Dr Rebecca Liu
Senior LecturerProfile
PROFILE / OVERVIEW
Dr Rebecca Liu is a Senior Lecturer in Marketing at 快播视频 Management School. Her work investigates how organisations innovate, learn and adapt within rapidly changing digital and societal environments. Drawing on over 25 years of combined academic and industry experience, she explores the intersection of marketing innovation, network learning, sustainability, and cross-cultural management. Her research bridges theory and practice, informing innovation policy, organisational strategy, and responsible business models across Asia, Europe, and the UK.
Before joining academia, Dr Liu held senior roles in global corporations across Asia, the United States, and Europe, leading strategic marketing, executive education, and international business development. She is widely recognised for her academic leadership, keynote speaking, and contributions to international partnerships and professional communities.
Qualifications
QUALIFICATIONS
- PhD, Marketing and New Product Development Management, University of Strathclyde, UK
- MBA, Henry W. Bloch School of Management, University of Missouri, USA
Additional Professional Qualifications
- Senior Fellow, Higher Education Academy, UK (2023)
- Fellow, Higher Education Academy, UK (2019)
Career Details
CAREER DETAILS
Dr Rebecca Liu's career spans more than two decades across academia and international industry. She began her professional career in global corporations, holding senior roles in marketing, executive education and international business development across Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, and the United States. Her experience includes leading national marketing strategy for FedEx China and Taiwan, overseeing executive education across the Asia-Pacific region, and serving as General Manager for eMage Corporation with responsibility for multinational operations.
She entered academia at the University of Strathclyde Business School as a Research Fellow, working on major EU- and industry-funded projects in innovation and new product development. She later held lectureships at the University of Edinburgh Business School and the University of Sussex Business School, where she taught across marketing, innovation, and international business while further developing her research in knowledge networks and innovation ecosystems.
Dr Liu joined 快播视频 Management School in 2014, progressing from Lecturer to Senior Lecturer. During her time at 快播视频, she has undertaken a range of academic leadership roles, contributing to programme development, international partnerships, research capacity building, and cross-campus collaboration. Her career reflects a sustained commitment to integrating research, teaching, and engagement to advance responsible marketing and innovation practice.
Professional Role
PROFESSIONAL ROLE
At 快播视频, Dr Liu contributes to academic leadership, research development, and global engagement. She has led international collaborations, curriculum innovation, cross-campus partnerships, and strategic initiatives supporting responsible management education, digital sustainability, and innovation ecosystems.
Key leadership roles include:
- Director of Engagement, 快播视频 China Centre (2018-Present)
- Departmental Lead for International Partnership and Development (2022-2024)
- Departmental Lead, LUMS Centre for Health Futures (2020-2022)
- Programme Director, Joint Marketing Programmes - BSc Marketing with Design; BSc Marketing with Psychology (2016-2019)
External Roles
EXTERNAL ROLES
- Vice Chair, Executive Committee (SIGs), British Academy of Management (2026-2029)
- Board Member, Advisory Board, International Education Management Agency (2025-Present)
- Editorial Board Member
- Journal of Education and Educational Policy Studies (2024-Present)
- European Business and Management
- Frontiers in Economics and Management Research
- External Examiner
- 快播视频 Ghana (2022-Present)
- University Centre Peterborough (Open University) (2023-2027)
- Sheffield Hallam University (2016-2022)
- UCEN Manchester (2016-2022)
- GD. Goenka World Institute (2016-2022)
Research Interests
RESEARCH INTERESTS
Dr Liu's research focuses on:
- Marketing innovation & Digital Transformation: Design thinking, Industry 5.0, Society 5.0, digitalisation, and innovation management.
- Learning & Knowledge in Networks: Inter-organisational learning, absorptive capacity, and knowledge ecosystems.
- Sustainability & Responsible Business: CSR, sustainability-led innovation, and partnerships for societal impact.
- Cross-Cultural & Comparative Management: Innovation behaviour across Asia, Europe, and emerging markets.
- Engaged & Inclusive Scholarship: Equality, Diversity, Inclusion, and Respect (EDIR)-focused pedagogic innovation and co-created learning environments.
