معرفی
Dr. Paolo Gerli is an Associate Professor of Digital Innovation and Entrepreneurship at Edinburgh Napier University's Business School, where he also serves as School Academic Lead for Innovation and Enterprise. He joined the university in 2021 following positions as Lecturer at Northumbria University and prior industry experience in telecommunications regulation. Gerli holds a PhD in Entrepreneurship, Innovation and Strategy.
His research examines digital transformation through interdisciplinary lenses, focusing on:
- Governance models for smart cities and rural communities
- Public-private partnerships in digital infrastructure
- Grassroots innovation and platform cooperatives
- Policy frameworks for inclusive digital societies
- Urban-rural digital equity initiatives
Gerli's publications demonstrate consistent focus on digital governance challenges, with recent work emphasizing community-centered approaches in smart city development and post-pandemic digital innovation. His research integrates policy analysis, case studies, and sociotechnical frameworks to address digital inequalities.
Awards and recognition include:
- Pacific Telecommunications Council Young Scholar Award (2019)
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
- Richard Beresford Bursary for enterprise education
- Multiple UN-Habitat consultancies on smart city governance
As lead supervisor for two doctoral projects on IoT patent licensing and urban digital twins, Gerli mentors emerging scholars in technology policy. He directs research funded by the British Academy examining inequalities in smart places and co-leads Edinburgh Napier's Urban Innovation Policy Lab.
