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UC Irvine NATO expert available to discuss Finland membership

Heidi Hardt, associate professor of political science at UC Irvine, is a scholar whose expertise is in transatlantic security, US foreign policy, national security and European security and defense, including NATO, the EU and OSCE. She is the author of the book, NATO's Lessons in Crisis: Institutional Memory in International Organizations (Oxford UP, 2018). She recently completed a 2021-2022 Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellowship for Tenured International Relations Scholars (IAF-TIRS). During the year, she worked for the US State Department (NATO Desk). Professor Hardt can be reached via email at hhardt@uci.edu.

AI-powered cruise control system may pave the way to fuel efficiency and traffic relief

The CIRCLES Consortium, consisting of Vanderbilt University, UC Berkeley, Temple University and Rutgers University-Camden, in coordination with Nissan North America and the Tennessee Department of Transportation, concluded a five-day open-track experiment on Nov. 18. Congestion Impacts Reduction via CAV-in-the-loop Lagrangian Energy Smoothing (CIRCLES) Researchers tested an AI-powered cruise control system designed to increase fuel savings and ease traffic using 100 specially equipped Nissan Rogue vehicles. The experiment—which ran from Nov. 14 through Nov. 18 on a sensor-filled portion of Interstate 24—is based on the results from an earlier, closed-track study where a single smart vehicle smoothed human-caused traffic congestion, leading to significant fuel savings. A single AI-equipped vehicle could influence the speed and driving behavior of up to 20 surrounding cars, causing a kind of positive ripple effect in day-to-day traffic. The CIRCLES Consortium will spend the next several months analyzing data collected on the AI-equipped vehicles and their impact on the flow of traffic over the duration of the experiment. The test was conducted on the recently opened I-24 MOTION testbed, the only real-world automotive testing environment of its kind in the world. Stretching for four miles just southeast of downtown Nashville, the smart highway is equipped with 300 4K digital sensors capable of logging 260,000,000 vehicle-miles of data per year. The CIRCLES Consortium research is supported by the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Energy. Support was also provided by Toyota North America and General Motors. The experiment included Toyota RAV4 and Cadillac XT5 vehicles. Preliminary vehicle and traffic flow detection in the I-24 Mobility Technology Interstate Observation Network (MOTION). “On November 16 alone, the system recorded a total of 143,010 miles driven and 3,780 hours of driving. The I-24 MOTION system, combined with vehicle energy models developed in the CIRCLES project, provided an estimation of the fuel consumption of the whole traffic flow during those hours. The concept we are hoping to demonstrate is that by leveraging this new traffic system to collect data and estimate traffic and applying artificial intelligence technology to existing cruise control systems, we can ease traffic jams and improve fuel economy,” the CIRCLES team said in a joint statement. “Nissan has always been a pioneer in automotive innovation, and with our long-term vision, Nissan Ambition 2030, we know our future is autonomous, connected and electric,” said Liam Pedersen, deputy general manager at the Nissan Alliance Innovation Lab in California’s Silicon Valley. “CIRCLES shares our common goal of building a safer, cleaner world by empowering mobility.” “When it comes to transportation and mobility in Tennessee, we are at a critical juncture,” said Deputy Governor and TDOT Commissioner Butch Eley. “Traffic congestion is now becoming more prominent throughout Tennessee, and not just in urban areas. Addressing these challenges will force us to think critically about solutions, as transportation infrastructure projects traditionally are not identified nor completed before traffic congestion more dramatically affects our quality of life. One of these solutions is greater use of technology to enhance mobility. We are confident that this project and others like it will further strengthen Tennessee’s reputation for being a hub of automotive excellence.” “The I-24 MOTION project is a first-of-its-kind testbed, where we’ll be able to study in real time the impact connected and autonomous vehicles have on traffic in an open road setting,” said Meredith Cebelak, adjunct instructor in civil and environmental engineering at Vanderbilt and Tennessee transportation and transportation systems management and operations department leader at Gresham Smith. “The permanent infrastructure has been designed and installed, meaning the testbed will always be ‘on’ and available to researchers. By unlocking a new understanding of how these vehicles influence traffic, vehicle, infrastructure, and traffic management strategies, design can be optimized to reduce traffic concerns in the future to improve safety, air quality and fuel efficiency.”  “Partnership across universities, government and the private sector is the key to pioneering projects like this one,” Vice Provost for Research and Innovation Padma Raghavan said. “From its earliest inception, all the partners in this effort have played vital roles. That trusted collaboration continues as the team analyzes results to seek new insights to address pressing challenges in transportation in Tennessee and beyond.”

