Find an expert

Sunil's research focuses on issues in international business for small and large firms.

Sunil Venaik's teaching and research interests include international business management, doing business in Asia, global marketing, marketing management, and market research. He is one of the top one percent of international business researchers worldwide in the last 50 years, based on his research publications in the Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS), and for which he was awarded a silver medal by JIBS. Sunil graduated from the Indian Institute of Technology Kharagpur, the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, and the Australian Graduate School of Management in the University of New South Wales. He is ex-faculty of the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad, and was awarded Visiting Fellowships by the National University of Singapore, INSEAD Fontainebleau France, Stockholm Business School in Sweden, the Indian Institute of Management, Udaipur, and the Australian National University. Sunil has extensive experience in case based teaching and learning and has taught courses in the Undergraduate, MBA, Doctoral and Executive Development programs at universities in Australia, India and Singapore. Sunil has broad managerial experience in industry including as the CEO of a medium size enterprise and consulted with national and multinational firms. Sunil has presented papers at reputed international conferences and published widely in The Conversation and in scholarly journals including Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of World Business, Organization Science, Organization Studies, European Journal of Marketing, Management International Review, Journal of Business Research, International Business Review, International Marketing Reveiw, Cross Cultural Management, Management Learning, Australian Journal of Management, Australasian Marketing Journal, Australian Economic Papers, and Economic and Political Weekly.

Martie-Louise Verreynne is a Professor in Innovation and Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Business, Economics and Law, at the University of Queensland. Her research in innovation, particularly open innovation, focuses on how small firms leverage capabilities and networks to gain a competitive edge. Martie-Louise is a regular contributor to leading small business, entrepreneurship, strategy, and interdisciplinary journals and serves as Senior Associate Editor for the Journal of Small Business Management. Her work is funded by the ARC and other government and industry collaborators. She actively works with policy-makers and industry bodies to influence outcomes for the small firms that are the engine of the Australian and global economy. For this work, she has received both national teaching and university research engagement awards.

Frederik is an Associate Professor in Strategy and Entrepreneurship and the Program Leader of the Master of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at UQ Business School. His research and teaching focus on how business opportunities emerge and how organizations from early-stage start-ups to mature enterprises can identify and seize such opportunities. A large share of Frederik’s current research investigates specifically how crises and digital technologies create opportunities for entrepreneurship and innovation. He works closely with companies from small start-ups to large ASX listed enterprises and has successfully helped many of them with research-based evidence and innovation facilitation.

Prior to joining UQ Business School, Frederik was a Senior Research Fellow at QUT Business School and responsible for managing the collaborative research program with Woolworths Ltd. He received his PhD from City University of Hong Kong for his work on business accelerators and high-tech start-ups. Before joining City University, he was a business intelligence consultant at Hewlett-Packard and a customer relationship management specialist at IBM.

Dr Thea Voogt is an Associate Professor in the School of Law and the Director of Business Law.

She specialises in income tax law, agriculture tax policy tools, the impact of climate change on the financial fortitude of farming families, corporate governance and business structures.

Thea leverages her significant business experience in senior executive roles and her background as a chartered accountant in industry projects. She holds a Doctorate in Financial Management and Master of International Commercial Law (UQ).

Thea is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and an award-winning law teacher. She is the 2017 recipient of the prestigious UQ Business, Economics & Law Faculty Teaching Award. She also received the 2017 Inspired me to learn Award for Teaching Excellence in an undergraduate compulsory course, and the 2016 Award for Teaching Excellence in an undergraduate compulsory course from the UQ School of Law.

Prior to joining UQ, Thea was the CEO (Principal Officer) of the superannuation funds of the University of Johannesburg, a Professor in Accounting and managed large tenders for this institution. Over the course of her career in South Africa, she was closely involved with the South African Institute of Chartered Accountants as sought-after speaker, researcher and umpire for the national qualifying exams for chartered accountants. Thea also held a Ministerial appointment to the Board of the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA).

Associate Professor Gabby Walters has a substantial background in tourism marketing with an emphasis on consumer psychology. Gabby has focused much of her research towards image and reputation management and in particular tourism market recovery following crises and disastrous events. She has conducted numerous consultancies and projects with tourism destinations from different parts of the world seeking to enhance or revitalise their reputations and regain trust among the tourism market as a result one or many critical events.

Her expertise also encompasses advanced methodological approaches to the study of tourist behaviour and in particular lab based research technologies. Gabby has a well-established publication record in tourism and hospitality and currently serves on several editorial boards. She currently serves as is the Editor in Chief for the Journal of Vacation Marketing, an ABDC A Ranked and Q1 Journal.

