Jonah Zankl

Dr Jonah Zankl serves as Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at UQ Business School in the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law at the University of Queensland. His scholarly work centers on the systems and interdependencies among support organizations in entrepreneurship ecosystems, social innovation, and broader social change. Zankl explores critical questions such as how societies organize to support entrepreneurship while ensuring its beneficial societal outcomes. Employing longitudinal qualitative methodologies in entrepreneurial ecosystems and practice-based investigations into entrepreneurial decision-making, his research advances understanding in these domains. Notably, his co-authored paper with Matthew Grimes, "Taming Unicorns: Toward a New Normal of Responsible Entrepreneurship," was published in the prestigious Academy of Management Review in 2024. Additional significant publications include "Zooming out and zooming in: studying social innovation through systems thinking and leverage points" in Research in the Sociology of Organizations (2025). Zankl has presented extensively at international conferences, including the Academy of Management Annual Meetings (e.g., "This Place is a Jungle: A Process of Maintaining Entrepreneurial Ecosystems" in 2023, "Addressing the Unicorn in the Room: Toward a New Normal of Responsible Entrepreneurship" in 2022), EGOS Colloquia (e.g., 39th in 2023, 38th in 2022), and others such as the International Symposium on Process Organisational Studies.

Zankl's academic journey includes a PhD in Management Studies from Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, an MPhil in Innovation, Strategy and Organisation from the University of Cambridge, and undergraduate degrees in Economics (Honours) and Applied Mathematics from the University of Calgary. Prior to his academic career, he worked in industry as a Product Manager in financial services, overseeing technologies for international money transfers and personal financial wellness solutions. Currently at UQ, he acts as an associate advisor for doctoral candidates studying market formation processes in the hydrogen industry and high-growth ventures emerging from crises. Recognized as a media expert, Zankl comments on entrepreneur policy, entrepreneurial ecosystems, entrepreneurship, responsible management, startups, and venture capital. His contributions foster discourse on entrepreneurial governance and responsible practices within the field.

Professional Email: j.zankl@business.uq.edu.au