Hello! I'm Marselia, PhD Candidate in the Department of Management at ESSEC Business School, France.

My research examines a question at the heart of modern economy and organizations: how are markets made, unmade, and remade? Because markets are engines of economic growth and stability in modern societies, their lifecycles are critical to strategy, entrepreneurship, innovation scholars but also to policymakers and practitioners. Today, faced with mounting social and environmental pressures, diverse actors–including activists, entrepreneurs, and professional groups–are constantly challenging how we produce and consume essential goods. My work explores the friction this creates, investigating how these challengers disrupt powerful incumbents, construct entirely new markets for sustainable alternatives, or promote non-market practices as moral solutions, while identifying the forces that enable or obstruct their efforts. To investigate these, I draw from theoretical perspectives in strategy, organizational theory, economic sociology, and social movement studies.  

I'm passionate about qualitative research methods and help co-organize the Ethnography Atelier, a collaborative space that promotes ethnographic and other qualitative research in work and organizations. 

Before academia, I was based in Singapore and London and worked in market research, consulting, and competitive intelligence as research specialist and team manager for clients in pharma-biotech, medical devices, and healthcare sectors. I hold an MSc in Global Health Policy from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a Bachelor's in Business Management from Singapore Management University. I'm originally from Jakarta, Indonesia, and am a first-generation university graduate and immigrant.

I am on the 2026-2027 academic job market.

Feel free to explore this website to learn more about my work, or drop me an email at marselia.tan@essec.edu.