In 2017 Gabby was awarded the Centre of Australian Universities Tourism and Hospitality Education (CAUTHE) Fellows Award. An esteemed accolade that recognises significant contributions to the tourism and hospitality field.

Associate Professor Jie Wang completed a PhD in the field of crisis management at the University of Queensland. Her research interests are associated with risk, crisis and disaster management in tourism and hospitality. Her research focuses on how humans perceive and act in relation to risk, crisis and disaster, with the aim of understanding how behaviour changes can improve the resilience of people, organisations and tourism destinations.

Her research on enhancing crisis preparedness won the Outstanding Doctoral Research Award from the European Foundation for Management Development (EFMD) and Emerald Publishing. Dr Wang has also received Early Career Researcher Excellence Award (in Research) from UQ Business School in 2019. She works across disciplinary boundaries including management, strategy, psychology, economics and medicine. She also works with international collaborators from North America, Europe and Asia. She has received an Australian Government grant in 2021 to establish the 'Australia-Indonesia Business Resilience Hub' focusing on tourism thriving and capability building.

Dr Wang has been actively involved in a number of teaching and learning innovation projects. In 2019, she received a Commendation for UQ Citation for Outstanding Contributions to Student Learning from the University of Queensland. In 2018, she received Excellence in Education Award for Enhancing Employability from UQ Faculty of Business, Economics & Law. In 2023, she has been shortlisted for UQ Awards for Excellence in Graduate Research Training, and received a UQ BEL Excellence Award in ‘Research for HDR Supervision’.

Overview

Associate Professor Jay Weerawardena is a leading researcher in Strategic Marketing and social Impact Research. His core theoretical foundation is the role of dynamic capabilities in innovation-based competitive strategy. Jay has expanded his research into related areas of international marketing strategy and social sector research. In social sector research, he has extensively published in social entrepreneurship, social innovation, and social value creation. In addition to his impactful papers in reputed journals, Jay has won ARC Discovery grants, edited special issues, represented his core research expertise in editorial boards of reputed journals, delivered keynote and plenary presentations, led special topic sessions, and taken leadership roles in reputed international conferences.

Jay has co-edited several special issues of internally reputed journals which include the Journal of Business Research (ABDC A) (2021) on ‘business model innovation in social purpose organizations’, Industrial Marketing Management Journal (A*) on ‘capabilities, innovation and competitive advantage’ (2011), Journal of World Business (A*) (2007) on ‘accelerated internationalization of born global firms’ and the International Journal of Non-profit and Voluntary Sector Marketing on ‘non-profit competitive strategy’ (2008).

Jay has actively collaborated with internationally reputed scholars that had led to higher-ranked publications and competitive grant success. His current work involves examining the role of big data and marketing analytics role firm competitive strategy and how social purpose organizations balance social mission and commercial value in their effort to build financially viable social purpose organizations. While the former is fuelled by the exponential growth of the digital economy the latter has attracted the increased scholar attention due to its pivotal importance for the sustenance of social purpose organizations.

Jay serves in several editorial boards of reputed international journals including the Journal of Social Entrepreneurship of which he is an Associate Editor. He is a fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute (AMI) and a Certified Marketing Practitioner of the AMI.

Current service roles

Elected member of the UQ Academic Board and its Assessment Sub-Committee (ASC)

Co-lead, UQBS Research Hub on Social Impact and Social Enterprises

Current research interests

(1) Social entrepreneurship and social innovation-led dual value creation

(2) Non-profit brand vulnerability and building resilient non-profit brands

(3) Business model innovation in social purpose organizations

(3) Big data and marketing analytics capabilities in digital innovation and firm competitive strategy

(4) Value co-creation in digital services context

Dr Wheeler is a proud Ngarabal person and Accredited Exercise Scientist (ESSA). Dr Wheeler specilises in implementation science in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and communities.

Dr Wheeler was the first Aboriginal person to graduate with a PhD from the University of the Sunshine Coast.

Dr Wheeler’s research examines how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities can co-design programs that build community capacity and engage children and young peoples in a broad range of development areas. Dr Wheeler’s research strengths consist co-designing physical movement-based programs, ensuring a trauma informed and culturally-responsive approach towards community engagement and empowerment.

Dr Wheeler has led high performing teams working on education programs that support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander families through a strength-based and holistic framework. Extending this work, Dr Wheeler's research focuses on developing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander workforce to better address the complex health needs of community. Dr Wheeler has provided FIrst Nations leadership to a range of projects that have catered for the diversity of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and through this experience has partnered to deliver diverse governance solutions and educational engagement frameworks.

