About
Shahla Ghobadi is a Professor of Information Management at Leeds University Business School, University of Leeds, where she also serves as the Business School Academic Lead for Inclusive Education Practices (SALIP). Previously, she was an Associate Professor at the University of Leeds (2019-2023) and an Assistant Professor at the University of Manchester (2015-2019). She completed her PhD in Information Systems from UNSW Australia (2008-2012), with additional qualifications in IT Management and Industrial Engineering.
Her educational background includes a PhD in Information Systems (Coopetitive knowledge sharing in cross-functional software development teams) from UNSW Australia, an MSc in IT Management, and a BEng in Industrial Engineering. Before entering academia, she gained seven years of industry experience in automobile manufacturing, eScience, and software sectors across Asia and Australia as a consultant and project manager.
Professor Ghobadi's research focuses on understanding how digital technologies are developed and used to advance social change. Her work spans three interconnected domains: digital development (examining software as a medium influencing human cognition and behaviors, with emphasis on team diversity, collaboration, agile methodologies, risk management, and entrepreneurship); digital activism (studying how social activists leverage digital platforms over time to drive social, political, and environmental change); and broader academic field discussions (analyzing how strategic signaling influences field evolution). She employs diverse methodologies including qualitative interviews, surveys, virtual ethnography, and experimental methods, with specialization in longitudinal case studies.
Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on cognitive approaches to technology development and usage, with increasing attention to resource constraints in development environments and the longitudinal dynamics of digital activism. Her work bridges theoretical contributions with practical applications in software development and social change initiatives, demonstrating consistent publication in top-tier journals across information systems and management disciplines.
- British Academy award (2017)
- Australian Government award (2014)
- Australian School of Business award (2008-2011)
- Business School Faculty Partnership Award Highly Commended (2022) for Equality and Inclusion
- Social Responsibility Award in Curriculum at University of Manchester
- Making a Difference Commended award at University of Manchester
Professor Ghobadi actively supervises PhD students working on digital projects, strategy, and entrepreneurship, having supervised numerous MSc/MBA/MEng dissertations since 2015. She serves as an Associate Editor at the Information Systems Journal and sits on editorial boards of the British Journal of Management and Journal of Strategic Information Systems. Additionally, she acts as an external PhD examiner for doctoral dissertations globally and serves as an external Research Excellence Framework examiner for UK academic institutions. Her industry experience significantly informs her research on collaboration in development firms and social change.
