Fiona Saunders

Professor Fiona Saunders is a Professor of Project Management Education and Director of the Centre for Learning Enhancement and Educational Development (LEED) at Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU). She leads LEED's efforts to integrate pedagogic scholarship, innovation, and digital education into curriculum development and educational policy. Previously, she served as Faculty Director of Education in MMU's Faculty of Science and Engineering, overseeing teaching strategies, student experience, and graduate outcomes from 2017–2022.

Her academic background includes a PhD in Project Management (2016, University of Manchester), an MBA with Distinction (1999, Lancaster University), and a BSc in Applied Physics and Electronics (1991, University of Durham). She is a Principal Fellow of AdvanceHE and Chartered Engineer.

Her research focuses on educational technology, curriculum design, project management in safety-critical industries (e.g., nuclear energy), and decolonizing curricula. Notable outputs include books on project finance and peer-reviewed articles on video-based teaching, nuclear project management, and high-reliability practices. Recent work addresses curriculum decolonization and integrating Ubuntu philosophy into engineering education.

Prof Saunders has extensive industry experience, including project management roles at PA Consulting and the Autobar Group before transitioning to academia. She advises on educational policy, chairs international conferences, and maintains a professional blog with global reach (www.fionasaunders.co.uk).