Basel Hammoda (full name: Basel Osama Sayed Ahmed Hammoda) has followed a distinctly non-linear academic path. He has journeyed from medicine to the intersection of entrepreneurship and technology, and from Egypt to Estonia’s academic and entrepreneurial landscape. He currently works as a lecturer and researcher in entrepreneurship at TalTech’s School of Business and Governance, specialising in entrepreneurship and international business within the Department of Business Administration.
“As with most academic roles, my work is divided between teaching, research and service,” explains Hammoda when describing his day-to-day responsibilities. He is most drawn to the challenge of making sense of the complexity of societal phenomena and exploring ways to address contemporary problems. He believes that this is what gives research real impact, allowing it to create meaningful connections between industry, policymaking and the communities in which we live.
Teaching has become one of his most important sources of self-realisation. Since joining academia five years ago, he has come to view the classroom as one of the most inspiring professional environments, particularly when he is able to observe students’ development over time and track their subsequent career paths.
What are your hobbies and interests?
On a personal level, I developed a strong attachment to daily walks during my time in the United Kingdom. Coming from the Middle East, where everyday mobility often revolves around driving, this was a new habit for me. While pursuing my MBA in Birmingham, a close friend introduced me to long walks along the canals, particularly during the late spring and summer months, and they soon became an integral part of my routine.
I also enjoy swimming and weight training, but time constraints mean that I don't practise them as often as I would like. I was a professional swimmer growing up in Egypt, and I have always felt at home in the water. 🙂 Even now, whenever I find myself near a pool, lake or sea, I can't resist jumping in, even if the water is freezing.
Another habit that was strongly shaped by my time in the UK is reading. I have a particular fondness for English-language fiction and non-fiction, a preference that was influenced by a British friend who shared her favourite books with me and encouraged long conversations about them. These exchanges helped me to develop a genuine enjoyment of reading. However, since starting my PhD, most of my reading time has inevitably shifted towards academic articles and books.
Where are you from? Why Estonia? Where did you study Estonian before?
I am originally from Egypt and grew up in a quiet, leafy neighbourhood called Maadi in Cairo. This environment had a profound impact on me: it fostered resilience, cultivated a desire for community and a peaceful lifestyle, and shaped my ambition. For this reason, perhaps it is not surprising that I feel drawn to Estonia.
I made a conscious decision to settle in Estonia long before I moved here to begin my doctoral studies. At the time, I was running my own start-up, and I became an Estonian e-resident in 2019. This further strengthened my plans to relocate to Tallinn and grow my business. However, the disruption caused by the pandemic (Covid) forced me to reconsider. Around the same time, I had the opportunity to start a PhD at TalTech. Although I had previously been accepted onto three different management doctoral programmes in the United Kingdom, the circumstances were not right for me to pursue them there, ultimately leading me to stay in Estonia and begin my doctoral journey here.
Why Estonia is a difficult question to answer now, as things changed a bit in the last few years. However, back then it matched what I was looking for at that stage in life, personally and professionally. I wanted to settle in a peaceful place, with a simple way of living, surrounded by nature and not far from the beach. Moreover, as an entrepreneur with research interests and technology experience, Estonia sounded like a perfect fit to my career ambitions. As a growing and evolving society and economy, I figured that I could contribute to Estonia’s progress using my expertise-something that I like to do as part of giving back to the communities I live in.
I find the Estonian language beautiful, although it is quite challenging, I admit. Before moving to Estonia, I followed several Estonian-language YouTube channels and websites, and I would even say that my language skills were stronger then than they are now. This was partly because my motivation was rooted in genuine curiosity and a desire to integrate more fully upon arrival. However, the limited use of Estonian in international research and business means that many foreigners approach the language primarily out of practical necessity rather than intrinsic interest. I believe public institutions could do more to support intuitive language learning and social integration. For example, they could increase the availability of bilingual information in public spaces and online. Such measures could foster inclusion while supporting Estonia’s broader economic and societal goals.
What motivated you to pursue a PhD in this particular field?
Pursuing a PhD was the culmination of an academic development plan that I had drawn up as early as 2011. Following the Egyptian Revolution, like many in my generation, I was forced out of my comfort zone and compelled to take my career development more seriously. At the time, I set myself the goal of completing a doctorate by 2020 — a testament to the fact that, in academia as in life, it's better late than never.
An advanced strategy course that I took during my MBA studies at Aston University had a decisive influence on this plan. The course emphasised critical thinking, an approach that left a lasting impression on me. It was through this experience that I developed a deep interest in strategy, going on to conceptualise two models that contributed to the development of resource orchestration theory and Porter’s Five Forces framework.
Later, my work as a technology consultant introduced me to the speed and scale of the changes that digital technologies bring to organisations and to society more broadly. Alongside my long-term involvement in startup ecosystems as an entrepreneur, mentor and trainer, this experience motivated me to study entrepreneurship and innovation more systematically, particularly at the intersection of theory, practice and technological change.
What were your expectations at the beginning of your studies, and how did they change as you progressed?