#Expert Insight: Price Image Formation: When is HILO low?

When consumers choose where to shop, they often consider a store’s price image —does the store have a reputation for having lower or higher prices than its competitors? A store’s reputation for lower prices doesn’t happen by chance. Choosing a pricing strategy is one of the biggest pricing decisions a retailer makes. In “When is HILO Low? Price Image Formation Based on Frequency versus Depth Pricing Strategies,” a recently published paper in the Journal of Consumer Research, co-authors Ryan Hamilton, associate professor of marketing, Ramnath Chellappa, associate dean and Goizueta term professor of information systems and operations management, and Daniel Sheehan, associate professor of marketing and supply chain at the University of Kentucky’s Gatton College of Business and Economics, explore a gap in existing pricing strategy research. “Our research doesn’t threaten the validity of the previous research,” said Hamilton, “but what it does do is point to the limited generalizability of the previous research.” This is because previous pricing strategy research used the same research paradigm: It emphasized consumers’ perspectives as they compared prices simultaneously across multiple stores. Hamilton, Chellappa, and Sheehan wondered what would happen if they studied consumers as they compared prices of products within a store, instead of across stores. When they did so, the authors found that “many of the prominent findings of previous research are reversed,” they wrote. “We propose that when stores’ prices are evaluated one at a time, or in isolation, consumers will rely on the most salient contextual clues available—within-category price information—when forming a price image.” For example, rather than research the price of peanut butter across multiple grocery stores, shoppers often evaluate the price of peanut butter by comparing the prices of the brands on the shelf in front of them. To illustrate their point, the authors explore two basic pricing strategies: a frequency pricing strategy and a depth pricing strategy. Every Day Low Pricing (EDLP) is a frequency strategy where stores offer small price advantages over their competitors on many items. Walmart employs an EDLP strategy. A common depth strategy is a high-low (HILO) pricing strategy. HILO offers infrequent, but deep, price advantages over competitors. Macy’s utilizes this strategy. “The conventional wisdom is that EDLP equals low price,” explained Hamilton. But he and his co-authors argue that in a non-theoretical environment, the effectiveness of EDLP strategies is less clear. The trio hypothesized that the context in which consumers encounter prices has important implications. Specifically, that the frequency advantage of EDLP identified in earlier research was limited to those scenarios where customers were able to simultaneously compare prices across multiple stores. In contrast, they argue that a depth advantage, one resulting from HILO pricing, will be more likely when consumers evaluate store prices separately. “Without simultaneous comparisons across stores, consumers shift from using across-store prices as reference points to using within-category reference prices. As a result of this shift, deep price advantages are easier to evaluate than frequent price advantages and therefore more influential on customers’ formation of price image,” they write. “Because our theoretical account is based on within-category external reference prices, we predict that a depth store is likely to be evaluated as having a lower price image than a frequency store even when consumers are exposed to the prices of just one store,” they write. The authors tested their hypothesis using six separate experiments. All but one of the experiments studied national brands commonly found in grocery stores. (The other experiment used televisions.) In the experiments where participants saw store prices simultaneously, the experiment replicated the frequency advantage noted in previous research. But when participants did not have simultaneous price information across stores, the previous findings didn’t hold “What we found is that if you distance those prices comparisons even a little bit -showing a price on one webpage and then seeing a price on another webpage - that’s enough to completely reverse the findings,” explained Hamilton. In an isolated setting, “a couple of really low prices” will better communicate a store’s low-price image, said Hamilton. “That’s the big story.” While excited about the findings of their research, Hamilton is quick to point out the limits of their hypothesis, such as when pricing information isn’t readily available or when the consumer isn’t familiar with the brands of the product they wish to buy. “People want a simple answer that works everywhere, but it’s more nuanced than that,” said Hamilton. “This [hypothesis] is going to work better under certain set of circumstances than others because people process price information differently.” The insights aren’t only useful for retailers. While using a store’s price image to shop can be efficient from a consumer standpoint, assuming that the prices are low solely because the store has a reputation for low prices isn’t always the case. A retailer’s price image has vulnerabilities. Not everything at Costco is cheaper than it is at Whole Foods. Southwest Airlines may not always be cheaper than Delta Air Lines. “If you’re shopping for things you really care about,” advised Hamilton, “it might be worth doing more across-store price comparisons.” Chellappa is excited about how the paper addresses gaps in traditional economic models of pricing. “While much research in economics and information systems focuses on the availability of information for price comparison, the cognitive aspect of ‘how’ consumers compare and process such information is only explicated by studies such as ours. Looking at pricing through a behavioral lens, capturing consumers’ real shopping behavior reveals great insights that will be useful for firms,” he said. Interested in learning more about consumer behavior and Price Image Formation Based on Frequency versus Depth Pricing Strategies? Then let us help with your coverage and questions. Ryan Hamilton and Ramnath Chellappa are both available to speak regarding this important topic - simply click on either expert's icon now to arrange an interview today.

