Ava Yu

Ava Yu is a Lecturer in the Marketing Department at the UWA Business School, University of Western Australia, specializing in service marketing, consumer behaviour, and social media engagement. Her research examines co-creation dynamics in transformative contexts including healthcare, education, and social enterprises, while exploring AI's role in digital consumer interactions through mixed-methods approaches.

Her educational background includes:

• Doctor of Philosophy in Marketing, University of New South Wales (2018-2022)
• Master of Arts in Marketing Communication, City University of Hong Kong (2012-2013)
• Bachelor of Science in Management, Nanyang Normal University (2008-2012)

Yu's research program investigates how collaborative value creation enhances stakeholder experiences, with particular focus on resource mobilisation in social enterprises, AI-driven co-creation, and social media engagement mechanics. Her methodological versatility spans qualitative interviews and focus groups to quantitative surveys and experiments, addressing real-world challenges in service ecosystems while contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goals through sustainable business practices.

Analysis of her 2023-2025 publications reveals three dominant trends: (1) AI integration in co-creative service processes, (2) context-specific resource mobilisation strategies in social enterprises, and (3) nuanced dynamics of online consumer reviews and social media engagement. These works collectively advance understanding of digital transformation in service marketing through interdisciplinary lenses spanning technology, psychology, and sustainable business.

Her scientific contributions have earned significant recognition:

• Responsible Business Fellow (2024)
• Teaching with Impact Award (2024)
• Best Paper Award for 'Boundary Spanner Resource Mobilisation in Social Enterprises' (2023)
• Excellence in Teaching Award (2023)
• Dean’s Award for Outstanding PhD Theses (2022)
• Business School Award for Teaching Excellence (2021)

As an active supervisor, Yu mentors PhD and Honours students in emerging areas including AI co-creation and social enterprise marketing, having successfully guided Kang Ean (Trevor) Chua's 2024 Honours thesis on social media content dynamics. Her research is sustained by substantial funding including the Business School Research Grant (2025), dual Institute of Advanced Studies Visiting Fellowships (2024, 2023), Learning and Teaching Excellence Grant (2023), Milne Visiting Professor Program (2023), Career Development Funding (2022), and BizLab Small Project Grant (2021).

Though not leading a formal lab, Yu collaborates across interdisciplinary teams focused on transformative service research, particularly investigating how digital technologies reshape value co-creation in healthcare, education, and social enterprise contexts while advancing sustainable business practices aligned with global development goals.