Tristan L. Botelho

Tristan Botelho’s research examines how evaluation processes shape opportunities in organizations and markets—who gets hired, which startups are funded, and how workers are rated—explaining why some people, ideas, and firms advance while others stall. His work bridges scholarship on stratification, careers, entrepreneurship, and the future of work.

Professor Botelho develops novel organizational theory and applies rigorous methods—including detailed platform data (often through collaborations with firms), large-scale administrative data, and field experiments. A recurring theme across his work is how the structure of evaluation processes—the criteria used, the sequencing of stages, and the information made visible—systematically shapes outcomes. His current projects map stratification across evaluation stages, examine how AI is used in evaluations, and trace how venture and employer failure shape subsequent careers. The insights from his research help guide the design of fairer, more effective evaluation processes.

His research has been published in Administrative Science Quarterly, American Sociological Review, Management Science, Nature (cover article), and Organization Science, receiving multiple awards, and has been featured in major media outlets. In 2024, Thinkers50 named him to its Radar list of 30 thinkers expected to shape the future of management, and in 2020, Poets & Quants recognized him among the “Best 40 Under 40 Professors.”

Selected Media Coverage

Research: How Gig Platforms Can Mitigate Racial Bias in Ratings
Tristan L. Botelho, Katherine A. DeCelles, Demetrius Humes and Sora Jun
Harvard Business Review
March 14, 2025

Are Former Startup Founders Less Hireable?
Tristan L. Botelho and Melody H. Chang
Harvard Business Review
June 28, 2022

Research: Objective Performance Metrics Are Not Enough to Overcome Gender Bias
Tristan L. Botelho and Mabel Abraham
Harvard Business Review
October 25, 2017