Goizueta Faculty Member Uncovers Impact of Remote Learning on Educational Inequality

In 2020, the world went into lockdown. Learning in school became learning from the couch. Rather than listening to teachers in-person behind a desk, high school students had to find a computer to stream their lectures and lessons. What happens to educational inequality in a digital-first, remote-learning environment? Whereas students are traditionally bound by their brick-and-mortar schools and the limitations of funding in those areas, what happens when the walls are removed and students have access to the teachers, knowledge, and peers from other areas? Ruomeng Cui and co-researchers, Zhanzhi Zheng from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Shenyang Jiang from Tongji University, decided to find out. In their 2022 paper, currently under review, Cui and her colleagues looked at the performance of high school students in developing and developed regions of China. We thought that remote learning might reduce the inequality gap in education because when students are learning off-line, they’re restricted by their local resources. “It’s quite obvious that developing regions don’t have good resources, experienced teachers, or competitive peers—they often have inferior educational resources in comparison to developed regions,” explains Cui, associate professor of information systems and operations management. “We thought the accessibility of remote learning could help reduce this knowledge gap and help students in developing regions improve their learning outcomes.” Analyzing Education in Developed and Developing Areas The idea for the paper, “Remote Learning and Educational Inequality,” published earlier this year, stemmed from another of Cui’s papers, which looked at the academic productivity of women as a result of the COVID-19 lockdowns. “We wanted to study whether the switch to remote learning impacts educational inequality. Does it make it better or worse?” says Cui. “We are the first ones to offer empirical evidence on such a granular level about a large-scale data set.” The group analyzed the Chinese college entrance exam from 2018 through 2020, which students take during the last few weeks of high school; the test score is a requirement for undergraduate admission in China. It’s common for high schools to announce the number of students who scored 600 or higher (out of 750 total points). Using 1,458 high school exam results from 20 provinces, the group found that in 2020, when remote learning became the norm, “the number of students scoring above 600 points in developing regions increased by 22.22 percent,” in comparison to developed regions. Remote learning significantly improved learning outcomes of students in developing regions. We should think about encouraging the adoption of remote learning in education However, Cui and her co-researchers wanted to go a step further. Because the entrance exams are summaries of student data, they surveyed 1,198 students to drill down and ensure that these results came from remote learning rather than other factors. Respondents were asked to rate aspects of their remote-learning experience, such as access to digital devices, their proficiency in using software, how reliable their internet was, how they interacted with peers and teachers, and their access to online educational resources. The researchers found that students in developing regions were able to better connect with peers and teachers, and the students believed that “their learning efficiency was greater” because of the remote learning. Education inequality is not only a problem in China. It’s everywhere. It’s across the world. Having access to better educational resources online can be applied anywhere. However, the one caveat to their findings: Remote learning is beneficial, but students need devices and the infrastructure to support online learning, which is often lacking in developing regions or underserved areas. “We need to support, build, and develop the digital technology capability that enables the effectiveness of remote learning,” says Cui. Are you a reporter looking to know more about the impact COVID had on education and how inequality plays a role in how we educate students during a pandemic? Then let us help with your coverage and questions. Ruomeng Cui is an Associate Professor of Information Systems & Operations Management at Emory University's  Goizueta School of Business.   Ruomeng is available to speak with media regarding this topic - simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview today.

