the Effects of Resilience and Power Distance Personality Traits on Consumers´ Perceptions of Corporate Social Sustainability”. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, (in press). – (ABDC Rating: A Rating)
*Conference Best Paper Award* Paper presented at INEKA Conference – June 2019 – Verona, Italy.
- Velasco, F., Martin, S., Cardenas, J., and Cardenas, M. (2020), “Employees’ attitudes toward corporate social responsibility programs: The influence of corporate frugality and polychronicity organizational capabilities”, Journal of Business Research, (in press). – (ABDC Rating: A Rating)
- Velasco, F., Cardenas, M., Cardenas, J., Martin, S. (2022), “Key Factors that Influence Consumer Preference for Natural-Hyped Products: Hemp as an Ingredient”, Journal of Psychology and Marketing, (in press). (ABDC Rating: A Rating)