Sukanlaya Sawang

Professor Sukanlaya Sawang serves as Research Professor of Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Director of the Centre for Business Innovations and Sustainable Solutions (CBISS), and Head of the Management Group at Edinburgh Napier University Business School. She holds adjunct professorships at Queensland University of Technology (Australia) and Chulalongkorn University (Thailand), and has previously held leadership positions including Associate Dean and Director of Research at universities across the UK and Australia.

Professor Sawang earned her BSc in I/O Psychology from Chiang Mai University, MA in Experimental Psychology from the University of Central Oklahoma, PhD in Innovation Management from Queensland University of Technology, and Graduate Certificate in Higher Education from QUT. She also completed a Summer Program in Innovation at Harvard University and a Certificate in Asian Studies from Nanzan University.

Her research integrates psychological theory with management and innovation frameworks, advancing understanding of entrepreneurial behavior, business sustainability, and human factors in technological adoption. With over 4,400 citations and an h-index of 35, she has published extensively in leading journals on topics including entrepreneurial archetypes, digital transformation, sustainable consumption, and SME performance.

Her recent publications demonstrate a clear evolution toward interdisciplinary research connecting psychology, technology, and sustainability. The most recent works focus on digital transformation's impact on profit growth, AI's role in family businesses, cultural influences on sustainable consumption, and the intersection of e-commerce technology with entrepreneurial marketing.

Professor Sawang has secured and led over £1.5 million in research funding from prestigious bodies including UKRI, the British Academy, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and the Australian Research Council. She serves as Director of the Centre for Business Innovations and Sustainable Solutions, which addresses global challenges related to sustainability, digital transformation, and business resilience aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals.

She is actively supervising PhD students including Victoria Bekibele-Fred (Optimal IPO Timing) and Sarinporn Seangtian (AI-Driven Marketing Enhancement in Thailand). Her current research projects include 'Bridging AI Gaps: A Comparative Study on Developing a Robust AI Maturity Framework for the UK and Japan' (£60,005 from Department for Science, Innovation & Technology), 'Advancing Innovation and Sustainability Research' (£29,431 from British Academy), and 'Exploring AI-Enabled Opportunities for Wellbeing Tourism' (£1,850 from Royal Society of Edinburgh).