معرفی
Professor Samantha Parsley is a distinguished academic in the School of Organisations, Systems and People at the University of Portsmouth, specializing in the emotional, sensory, and aesthetic dimensions of work and management. With over two decades of academic experience, she has held professorial positions at Cardiff University and the University of Essex, and previously served as Associate Head (Research) for the School of Organization Studies and HRM from 2018-2022. As a University of Portsmouth alumna (BA Hons Business Studies, 1st class, 1999), her career bridges academic research with practical industry applications, particularly in creative sectors.
Her research interests focus on the intersection of aesthetics and organizations, examining how work can be understood as aesthetic endeavors that fulfill emotional needs through sensory experiences. She pioneered research on 'an aesthetic ethic' of work, exploring how modern workers value excitement and 'cool' experiences, and how management techniques have evolved to meet these demands. Her empirical work spans generative office design, workplace fun cultures, and the role of smell in office environments. Currently, her primary research investigates gender imbalance in digital-creative industries, particularly the electronic music sector where 90-98% of producers and audio engineers are male.
Professor Parsley's research output reveals a clear trajectory from foundational work on visual research methodologies (including ESRC-funded projects from 2008-2012) toward contemporary investigations of gender representation in creative industries. Her most recent publications (2023-2025) demonstrate increasing focus on women's experiences in electronic music production, employing innovative methodologies that combine academic research with practical industry engagement. Her work consistently bridges sensory workplace studies with gender and diversity issues, creating a unique scholarly niche that connects organizational theory with creative industry practice.
- ESRC Research Grant recipient
- British Academy Research Grant recipient
- Leverhulme Trust Fellowship (2019-2021)
- Co-chair of Association of Electronic Music's Diversity and Inclusion working group
- Joint series editor for Palgrave Series in Business, Arts and Humanities
- Editor of Organizational Aesthetics journal
- Editor of Routledge Companion to Visual Organization
As an active PhD supervisor and educator, Professor Parsley has significantly contributed to research methods training, particularly in visual methodologies. She currently leads the 'Managing Equality and Diversity at Work' module and has extensive experience teaching across employee-related business subjects. Her practical engagement with industry, particularly through the Association for Electronic Music, ensures her research directly informs diversity initiatives in the creative sector. She is currently writing a book based on her Leverhulme-funded research, scheduled for publication by Bristol University Press in 2025.