Dr Wheeler also specialises in biomechanics, sport analytics and performance analysis as well as strength and conditioning research. Dr Wheeler works currently with a range of sporting organisations to implement best-practice sport servicing, testing and athlete management to achieve excellence. Dr Wheeler is the lead researcher in partnership with Indigenous Basketball Australia. Dr Wheeler has worked with a variety of professional sporting organisations and teams such as the Wallabies, Brumbies Rugby and World Rugby as well as the Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra Raiders, Canberra Comets, Canberra Meteors and GWS Giants. Dr Wheeler co-design training programs to promote optimal performance in a range of sports. Dr Wheeler is a passionate about how sport and exercise can be used to enrich community as well as health and wellbeing for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Dr Wheeler is the Chair of the ESSA Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Strategy Working Group for Exercise and Sport Science Australia.

Dr Wheeler is the Director of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Strategy for the School of Human Movement and Nutrition Sciences.

Dr Wheeler is the Program Convenor for Bachelor of Exercise and Sport Sciences, the University of Queensland.

Dr Wheeler was named in the top 52 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people changing the world from COSMOS.

Awards

2022 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Scientist Award from the Australian Academy of Science

2022 LSQ Merck Life Science Rural and Regional Service Award from Life Sciences Queensland

2020 Accredited Exercise Scientist of the Year Award from Exercise and Sport Science Australia

2021 Science Peoples Choice Award from National Science Week

2021 Outreach Award from National Science Week

2020 Science Leadership Excellence Award from National Science Week

2017 NAIDOC Award from Fraser Coast NAIDOC Committee

Stephanie Wyeth is the Professional Planner in Residence and Senior Lecturer within the Planning Program, and Director of Engagement for the School of Architecture, Design and Planning.

Stephanie is an experienced urban and social planning practitioner with significant research, project and leadership experience in the public and private sectors. She joined The University of Queensland in 2019 following several years as a Director with a multidisciplinary planning and design firm, where she led projects focussed on complex social, urban planning and development issues. Her motivation for joining academia is a belief that a values-led and practice intensive university experience is critical if the next generation of urban planning professionals are to be equipped with the skills, knowledge and mindsets to lead, sustained positive change in our cities, towns and communities.

As a pracademic, Stephanie seeks to bridge the theory – practice divide, by promoting the exchange of knowledge, ideas and capabilities across university, industry and community. She regularly facilitates and brokers opportunities for the university’s world-leading researchers to share their expertise with government and community for projects with a strong public interest focus. Stephanie is regularly invited to join advisory forums and judging panels, and to speak at industry and community events.

Between 2016 – 2022 Stephanie served as a Non-Executive Director on the Board of the South Bank Corporation. In 2020 she was appointed a Fellow of the Planning Institute of Australia for services to the profession. Her most recent panel appointments include Logan Urban Design Awards, Lord Mayor’s Business Awards (Brisbane), and an advisory committee for a national design project.

Memberships

• Planning Institute of Australia
• Committee for Brisbane

Teaching Responsibilities

PLAN1000 The Planning Challenge (Course Coordinator and Lecturer – 2019 to date)

PLAN1100 Foundational Ideas in Planning (Course Coordinator and Lecturer – 2019 to date)

PLAN4001/PLAN7120 Citymaking: Theory and Practice (Course Coordinator and Lecturer – 2020-2022)

PLAN4100 Advanced Planning Practice (Course Coordinator and Lecturer – 2021 to date)

PLAN4130 / PLAN7130 Planning Industry Placements (Course Coordinator and Lecturer – 2019 to date (Semesters 1, 2 and Summer)

ENVM3103 Regulatory Frameworks for Environmental Management and Planning (Guest lecturer 2021-2023)

Various guest lectures providing insights into urban planning, employability and planning practice.

Student supervision for PHD, Honours and research projects

Awards

2022 Teaching Award - Planning Program, School of Earth and Environmental Sciences

2022 Staff Award, Organisation of Planning Students

Service and Engagement

Director of Engagement – School of Architecture, Design and Planning (2023 to date)

Academic Program Advisor for Bachelor of Regional and Town Planning (2021 to date)

Deputy Director of Engagement School of Earth and Environmental Sciences (2022 – 2023)

Co-founder and Director of UQ City Impact Lab (2021 to date)

Research Affiliate – UQ Sustainable Infrastructure Research Hub (since 2022)

Member - UQ Community Engagement Community of Practice – Leadership Group (since 2023)

Planning Institute of Australia (Qld) - Fellow

I am a Research Fellow in the Institute of Social Science Research at The University of Queensland.

