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Mari­bel Blasco

Associate Professor

Subjects
Learning Education Biodiversity Sustainability Green transition Ecology

Primary research areas

Re­spons­ible Man­age­ment Edu­ca­tion
This re­search strand ex­plores re­spons­ible man­age­ment edu­ca­tion and iden­tity form­a­tion in high­er edu­ca­tion, es­pe­cially busi­ness schools. I am in­ter­ested in the de­vel­op­ment of learners’ com­pet­en­cies, not­ably their per­son­al respons­ibility, eth­ic­al aware­ness, and in­ter­cul­tur­al ca­pa­city, and in how these are sup­por­ted, or not, by ta­cit di­men­sions of learn­ing en­vir­on­ments, e.g. the hid­den cur­riculum.
Sustain­ability Learn­ing and Trans­formation in Or­gan­isa­tions and High­er Edu­ca­tion
This re­search ex­plores trans­form­at­ive sustain­ability learn­ing in or­gan­isa­tions, in­clud­ing uni­ver­sit­ies and busi­ness schools. I fo­cus on design­ing learn­ing and shift­ing man­age­ment prac­tices, draw­ing on per­ma­cul­ture and a ‘head, hands, heart’ ap­proach through the CBS Perma­haven garden.
Aca­dem­ic Ca­reers and Act­iv­ism
This re­search ex­am­ines how aca­dem­ics can en­act act­iv­ism through teach­ing and in­sti­tu­tion­al prac­tices. Draw­ing on per­ma­cul­ture and crit­ic­al man­age­ment stud­ies, I study how in­clus­ive spaces and re­gen­er­at­ive prin­ciples can un­settle dom­in­ant high­er edu­ca­tion mod­els and foster just, sus­tain­able fu­tures.

I link learn­ing, act­iv­ism, and sustain­ability for change

My research has shaped how education is understood and designed in business schools and beyond. Work on intercultural pedagogy and identity formation has revealed the hidden curriculum shaping students’ ethical awareness, creativity, and intercultural capacity. By focusing on tacit competencies often overlooked in higher education, I have influenced teaching practice and debates on meaningful learning in global contexts. I also rethink links between education, activism, and sustainability, drawing on permaculture to apply principles of diversity, resilience, and regenerative design. This has led to the idea of “subtle activism,” where small practices can unsettle neoliberal models and foster more just, inclusive futures. Through projects like CBS Permahaven, I bridge academia and communities, showing how education can model sustainable practices. Combining pedagogy, ecology, and critical management, I offer frameworks to reimagine academia as a transformative force. 

Publications

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June 2026

The Development of Students’ Thinking Skills

Perspectives From Higher Education Instructors in Japan, Europe, and Australia

Emmanuel Manalo

Ma­ri­bel Bla­sco, Associate Professor

Rebeca Cerezo

Rachel Dryer

Tamim Elbasha

Rei Hirayama

Natalia Suarez Fernandez

Ayano Tsuda
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Links

CBS Perma­haven
Us­ing per­ma­cul­ture to foster hands-on sustain­ability learn­ing

CBS Perma­haven is a liv­ing lab for sustain­ability, link­ing per­ma­cul­ture, edu­ca­tion, and com­munity en­gage­ment.
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