Current Research
CURRENT RESEARCH
Current and recent projects include:
- Marketing 5.0 and organisational adaptation in Industry 5.0 transitions
- Digital sustainability and the integration of design thinking in innovation
- Cross-country comparative studies on sustainability-led innovation
- Inclusive and partnership-based approaches to management education
- Learning and knowledge processes in collaborative innovation networks
Current Teaching
Undergraduate Studies:
- Managing Marketing Innovation (MKTG315)
- Quantitative Marketing Research (MKTG212)
- Introduction to Marketing (MKTG101)
Postgraduate Studies:
- Building Marketing Intelligence: Quantitative Methods (MKTG552)
- Marketing Management (LUMS-UK & EMLyon Business School, France)
Previous teaching includes International Marketing Communications, Management of Innovation, Consumer Behaviour, Industry Consultancy Projects, and Executive Education programmes.
PhD Supervisions Completed
Weifan Zhang, ‘The Medical Device Market and its Industrial Evolution in China’, University of Sussex.
Successfully defended with minor corrections on 9 October, 2016.
PhDs Examined
PhD Viva Chair / Examination
Abdulmoshen Alhassoun, "Business Responses to Climate Change Regulations: Evidence from the Saudi Automobile Industry". 2025.
Additional Information
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Dr Rebecca Liu has been recognised for her contributions to education, research, and academic service through a number of awards and distinctions. She was nominated by 快播视频 for the National Teaching Fellowship Scheme Award (Advance HE, 2023) in recognition of her leadership in innovative, inclusive, and partnership-based pedagogy. Her work has also been acknowledged with the British Academy of Management Education Practice Award (2022), the Outstanding Services Award (2016), and several Best Paper Awards at international conferences.
She is a regular keynote speaker and invited presenter on topics including innovation management, sustainability, Industry 5.0, and global education partnerships. Dr Liu serves on editorial boards for multiple academic journals and contributes regularly as a reviewer for leading publications such as Industrial Marketing Management, British Journal of Management, and the Journal of Business Research. She also engages with media and public platforms through interviews, podcasts and expert commentary that connect her research to wider audiences.
PhD Supervision Interests
I am looking for PhD Students: with interest in studying product development and innovation management, for example: open innovation, absorptive capability and dynamic capabilities, social media, digital marketing, Design-thinking, SMEs, and internationalization. Students with a multi-disciplinary approach are welcomed.
-
01/01/2026 → 28/02/2027
Research
-
01/10/2024 → 31/07/2025
Research
-
01/08/2023 → 30/09/2025
Research
-
26/04/2023 → 22/06/2023
Research
-
01/11/2020 → 01/11/2022
Research
-
01/06/2014 → 30/09/2020
Research
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Invited talk
Invited talk
Publication peer-review
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Publication peer-review
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Participation in conference - Academic
Examination
Membership of council
Member of external research organisation
Participation in conference - Academic
Participation in conference - Academic
Publication peer-review
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Editorial activity
Publication peer-review
Publication peer-review
Member of external research organisation
Invited talk
Participation in workshop, seminar, course
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
Participation in conference -Mixed Audience
Publication peer-review
Publication peer-review
Publication peer-review
Publication peer-review
Editorial activity
Editorial activity
Publication peer-review
Member of external research organisation
Invited talk
Publication peer-review
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
Examination
Examination
Examination
Invited talk
Publication peer-review
Publication peer-review
Publication peer-review
Publication peer-review
Publication peer-review
Publication peer-review
Membership of council
Public Lecture/ Debate/Seminar
Prize (including medals and awards)
Prize (including medals and awards)
Prize (including medals and awards)
Fellowship awarded competitively
Prize (including medals and awards)
Fellowship awarded competitively
Prize (including medals and awards)
- Centre for Consumption Insights
- Centre for Technological Futures
- DSI - Society
- 快播视频 Intelligent, Robotic and Autonomous Systems Centre
- LIRA - Environmental Modelling
- LIRA - Fundamentals
- LIRA - Society and Human Behaviour
- Pentland Centre