Melanie Simms

Professor Melanie Simms serves as Professor of Work and Employment at the University of Glasgow's Adam Smith Business School and holds the position of Dean of Research in the College of Social Science. Her academic career spans multiple prestigious UK institutions including the University of Leicester, University of Warwick, University of Kent, Cardiff University, and the University of Oxford.

Professor Simms' research centers on industrial relations, with particular focus on worker voice mechanisms, trade union representation, and the collective representation of employers. Her work examines how employers respond to labor market policies, with special attention to skills, training, and young workers. She is an active member of the Human Resource Management and Organisational Behaviour research cluster at the Adam Smith Business School.

Her recent publications reveal a consistent focus on evolving labor relations, union organizing strategies, and the challenges facing both workers and employers in contemporary economies. Her work frequently addresses the changing nature of work, precarity among young workers, and the adaptation of traditional labor institutions to modern economic conditions. Professor Simms has developed significant expertise in comparative labor studies, with particular attention to the UK context and international comparisons.

Professor Simms has supervised numerous doctoral students including Artale, Wilko Mattia; Doran, Jim; and MacNeil, Michael, whose research examines inequalities in the fourth industrial revolution, trade unions' strategic use of data, and senior union officials' ability to implement strategic changes. She has secured substantial research funding from organizations including the European Commission, British Academy, Economic and Social Research Council, and various industry partnerships.

Her research has been supported through multiple significant grants including 'Worker voice and the future of work: a comparative study of UK and Australian union leaders,' 'Bargaining for Social Rights in the Public Sector (BARSOP),' 'Precarious Pathways to Employment for Young People,' and 'Young workers and Trade Unions,' demonstrating her leadership in contemporary labor studies.