Vahid Maghsoodi
Business Administration
When I came to Berlin from my home country, Iran, in 2015, I encountered huge differences in the educational systems that translate into differing expectations, achievements and desires of students, faculty and society. Living, studying and working here has been a great learning experience for me. Having found my way to conduct PhD at the marketing department of Freie Universität Berlin, having worked for corporations such as Bertelsmann and Euromonitor, having taught marketing and strategy at Berlin business schools, and having established a startup here provide me with an opportunity to reflect on, adapt to and shape this new environment I find myself in. This might also explain the characteristics I greatly value in students: putting knowledge into practice, creativity, determination, a desire for critical reflection and a positive attitude.
Berlin has a reputation for its walls, though you see so many bridges around as well. I believe that also the walls between academia and society must be converted to bridges. Following this philosophy, I appreciate proactively synthesizing learning and practice. With a combination of academic and professional background, I am engaged in both Berlin’s startup ecosystem and its scientific scene, and the conjunction of both.
I believe that we all can and should make a difference; by actions, not declarations. As a researcher, it is frustrating to realize how tiny difference we actually make with most of our projects and publications, aiming at a selected few reviewers and readers. However, we can achieve significantly more if we try to focus on what our expertise and curiosity can do for the society that we are an integral part of. I strongly believe that research is critical for a fortunate society and economy and that education is one of the most important values a government and its citizens need to advocate.