Lucy Zhu

Dr. Lucy Zhu is a Lecturer in Esports at the University of Northampton, focusing on esports research and industry engagement. She holds a PhD from Loughborough University on esports event management and has professional experience in esports project management in the UK and China.

Education: BA Accounting & Finance (University of Exeter), MSc International Management (University of Exeter, Distinction), PhD in Sport Management (Loughborough University).

Research Interests: Esports event service quality, spectator/player motivation, wellbeing in esports, gender equality, and cross-cultural esports marketing. Current projects include advancing gender equality through community engagement and exploring barriers to women's leadership in esports.

Key Activities: Co-Investigator on 3 internal-funded projects (2023-2025), active in industry networks, and has conducted invited talks/podcasts on esports topics. Datasets include studies on esports leadership barriers and spectator psychological pathways.