Interdisciplinary Research
The University of Bristol Business School is renowned for its cutting-edge interdisciplinary research that addresses complex global challenges. By integrating diverse fields such as engineering, computer science, chemistry, physics, other social sciences and the arts, our research initiatives foster innovative solutions and insights that drive sustainable and inclusive economic growth.
Our interdisciplinary research involves high engagement with industry across multiple sectors including manufacturing and creative sectors. We co-create research with our industrial and policymaking partners to address industry and societal need.
Innovation and Knowledge Centre (IKC)
Project REWIRE - Pioneering Semiconductor Technologies and New Electronic Devices
In February 2024, the University of Bristol introduced Project REWIRE, the university’s £11 million Innovation and Knowledge Centre funded by UKRI. The project, led by Professor Martin Kuball (School of Physics) and co-led by Professor Palie Smart, Dr. Minhao Zhang, and Dr. Nikolaos Stylos in the Business School, is set to transform the semiconductor industry with groundbreaking research in ultrawide bandgap materials like gallium oxide, which promise to outperform traditional silicon.
This pioneering interdisciplinary project has support from partners at the Universities of Cambridge and Warwick, and industry partners including Ampaire, Bosch, Cambridge GaN Devices (CGD), Element Six, General Electric, Hitachi Energy, IQE, Oxford Instruments, Siemens, ST Microelectronics, and Toshiba.
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
Co-creating equitable circular food systems through a digital Hub: Digital Equitable CIrcular FooD systEms (DECIDE)
Dr Lucy McCarthy, together with Dr Anne Touboulic (Nottingham University Business School), is set to launch an online hub for buying and selling farm produce. The Circular Agriculture Hub confronts the UK’s shocking record on food waste and food poverty, and aims to provide desperately needed income for smaller-scale farmers. The interdisciplinary team includes management, operations, human geography, engineering, computer science, agriculture and environmental studies experts.
With funding support from EPSRC, McCarthy and Touboulic aim to advance research incorporating more digital elements, focusing on developing a digitally enabled circular economy and sustainable digital technologies.
Design & Manufacturing Futures Lab
Brokering Additive Manufacturing
This project aims to harness diverse Additive Manufacturing (AM) capabilities to meet fluctuating demands and enhance manufacturing independence. Led by interdisciplinary teams with world-leading researchers from the Schools of Civil, Mechanical and Aerospace engineering and Business Management (Professor Jennifer Johns), BAM develops models and policies to broker AM's responsive production systems, transforming how societies meet future manufacturing needs.
Future Finance For All
Led by Professor Jonathan Beaverstock, this project aims to establish a social science Innovation Adoption Accelerator in Financial Services, focusing on insurance, lending, advisory, and payment and transaction systems. Partnering with Glasgow University, Glasgow Caledonian University, the University of the West of England, FinTech West, and SETsquared, the hub will adopt a mission-led approach to accelerate innovation adoption in mid-tier organisations and small and medium-sized enterprises within the UK financial services sector.
Bristol Digital Futures Institute (BDFI)
Collaboration between the Business School and the Bristol Digital Futures Institute (BDFI) is at the forefront of transforming digital innovation. Current research projects and programmes, led by our esteemed researchers and leveraging BDFI facilities, delve into cutting-edge initiatives that redefine digital landscapes and drive societal impact.
Centre for Sociodigital Futures (CenSoF)
By integrating the Business School’s strengths in management, strategy, and organisational behavior with CenSoF’s cutting-edge research on digital cultures, data ethics, and technology adoption, the partnership aims to generate impactful insights and practical solutions. Together, we examine how digital advancements are reshaping industries, influencing consumer behavior, and driving new forms of social interaction and economic activity.
On-going research projects:
- Ana Javornik. 2024 The rise of self-avatars in collaborative virtual environments and their consequences for users' mental well-being
This project examines the impact of self-avatars in collaborative virtual environments (VEs) on users' self-perception and mental well-being. It aims to explore how avatar customisation in VEs affects individuals' sense of purpose and meaning in life. The research will investigate whether inhabiting self-avatars can help users achieve their aspirations and improve well-being, or if it might lead to feelings of estrangement from their offline selves, thereby reducing their sense of life's meaningfulness.
Contact Us
To find out more about our interdisciplinary research projects, please contact the Business School's Interdisciplinary Director Professor Jennifer Johns
Email: jennifer.johns@bristol.ac.uk
Research Impact
Visit our research impact page, which highlights some of our most impactful research, and find out more about how our work drives societal impact, informs public policy, and fosters sustainable business practices.
Recent Developments
The University of Bristol Business School strives to continuously advance interdisciplinary research. Launching in September, the new Interdisciplinary research theme 'Resilient and Sustainable Supply Chains' will bring together colleagues from within the Business School and from across the University to address contemporary challenges around environmental and business resilience in supply chains.