Darryl Cummins

Dr. Darryl Cummins serves as Senior Lecturer in Business Strategy within the Department of Management, Leadership & Marketing at Ulster University Business School (UUBS), Belfast campus. His academic profile centers on entrepreneurship education, SME strategy, and crowdfunding research, with significant contributions to pedagogical frameworks for business education and financial innovation studies.

Cummins' research program focuses on three interconnected domains: (1) Entrepreneurship education methodologies, particularly motivational drivers in entrepreneurial marketing curricula; (2) SME financing dynamics, examining crowdfunding's disruptive potential and banker perceptions; (3) Strategic frameworks for small firms emphasizing resource optimization. His work consistently bridges theoretical rigor with practical business applications, as evidenced by the Mini MBA program development and cross-disciplinary pedagogy research.

Recent publication trends reveal increasing emphasis on educational innovation (2021-2023), with 75% of outputs addressing entrepreneurship education challenges. His scholarship demonstrates strong interdisciplinary connections between finance, marketing, and pedagogy, while maintaining consistent focus on UK-based SME contexts. The 2023 Journal of Marketing Education article represents the culmination of his student motivation research trajectory.

Key recognitions include:

• Distinguished Education Award for Professional Practice in Teaching (2020)
• Early Career and Lecturers Research Funding (2021)
• Award for Mini MBA program development insights (2019)

Cummins actively supervises doctoral researchers including Conor McDaid, while securing competitive research funding for entrepreneurship education projects. His grant portfolio features collaborative initiatives with industry partners through the Mini MBA program, focusing on practical leadership development for business professionals.

Within UUBS, Cummins contributes to the Management, Leadership & Marketing department's research ecosystem through the Entrepreneurship Education Research Group. He actively participates in cross-institutional collaborations examining SME financing alternatives and pedagogical innovations, frequently partnering with marketing and finance specialists on interdisciplinary projects.