Professor Julieanna Powell-turner
Assoc Dean Research & Innovation (S,B&E)
Biography
A Professor in Environmental Organisational Sustainability, Associate Dean for Research and Innovation, and the Director of the Centre for Research into Environmental and Sustainable Transitions (CREST) in the Faculty of Science, Business and Enterprise. As a senior leader, I am responsible for shaping, implementing, and delivering the institution's research and knowledge exchange/transfer and citizen-student strategies. This includes setting and monitoring key performance indicators, the Research Excellence Framework (REF), the Knowledge Exchange/Transfer Framework (KEF), Civic Engagement, and the provision of Postgraduate Teaching and Doctoral Research (PGT and PGR). I have taught and researched environmental organisational sustainability for over 2 decades in the UK and overseas driving value creation and innovation, secured considerable external funding, published in the intelligence, academic and government press, and seen numerous Doctorates through to completion.
Teaching and Supervision
My teaching relates to the challenges, vulnerabilities, and opportunities in environmental organisational sustainability from a systems and smart specialisation perspective. This includes using appreciative inquiry in the areas of industrial protection, climate change, social cohesion in communities, resource management, fragile and critical environmental networks (shade shift), geopolitical risks, leading sustainability, stakeholder dialogue, sustainable supply chains, LCA, product lifecycles, circular systems, through life capability management, and research methods.
Research and Knowledge Exchange
My research relates to the intersections between natural resources, society and protection through life. The through-life approach aims to apply strategic foresight to future threats and opportunities that may reduce the likelihood and/or impact of disruptions through risk identification (disruptions), assessment (occurrence and impact), action (strategy and mitigation), and monitoring (reduce risk). A passionate advocate for participatory action research (PAR) and smart specialisation processes, focusing on creating sustainable, cross-sector partnerships that drive meaningful change in the defence, intelligence, security, business and civilian domains where my vision and insight align with evolving sustainability challenges and opportunities. I have secured substantial funding from UKRI and other government partners and supervise MSc and Doctoral students in the areas of climate action, social cohesion, energy transition, decarbonisation and socio-economics, sustainable composites, green skills, and benefits realisation. My research allows me to produce and transfer knowledge, fostering an environment that enables sustainable growth. I use appreciative inquiry and shape shift analysis to guide and refine best practices.