Dimitrinka Stoyanova Russell

Dimitrinka Stoyanova Russell is a Senior Lecturer in Management, Employment and Organisation at Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University. She has been at Cardiff Business School since 2015, following academic positions at Warwick Business School, St Andrews School of Management, and Bradford University School of Management. Prior to entering academia in 2004, she managed a subsidiary of an international consultancy.

Dr. Stoyanova Russell's research focuses on careers, learning, skills development, and freelance creative work across England, Scotland, and Wales. Her work examines employment and emotional labor in stand-up comedy, skills development in the UK film and TV industry, and alternative organizational forms such as employee-owned businesses. She is currently leading a DIGIT-funded project examining how Generative AI impacts skills in SMEs within digital and media firms in Greater Brighton.

Her publications reveal a consistent interest in the intersection of creative work, labor practices, and organizational structures. Through studies of film, television, stand-up comedy, and music industries, she explores how institutional frameworks interact with individual career decisions in freelance-dominated creative sectors. Her work bridges organizational theory, sociology of work, and human resource management perspectives.

Dr. Stoyanova Russell is a member of the British Sociological Association and serves as a Research Associate of the Institute for Capitalising on Creativity at St Andrews University. She has previously been a member of the Associate Board of Work, Employment and Society.

She teaches Human Resource Management, Management, and Organizations modules at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, including the Executive MBA program. As an external examiner, she has served at Glasgow University, the University of the Highlands and Islands, the University of the West of Scotland, and currently serves at Edinburgh Napier and Abertay Universities.

Her research team includes collaborators from multiple institutions, particularly evident in her current DIGIT-funded project focused on AI and skills in SMEs. Her work often involves interdisciplinary approaches, connecting organizational studies with creative industry practices.