Professor Zapata Cantu’s research interests are focused on management and strategic planning in SMEs, the impact of information technology in the human resources area, knowledge management, and organizational learning.

In addition to having participated in national and international congresses, her research has been published in indexed journals, such as the International Journal of Manpower, European Journal of International Management, the Journal of Knowledge Management, the Journal of Studies on Administration, University of Chile and Rio’s International Journal on Sciences of Industrial and Systems Engineering and Management. In 2008, she received Tecnológico de Monterrey’s Award for teaching and research in the Department of Administration and Finance. 

Professor Zapata has been Academic Associate Dean at EGADE Business School and MBA Director in Monterrey, Director of the International Liaison Office in Barcelona of Tecnológico de Monterrey, and she has been a visiting professor in numerous universities such as the Postgraduate University Institute of the Autonomous University of Barcelona, the University of Alicante and University Carlos III (Spain) and ICN Business School (France).

Dr. Zapata has been a member of the SNI (Sistema Nacional de Investigadores), Conacyt since 2006 and was made a Level 2 researcher in January 2017. 

In 2001, Gilberto Olavarrieta began his career as a university professor teaching business intelligence and organizational intelligence in postgraduate programs at Tecnológico de Monterrey. Prior to attaining his doctorate, he gave courses on administrative consulting and business intelligence, capital systems, systems and knowledge flow,strategic administration of corporate performance and business intelligence also at Tecnológico de Monterrey. 

Since 1996 he has worked as a consultant on more than 50 business intelligence projects for some of Mexico's largest corporates. He has designed and developed support systems for decision-making in the services, manufacturing, financial and insurance sectors.

Since 2002, he has been a member of the Board of Directors of the Ibero-American community of knowledge systems, a network of international experts in the fields of knowledge management and knowledge-based development. As a member of this community, he has participated in international events as a speaker in countries including Spain, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru.

As part of his doctoral research, Dr. Olavarrieta has published articles in indexed publications and various scientific journals on intelligence capital and the model of integral intelligence. He has participated in the leading international congresses around these themes including IFKAD (International Forum on Knowledge Assets Dynamics) in Italy, Finland and Australia; KCWS (Knowledge Cities World Summit) in Australia, Turkey and Brazil; KMAP (Knowledge Management in Asia).