ChristianaCare Launches Supplier Diversity Program

Making the organization more reflective of the patients and communities we serve To advance its commitment to diversity and inclusion, ChristianaCare has launched a supplier diversity program – the first among hospitals in Delaware – that supports greater equity among suppliers and provides equal access to purchasing opportunities at the health system. The new program opens the door for small and diverse businesses owned and operated by ethnic minorities, women, veterans, service-disabled veterans, LGBTQ+ individuals and persons with disabilities to do business with ChristianaCare. “ChristianaCare’s commitment to expand and strengthen our partnerships with diverse vendors and suppliers is integral to our strategic plan to embed equity throughout our operations and culture,” said Jennifer Garvin, vice president of Supply Chain at ChristianaCare. “As the largest private employer in Delaware, we want to continue to grow and develop our diverse network of suppliers and vendors and obtain the best products at the best price. “This program gives us a platform to connect with smaller, historically disadvantaged firms. “We often look to the suppliers and business partners in our supply chain to bring new ideas and fresh insights to the table – and we believe everyone should have a seat at that table,” Garvin said. “By formalizing our commitment to supplier diversity, we are making ChristianaCare more reflective of the patients and communities we are privileged to serve.” By emphasizing a culture of diversity throughout their business operations, organizations tend to attract and retain top talent, increase employee satisfaction, outperform competitors and make better business decisions, according to research published by McKinsey & Company on the impact of diversity on businesses. “By being purposeful where we purchase our goods and services, we can make a meaningful, measurable and lasting impact on the wellbeing of our neighbors and our local economy,” said Etmara Offe, senior program manager of Supplier Diversity at ChristianaCare, and the first person to hold a position dedicated to supplier diversity at a health system in Delaware. “We want to ensure that a wide range of diverse suppliers and vendors have opportunities to work with us by growing and developing our network through outreach and educational programs,” she said. Offe said that plans are in the works for a supplier mentoring program and outreach events in the year ahead. For more information, visit ChristianaCare Supplier Diversity – ChristianaCare. Diverse businesses can apply using the Potential Supplier Intake Form on the website.

New data shows real value of on-campus student engagement - Georgia Southern

Students celebrate the first week of classes for the Fall 2022 semester at the Welcome to the Nest Block Party, part of programming for The Eagle Experience. Planning and attending student events on a college campus may sound like it’s all fun and games, but new data from Georgia Southern University shows there are real benefits for the students and for the university when students engage in on-campus activities. A recent analysis by Georgia Southern’s Institutional Research office of first-year students who attended at least one event during the 2021-22 school year showed that students who attended at least one event returned this year at a rate of 79.4%. That figure is more than seven percentage points higher than the University’s overall freshman retention rate of 72%. “National data has consistently shown that the more engaged a student is with the university, the greater their chance of succeeding in college. It’s very satisfying to now have data to show the value of student programming and events at Georgia Southern,” said Shay Little, Ph.D., the University’s vice president for student affairs. Student affairs has been collecting student participation data since the university launched “the Eagle Experience” in fall 2020. The following year, the program, a collaborative cross-university effort to ensure new students’ successful transition to the Georgia Southern college experience, won a 2021-22 National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) Excellence Bronze Award. Now, data show that students are re-engaging after two COVID-influenced years that impacted many of Georgia Southern’s operations and activities. Total attendees measured at Georgia Southern events on all three campuses rose from 55,124 in fall of 2021 to 79,408 in fall of 2022. That’s a 44% increase in students who checked in during at least one of more than 1,000 events. Fall 2022, the numbers show: 1,162 total events 79,408 total attendees 370 Armstrong Campus events that attracted 13,116 attendees 662 Statesboro Campus Tagged Events that attracted 62,335 attendees 82 different departments or registered student organizations hosted events “It’s clear that we are reaching our Eagle Experience goals of engaging and retaining our students,” Little said. “We intend to foster a transformative student experience where students have fun, find a place to belong, and have opportunities to learn while enhancing their academic experience. These results are very encouraging.” Looking to know more - then let us help. Shay Little, Ph.D., is available to speak to reporters about the importance and success of student engagement. For more information or to arrange an interview - simply reach out to Georgia Southern Director of Communications Jennifer Wise at jwise@georgiasouthern.edu to arrange an interview today.

Expert Comment - the humanitarian use of drones in the current Turkish/Syrian earthquake disaster

Dr Muhammad Azmat, Assistant Professor in Logistics and Supply Chain Management at Aston University, Birmingham, is available to provide comment on the humanitarian use of drones in the current Turkish/Syrian earthquake disaster, and why they should be used more. “There are several examples from the recent past that suggest autonomous drones and drone swarms could be an effective tool to speed up search and rescue operations. “I believe there is a need for more awareness of drones and humanitarian organisations should be encouraged in using this new technology.” Dr Azmat has previously written for The Conversation about the potential use of humanitarian drones during the Ukraine war Dr Azmat’s profile: Dr Muhammad Azmat Assistant Professor in Logistics and SCM - Expert with Aston University | ExpertFile If you have any queries, please contact Dr Azmat or Nicola Jones Mobile: (+44)7825 342091 n.jones6@aston.ac.uk Press and Communications Manager, College of Engineering and Physical Sciences, Aston University, Aston Triangle Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK

Aston University to help power Indonesia with affordable energy made from rice straw

Project to convert unwanted rice straw into cheap energy on a commercial scale Most rice straw in Indonesia is burned causing pollution and health problems Project will almost double affordable energy captured from waste. Scientists at the Energy and Bioproducts Institute at Aston University are to start a project to convert Indonesia’s unwanted rice straw into low-cost energy on a commercial scale. Each year the country produces 100 million tonnes of the rice waste, of which 60% is burned in open fields, causing air pollution and has even been linked to lung cancer. The amount burned is equivalent to approximately 85 Terawatts of electricity, which is enough to power Indonesia’s households 10 times over. A consortium which includes Aston University aims to develop processes to capture more affordable energy from rice straw than ever before - and demonstrate that it can be done on a commercial scale. Part of the process involves a biomass conversion technology called pyrolysis. This involves heating organic waste materials to high temperatures of around 500 °C to break them down, producing vapour and solid products. Some of the vapour may be condensed into a liquid product called pyrolysis oil or pyrolysis bio-oil. Both the pyrolysis vapour and liquid bio-oil can be converted to electricity. Current methods convert just 35% of the thermal energy of rice straw to affordable electricity. However, a newly patented combustion engine designed by consortium member, UK-based Carnot Limited, could see that doubled to 70%. Energy extracted this way could help low and middle-income countries create their own locally generated energy, contribute to net zero by 2050, create new jobs and improve the health of locals. The project will help develop a business model which could support companies and local authorities to produce local, cheap energy in Indonesia, and other countries with biomass capacity. Three academic experts from different disciplines at Aston University are involved in this initial project, which focuses on Indonesia’s Lombok Island. Dr Jude Onwudili, Dr Muhammad Imran and Dr Mirjam Roeder are based at Aston University’s Energy and Bioproducts Research Institute (EBRI). Dr Jude Onwudili who is leading the team said: “This project has huge potential - commercialisation of this combined technology will have significant economic benefits for the people of Indonesia through direct and indirect job creation, including the feedstock supply chain and electricity distribution and sales. “About one million Indonesian homes lack access to energy and Indonesia's 6,000 inhabited islands make sustainable infrastructure development challenging in areas such as Lombok Island. “The new techniques being explored could reduce environmental pollution, contribute to net zero and most importantly, provide access to affordable energy from sustainable local agricultural waste. “Aston University is a global leader in bioenergy and energy systems, and I am delighted we received funding to explore this area.” Over a power plant’s life, the project team have calculated that biomass produces cheaper electricity (approx. $4.3$/kWh) compared to solar (approx. $6.6/kWh), geothermal (approx. $6.9/kWh), coal (approx.$7.1/kWh), wind (approx. $8/kWh) and subsidised gas (approx.$8.4ckWh). The project will start in April 2023 with a total of £1.5 million funding for the four partners from Innovate UK. Alongside Carnot Limited, the Aston University scientists will be working with two other UK-based businesses to deliver the project, PyroGenesys and Straw Innovations. PyroGenesys specialises in PyroChemy technology which will convert 70% of the rice straw into vapour or bio-oil for electricity production, with the remainder converted into nutrient-rich biochar, which can be sold back for use as fertiliser on the rice farms. Straw Innovations will contribute their rice straw harvesting and collection expertise, with their many years of similar operations in Asia.