My research interests coalesce around issues of social justice within organisations. I am particularly curious about how the way we perceive others informs our treatment of one and other in the workplace. I spend a lot of my time exploring this idea in the context of leadership. For example, collaborators and I have been working with industry professionals in Australia and North America to understand what organisational structures inhibit minority leaders' (e.g., women, racially diverse) progression and retention. We've also been investigating possible disrupters that may serve to improve minority leaders' chances of success in leadership roles.

I also spend a lot of time on applied research problems through partnering with industry to examine the effectiveness of practical initiatives or policy shifts. Recently, we've been working on understanding the supportive mechanisms that enhance boat safety in Northern Australia, while another partnership has focused on understanding how novel bail support programs can be enhanced to support young people to meet their youth justice orders.

I received my BPsycSc and MPsyOrg from UQ Psychology before completing a PhD in Leadership / Organisational Behaviour at UQ Business School. In 2019 I moved to The University of Illinois for a postdoctoral fellowship before joining the Institute of Social Science Research in 2021.

I am also an Organisational Psychologist and consult with industry on people focused challenges. I partner with business leaders and people managers to develop and implement evidence based actions and strategies.

I work with collaborators in Australia and North America, and I have the good fortune of supporting several RHD candidates at present.

Emily is an experienced evaluator and policy analyst whose experience is designing, collecting and interpreting high quality evidence to improve outcomes for priority groups. She has deep, strategic knowledge of the Australian public sector, working alongside government agencies to design, implement and evaluate large, complex social policy initiatives.

Emily's motivated by helping her clients to use evaluation and research to understand the people they serve - conumers, service providers, Executive sponsors, advocacy groups - to deliver tailored programs and achieve better outcomes both for people and human service systems.

Her ability to build rapid rapport, synthesise complex information and balance perspectives means she is an in-demand strategic facilitator and trusted advisor to the executives of government agencies.

Her work creates impact because of her ability to connect information and people. She's great at taking complex information and making it simple and easy to action.

Yunxia Zhu is an award-winning researcher and educator and has an international reputation in cross-cultural management and business negotiation. Yunxia’s PhD is from the Australian National University in the area of international business communication. She is a negotiation expert trained in Advanced Harvard negotiation programme and Oxford Programme on negotiation at Saïd Business School, University of Oxford. She has taught Undergraduate, MBA, Doctoral and Executive Development programs at universities in Australia and abroad. She was a visiting academic to Imperial College London, University of Michigan and Lund University Sweden.

Yunxia has been a recipient of numerous prestigious awards. She is the winner of 2015 UQ Teaching and Learning Fellowship, 2014 Australian National Teaching Citation Awards, UQ Vice Chancellor’s 2013 Internationalisation award, UQ 2013 Outstanding Teaching Citation award, 2011 Best Researcher Award and 2006 Best Publication by Association for Business Communication, and 2008 UQ Business School Research Excellence award, just to name a few.

As an active researcher, Yunxia has written two scholarly books and has published extensively in prestigious international journals (e.g., top-tier of A* or A journals ABDC ranking). She serves on a number of editorial boards for prestigious journals including Academy of Management Discovery, Academy of Management Learning and Education, Journal of World Business, Discourse and Communication, and Public Relations Review. She also serves as an intercultural expert for the prestigious Pragmatics & Beyond New Series (PBNS), John Benjamins.

Yunxia serves as the Vice President of Association for Business Communication in the Asia Pacific Region and is holding adjunct and honorary professorial positions with a number of major Chinese universities with the most recent being awarded by the Top 500 Chinese Enterprises Research Centre, Shanghai University of Finance and Economics. She has served on expert advisory board and panels for publicly listed companies, providing professional consulting and training in relation to internationalization and market development in the global business contexts.

Dr Elizabeth Yushu Zhu is a Senior Lecturer at UQ Business School. She obtained her PhD from Australian National University in 2010. Elizabeth's research investigates empirical finance topics in corporate finance & governance, entrepreneurial finance (including crowdfunding), and banking. Her publications have appeared in various high-rated academic journals such as the Journal of Corporate Finance, Abacus, Accounting & Finance, Australian Journal of Management, British Accounting Review, China Economic Review, and Pacific-Basin Finance Journal. Her research has garnered several best paper awards from the British Accounting Review, the Australian Journal of Management A* or A-rated journals, and research grants. Currently, she serves as an editorial board member for the Australian Journal of Management. Elizabeth has supervised PhD students who are engaged in various research in the field of finance, including asset pricing, corporate finance, and climate finance, among others. She takes great pride in her students' achievements, which include publications in top journals, university medals, and AFAANZ Highly Commended PhD awards.