My work strives to advance the cognitive perspective on strategic decision-making. I build upon advances in psychology, neuroscience, and computer science. Current research projects examine (1) CEOs´ mental model characteristics to initiate change as their tenure progresses, (2) mental representation constructs in management research to create an integrative framework, (3) CEO ambivalent cognition as a cognitive microfoundation that enables CEOs to leverage accumulating M&A experience, (4) and the role of board appointee social network embeddedness among incumbent directors´ networks to shift CEO attention focus. In my methodology, I leverage machine learning based approaches to analyse textual big data over time as well as network analysis.