Staff Profile
Dr Anahita Malek
- Associate Professor
College of Creative Arts, Technology and Engineering
Dr Anahita Malek
- Associate Professor
College of Creative Arts, Technology and Engineering
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I am an Associate Professor of Creative Industries and Head of the Graduate School at Buckinghamshire New University.
In my role as Head of the Graduate School, I provide strategic leadership for all doctoral and postgraduate research programmes across disciplines. I oversee supervision quality, chair viva examinations and progression reviews, and design institution-wide training programmes for both postgraduate researchers and supervisors. My work focuses on strengthening research culture, supporting interdisciplinary collaboration, and enhancing the overall postgraduate researcher experience across the University.
As an Associate Professor within the College of Creative Arts, Technology and Engineering, I teach across the Events and Music courses, integrating industry knowledge with research-led practice.
Before joining BNU, I held academic posts at Coventry University and the University of Wolverhampton, where I taught across events, tourism, and hospitality management and led several postgraduate modules. My earlier academic career included a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of Aveiro in Portugal, where I worked within the Research Unit on Governance, Competitiveness and Public Policies (GOVCOPP) on international projects related to social innovation, gender equality, and tourism policies.
I completed my PhD in Business and Marketing at Universiti Sains Malaysia, where I was also part of the Sustainable Tourism Research Cluster, contributing to projects on urban tourism and local community development.
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- PGCert Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, Coventry University (2019)
- PhD in Tourism Business and Marketing (Events Management), Universiti Sains Malaysia (2012)
- MSc in Tourism Development and Planning, Universiti Sains Malaysia (2008)
- BA (Hons) English Language and Literature, Azad University, Rasht (2006)
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My research focuses on multidisciplinary, collaborative approaches to social innovation, examining how creative, cultural, and community-driven practices can generate positive societal change. This includes work on placemaking, culture, food, sport, and events as vehicles for social transformation, inclusion, and wellbeing.
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I have been supervising doctoral researchers for many years and have successfully supported completions in areas such as social innovation, gender equity, sport management, and tourism marketing. My supervisory portfolio includes projects exploring digital transformation, ethics, cultural policy, and the role of creativity in sustainable development. I currently supervise students in the UK and internationally and welcome PhD applications in the areas of creative industries, events and tourism management, cultural policy, social innovation, and leadership in creative and cultural organisations.
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Project Lead: Developing a Neurodiversity-Friendly Live Music Pilot and Open Toolkit. A practice-based project exploring accessibility and inclusion in live music and events through the development of practical guidance and sector resources. Funding Body: The Events Industry Forum (EIF).
Project Lead: Gastronomy, Food Culture, and Place Branding: The Role of Culinary Heritage in Creative Place-Making. Investigating how culinary heritage and local gastronomy can act as catalysts for sustainable tourism and creative place identity. Funding Body: BNU Collaborative Research Fund.