Prof. Dr. Vita Akstinaitė
Vice-Rector for Research and Faculty, Professor
vita.akstinaite@ism.ltORCIDGoogle ScholarProfessor Dr. Vita Akstinaitė is the Vice-Rector for Research and Faculty at ISM University of Management and Economics, Head of the Master’s program „Global Leadership and Strategy” and the ISM Executive Master’s module „Executive Rhetoric and Communication.” She is also a Visiting Researcher at IDIAP Research Institute in Switzerland, and a Visiting Fellow at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. Her previous experience includes working in Columbia University (US), Murdoch University (Australia), and the London School of Economics and Political Science (UK). Prof. Dr. Akstinaitė holds an MSc in Organisational Psychology from King’s College London (UK) and a PhD in Business from the University of Surrey (UK), where she worked on identifying linguistic markers of hubris. Her current research uses innovative research methods, including artificial intelligence, to assess specific aspects of a leader’s behavior or language. Her research focuses on leadership, leader ego, linguistic markers, and the impact of AI on leadership. Prof. Dr. Akstinaitė co-founded The Hubris Hub and Knowledge4Hubris research initiatives, which raise awareness of the leadership hub and foster interdisciplinary collaboration. She has conducted and presented her research internationally, including in the United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland, Australia, Greece, Portugal, and other countries.
Awards
- 2023 – ISM Research Communicator of the Year (Lithuania)
- 2022 – ISM Researcher of the Year and Science Communication of the Year Awards (Lithuania)
- 2021 – European Union funding for the research project „Using Artificial Intelligence for Remote Sensing of Leadership Skills” (Lithuania/Switzerland)
- 2021 – Murdoch University Award for Teaching Excellence (Australia)
- 2020 – Leverhulme Trust research project funding (UK)
- 2019 – Winner of the Aspire Award for world-class research conducted in Western Australia (Australia)
- 2017 – Became a SetSquared Fellow and Higher Education Academy Fellow (England)
- 2014 – Economic and Social Research Council Funding Award (UK)
Research areas
- Leadership
- Executive hubris (ego)
- Artificial Intelligence
- Linguistic markers (linguistics)
Teaching areas
- Global Leadership
- Leadership development
- Executive communication
Projects
- NordForsk tarptautinio finansavimo programa „Ateities profesinis gyvenimas“: „Lyderytės ir darbo ypatybės nuotolinio darbo aplinkoje: poveikis darbo motyvacijai, rezultatams ir savijautai (2023-2026; 99 686,96 eurų), Projekto vadovė. Partneriai: Umea universitetas (Švedija) ir Pietryčių Norvegijos universitetas (Norvegija).
- Leading in the brave new world: human – robot dynamics (HURO)
- Assessing Executive Communication: Leveraging Advanced Text Analysis and High-Frequency Financial Data in the Turbulent International Landscape
- LMT podoktorantūros stažuotės: „Dirbtinio intelekto naudojimas lyderystės gebėjimų nustatymui nuotoliniu būdu“ (2021-2023; 59 857,50 eurų), Projekto vadovė.