Maja Golf-Papez

Maja Golf-Papez is an Associate Professor in Marketing at the University of Sussex Business School, where she also serves as Deputy Director of the MBA program. Her work integrates systems thinking and human-centered design to address complex challenges in technology, health, and consumer behavior.

Her educational background includes a PhD in Marketing from the University of Canterbury (2018), an MSc in Marketing from the University of Bath (2010), a BSc in Marketing Communications from the University of Ljubljana (2009), and a BSc in Economics from the same institution (2013). She also holds a Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (Advance HE, 2020) and a certification in Human-Centred Systems Thinking from IDEO (2024).

Maja's research focuses on responsible innovation, digital inclusion, health innovation, and consumer misbehaviors such as online trolling. She employs qualitative, context-rich methods and co-creates solutions with stakeholders, particularly in healthcare. Her recent work explores the metaverse, synthetic customer experiences, and platform governance in the sharing economy.

Her publications span top journals including European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Interactive Marketing, Business Horizons, and Marketing Theory. The research trends reflect a strong focus on digital ethics, responsible technology, consumer well-being, and the social implications of emerging technologies. She frequently collaborates with scholars such as Veer, Bajde, Culiberg, and Keeling.

• Highly Commended in the 2024 Financial Times Responsible Business Education Awards for the Digital Inclusion Framework
• Journal of Marketing Management 2017 Best Paper Award – Highly Commended for 'Don’t feed the trolling'

Maja is an active supervisor, having co-supervised research on digital fashion and brand purpose. She has secured funding from the ESRC Impact Acceleration Account and a Knowledge Exchange Fellowship. She teaches Design Thinking and Innovation at the postgraduate and MBA levels and has been nominated for the Sussex Teaching Award annually from 2020 to 2025. She also facilitates workshops for organizations and professionals. Her peer review activities include journals such as European Journal of Marketing, Journal of Business Research, and Consumption, Markets and Culture, and she has served on the ESRC IAA fast-track fund review panel.