The effects of social media on domestic terrorism - Our experts have the answers

There is no question social media has an impact on today’s society. Worldwide there isn’t much research available with empirical evidence showing its effect. Lance Hunter, PhD, associate professor in Pamplin College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences and the Masters of Arts in Intelligence and Security Studies program at Augusta University recently was part of two studies that show evidence linking social media to political violence including domestic terrorism and civil conflict. The studies included over 150 countries and covered the time frame 2000 to 2019. “One of the things we found very interesting is the amount of time that people spend on social media on average within each country per year. It really does matter in affecting the amount of domestic terrorism within countries,” said Hunter. While many are focused on what happens domestically, Hunter found that some countries have more social media usage as compared to the United States and have varying amounts of political violence within their countries. “When social media is dangerous is when it increases polarization. When it’s used to spread disinformation that disinformation can have a polarizing effect on citizens around the world, and that polarization is associated with political violence.” Even socio-economic factors can play a role in social media and its effect on people in a country. “Looking at our research and data and looking across democracies and non-democracies, different income levels of countries most developed, less developed, we see there is a noticeable effect that social media can really influence political violence, especially if it’s used for disinformation purposes.” He went on to add since their data ended in 2019, and there have been instances of violence in the U.S. since then, researchers may continue to speculate on the relationship between social media posts and the acts of domestic terrorism. Here's an excerpt from the journal's abstract in Behavioral Sciences of Terrorism and Political Aggression: Much qualitative research has drawn an association between social media and domestic terrorism, with the studies reaching different conclusions. However, few empirical studies have evaluated whether the surge in social media participation affects domestic terrorist events. Controlling for common explanations in the literature, we conduct a cross-national, time-series analysis of up to 151 countries from 2000 to 2019 to assess the impact of social media penetration on domestic terrorism. We find that greater social media penetration increases the likelihood of domestic terrorism in countries as it supports extremists’ ability to recruit, mobilize, and train terrorists. Using mediation analysis, we also find that greater social media penetration amplifies online and political polarization, increasing the likelihood of domestic terrorism events. Our work indicates the possible mechanisms linking social media and domestic terrorism and the need to develop and apply appropriate counterterrorism strategies to mitigate terrorist operations. “There is a noticeable effect that social media can really influence political violence, especially if it’s used for disinformation purposes. I think maybe it’s just something to think about going forward for governments and citizens regarding how we should approach social media because I think with any type of technology, it can be used for good or for evil.” While there are countries that try to limit certain social media platforms depending on what information is being transmitted, there will likely be ways around any restrictions put in place. “When you’re thinking overall regarding social media, and we’re thinking about communication over social media, is that individuals at times do have certain technologies that they can circumvent those controls at times. So it can be a cat and mouse game between the government and the citizens.” Dr. Lance Hunter is an assistant professor of political science with a background in international relations. His research focuses on how terrorist attacks influence politics in democratic countries and how political decisions within countries affect conflicts worldwide. Hunter is available to speak with media about this important topic - simply click on his icon to arrange an interview today.

Aston University appoints new pro-vice-chancellor and executive dean of business and social sciences

Professor Zoe Radnor has been appointed as Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean of the College of Business and Social Sciences She has had a successful career in higher education for over 25 years Professor Radnor will be joining Aston University in Spring 2023. Aston University has appointed Professor Zoe Radnor as the new Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean of the College of Business and Social Sciences. Professor Radnor will succeed Professor George Feiger, who will be standing down after 10 years of leadership of Aston Business School and the College of Business and Social Sciences. With a successful career in higher education spanning over 25 years, Professor Radnor will be joining Aston University from The University of Law (ULaw), where she is currently Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, specifically focused on leading the diversification of the academic portfolio, including building an academic model for the provision of high quality, innovative teaching and thought leadership. In addition, she is leading the TEF submission at the institution Prior to her executive role at ULaw, she was Vice-President for Strategy and Planning; Equality, Diversity and Inclusion and Professor of Service Operations Management at City, University of London, leading the development of the University EDI strategy. In this role she also led the creation of the new enabling Civic Strategy and established the new institution-wide Change Support Unit. Before City, Professor Radnor was the founding Dean of the School of Business at the University of Leicester, and prior to that, as Associate Dean Teaching and Learning, she led the development of new curriculum offerings for the Loughborough University campus in London. Professor Zoe Radnor is a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences (FAcSS) and the British Academy of Management (FBAM). She is also a member of the Athena Swan Governance Committee for Advance HE. Her main research interests are in performance, process improvement and service value within public sector organisations. She has led research projects for a number of Government and healthcare organisations, evaluating the use of ‘lean’ and associated techniques and continues to maintain a strong ongoing research profile. Professor Aleks Subic, Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive of Aston University, said: “I am looking forward to welcoming Professor Radnor to the Executive Team at what is a hugely exciting period of development for the University and to working with her as we shape our Aston University 2030 Strategy. Zoe brings significant leadership experience to the team and ambition in line with our bold vision. “I would also like to take this opportunity to acknowledge the significant contribution made by Professor George Feiger during his leadership of Aston Business School and the College of Business and Social Sciences over the last 10 years.” Professor Radnor said: “I am delighted to be joining such a prestigious and forward-thinking University and College. “The reputations of the College of Business and Social Sciences and of Aston University generally and the strategic vision of the new Vice-Chancellor and University leadership are what attracted me to this exciting role. I can’t wait to get started working with so many talented and innovative new colleagues.” Professor Radnor will be taking up her post in Spring 2023.