Julia Rouse

Julia Rouse serves as Professor of Decent Work and Productivity at Manchester Metropolitan University's Business School, where she established the Decent Work and Productivity Research Centre and the Sylvia Pankhurst Gender and Diversity Research Centre. As an Engaged-Activist Scholar, she partners with organizations including CIPD, ACAS, NHS, and Greater Manchester local authorities to co-create evidence-based workplace solutions.

Her research spans:

• Decent work systems and productivity enhancement
• People management skill development for line managers
• Racial equality through projects like BOOST! in social housing
• Maternity management innovations in NHS settings
• "Good self-employment" policy frameworks
• Gender-inclusive entrepreneurship ecosystems

Current initiatives include the UKRI-funded Good Employment Learning Lab (GELL) toolkit and NHS maternity coaching interventions.

Her scientific recognition includes:

• Fellow of the Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE)
• International Research Fellow at IfM Bonn

Professor Rouse supervises PhD candidates researching inclusive recruitment (Donna McLaughlin) and entrepreneurial identities (Cheryl Coby-Gaskill), previously guiding Dr. Rebecca Weicht's comparative study of self-employment welfare systems. She leads major grants including GELL (UKRI), BOOST! (KTP), and NHS maternity projects, while mentoring MENAGEN researchers and founding ISBE's Gender and Enterprise Network.

She directs the Decent Work and Productivity Research Centre, coordinating a multi-sector coalition implementing evidence-based workplace reforms across Greater Manchester's healthcare, social housing, and public sectors.