2020 RSA Student and Early Career Conference Plenary Speakers

Fang Zhao is a digital transformation strategist and a passionate researcher and business advisor in the areas of digital transformation and digital disruption. Her current research focuses on digital strategy in entrepreneurship and Smart Cities strategy and community engagement. She has published over 110 research works internationally and in some of the top-tier leading journals. She has provided consultancy and advisory services to governments, industry and business. She has led and completed a number of research projects funded by governments, industry/business and universities, including Australian Research Council (ARC) Linkage Grant and Australian Federal Government grant.

Professor Zhao is currently working as Associate Dean – Research and Enterprise in Staffordshire Business School of Staffordshire University, United Kingdom. Prior to that, she served on the roles of the Associate Dean – Management at School of Business and Law of Edith Cowan University, the Professor and Head of the School of Management and Public Administration of the University of the South Pacific, Fiji, and also the Professor and Acting Head of Management Department at the School of Business and Management (AACSB-Accredited) of American University of Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.

Professor Fang Zhao has been the Principal Supervisor and has supervised 6 doctoral candidates to successful completion. She welcomes applications for a research degree at both Master and Doctorial levels in the areas related to, but not limited to, digital transformation strategy, smart cities/communities, the sharing and digital economy, and digital entrepreneurship and innovation.

Being a global citizen and a strong advocate for international mobility and education, Professor Zhao has extensive MBA and other management education and teaching experience in Australia, China, Hong Kong, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, Fiji, and the United Kingdom.

Sally Hardy is the Chief Executive of the Regional Studies Association. She has a longstanding interest in scholarly communications and in particular in how researchers write for and publish in journals. She has lectured globally on many related topics. Sally is leading the Association’s work on diversity and inclusivity and this piece of research forms a part of that activity.

Martin Jones joined Staffordshire University as Deputy Vice-Chancellor in May 2017 and has responsibility for Research, Digital Services, Estates and Commercial Services, Technical Services and Staffordshire University Academy Trust.

Martin joined the University from the Department of Geography at the University of Sheffield, where he was Director of the White Rose Social Science Doctoral Training Centre (WRDTC)—a £20 million ESRC-funded research consortium between the universities of Sheffield, Leeds and York—and also Professor of Urban and Regional Political Economy. Martin led the application to become a Doctoral Training Partnership, also involving the White Rose partners and the universities of Hull, Sheffield Hallam, Bradford, and Manchester Metropolitan, which was ranked top by the ESRC’s peer review process.

Martin previously held a variety of positions at Aberystwyth University over 15 years (1998-2013): Director of the Institute of Geography and Earth Sciences (2004-2008), Dean of Social Science, and Pro Vice-Chancellor (2009-2013) with portfolio experience spanning research, enterprise, engagement, recruitment and the student experience. He is also a founding Co-Director of the £9 million ESRC/Welsh Government-funded, Wales Institute of Social and Economic Research, Data and Methods (WISERD) and co-investigator of the £7.5 million WISERD Civil Society ESRC-funded research centre. Before this, he was a Simon Research Fellow at the University of Manchester, after graduating from Manchester with a BA and PhD in Human Geography.

David Bailey is Professor of Business Economics at the Birmingham Business School, and a Senior Fellow of the ESRC’s UK in a Changing Europe programme, exploring the impacts of Brexit on UK automotive and manufacturing. He has written extensively on industrial and regional policy, especially in relation to manufacturing and the auto industry. He has been involved in a number of recent major projects including the recent Horizon2020 RISE project MAKERS where he led the Work Package on Industrial Policy. He is Editor-in-Chief of the leading journal Regional Studies and Chair of the RSA Europe Think-Tank and policy forum.  His latest co-edited book ‘Keeping the Wheels on the Road. UK Auto after Brexit’ has recently been published by Bite-Sized Books. David is a regular media commenter and newspaper columnist.

Mark Robinson is Communications Manager at Taylor & Francis Group, with over 15 years’ experience of marketing and communications for academic publishing. In his current role, which includes overseeing T&F’s Author Services programme, Mark’s aim is to help early career researchers get published in academic journals and to maximise the impact of their work. Mark also has considerable experience of both teaching and public speaking.

Darja Reuschke is Associate Professor in the School of Geography and Environmental Science at the University of Southampton (United Kingdom). Her research connects employment research, urban studies and organisational studies. In particular, Darja is interested in using a variety of data including big data and longitudinal secondary data to study human behaviour and small businesses. Darja has been awarded an ERC Starting Grant to study home-based self-employment and businesses. This project is based on earlier research on connecting businesses with housing markets funded by the Regional Studies Association and the UK Economic and Social Research Council.

Dr Martin Quinn is Associate Professor in Regional Studies and Public Policy and the University of Leicester School of Business and Co-Director of the INCITE research group.. His research interests focus n the ways in which second tier cities (broadly defined) experience the devolution process and how the public and private sectors come together to form governance networks. In addition he works with colleagues from INCITE on the use of culture and creative industries in economic development in transitional economies (e.g. Vietnam) and how policy can influence innovation in the economy. His research has been funded by grants from the British Academy, British Council, Regional Studies Association and several Government Departments and Agencies.

Jon Fairburn is active in teaching, research, bid writing and public engagement. He has extensive experience of creating work experience opportunities for students with businesses, charities and other organisations. He has incorporated credited work experience into geography and tourism degrees as well as the MSc Digital Marketing Management.  He has carried out research for many UK government agencies including the Environment Agency, Health and Safety Executive, Scottish Natural Heritage, Scottish Environmental Protection Agency, Medical Research Council. Internationally He has worked on or lead several EU projects as well as work for the World Health Organisation.