My expectations were different from reality. In the UK, the PhD is highly pragmatic, and you hit the ground doing research from day one, concluding your work in a monograph within three years maximum. In Estonia, and I believe in Europe more generally, there are many courses to complete which take time from research. Also, we are a bit obsessed with finding unique research gaps and setting KPIs which undeservedly diverts researcher’s focus and prolongs the PhD. It took me some time to adapt to the system, but once settled I progressed quite fast with my research.
Which skills and competencies did you develop most during your studies (e.g. analytical skills, project management, teamwork, innovation and sustainability)?
The most important skill I developed during my doctoral studies was the ability to accept criticism and continuously improve both my work and myself. In consulting and professional life more generally, development is often a personal endeavour. In academia, however, it forms part of an ongoing process of becoming a better researcher, educator and member of the academic community.
Throughout my studies, I worked closely with people from diverse social, cultural and academic backgrounds. This broadened my understanding of the many ways in which people think, behave and collaborate. It increased my tolerance for differing perspectives and deepened my appreciation of the complex realities that people operate within. These experiences have significantly strengthened my leadership capabilities, which I now utilize in research projects and collaborations with academic, industry and community partners.
Career and Future:
In what ways has earning a doctoral degree influenced your career path and professional opportunities?
When I started my PhD, I had already decided to pursue a career in academia. I was well established in industry and entrepreneurship, but academia not only adds to your scientific pedigree but in my view can bridge those worlds cross-borders, which is something I always sought to achieve.
Post PhD, I’m experiencing increased recognition within and outside academic circles. Beyond the daily research and teaching work, I’m becoming a more effective member of several academic and policy communities. I was also able to establish higher quality connections with industry, based on mutually beneficial collaborations. Similarly, academic insights when combined with professional experiences are increasingly valued by policymakers and community organizations, especially when you properly align your contribution and impact with their priorities.
The doctoral thesis and its practical value
Basel's doctoral dissertation is titled “Active Methods in Entrepreneurship Education: A Competency-Based Approach to Investigate Their Theoretical Foundations and Effectiveness”. It examines the theoretical foundations of active learning methods used in entrepreneurship education and the learning theories to which they are linked. It also explores how they contribute to the development and assessment of entrepreneurial competencies in higher education.
What motivated you to choose this topic for your doctoral dissertation?
My professional background has played a decisive role in shaping my research focus on active approaches to entrepreneurship education and the role of digital technologies. Having spent several years working in technology consulting, I was also actively engaged in startup ecosystems for nearly a decade as an entrepreneur, mentor and trainer. These experiences provided me with first-hand insight into the discrepancy between traditional, university-based entrepreneurship education and the experiential, competency-driven methods necessary for venture creation and entrepreneurial development.
Meanwhile, my consulting work exposed me to the relatively slow pace of digitalisation within academic and public sector institutions, and the limited use of technology to support entrepreneurship education. These observations strongly influenced the direction and scope of my doctoral research.
What were the main research questions of your thesis, and why is it important to understand them in a broader context?
My main focus was exploring how active methods for teaching entrepreneurship, including those reliant on digital technologies and AI, can be deployed effectively to enhance entrepreneurial competencies and outcomes. While most can argue for the value practical approaches bring to education, equipping students with real-life competencies, understanding how they improve outcomes of our courses and programs remains limited. This is an essential prerequisite to designing active pedagogies and integrating them in our curricula effectively.
How would you explain the key findings and conclusions of your research to a wider audience?
The findings of my research, through the different publications, mapped an array of active methods against the competencies they helped develop. Given the processual and interpretivist nature of students’ learning, I relied mostly on qualitative inquiries to explore the intricacies of those active methods and the competency-based outcomes of implementing them.
What were the biggest challenges or surprises during your research?
As an academic researcher, you actually function as an intra-corporate entrepreneur. There is a high degree of independence, responsibility and serendipity in your research career. Finding the problem, investigating it, building and leveraging your network and resources, spotting opportunities, applying for and securing funding, designing impactful contributions, and successfully communicating your work. That’s essentially what an entrepreneur does with a high degree of autonomy. I believe those who are able to become all rounded academics are those who already have or develop those entrepreneurial scholarly skills during their PhD.
What practical recommendations or solutions could your results offer public sector leaders or policymakers?
The research I do has several practical and policy applications. Most importantly, for the first time educators involved in teaching entrepreneurship, innovation and venture creation can understand what competencies could be developed when they employ the different active methods in their teaching. This effect extends beyond HEIs to incubators, accelerators and youth development programs. Moreover, HEIs leadership can now more insightfully provide high level guidance as to what active methods to promote and for what purposes, especially that my research offered insights into the intricacies of applying those methods and students’ perceptions towards them.
Education and entrepreneurship policymakers can design better guidance for HEIs to follow, including redesigning contact hours and coursework to allow for more interactive and experiential learning activities, the integration of extracurricular activities in regular curricula, investments in digital technologies and AI, and closer collaboration with stakeholders in respective entrepreneurship ecosystems.