Suna Løwe Nielsen

Suna Løwe Nielsen is an Associate Professor at the Department of Entrepreneurship and Relationship Management, University of Southern Denmark (SDU), specifically associated with DBS Kolding. She has been with the university since 2007, progressing from Research Professor to Assistant Professor in 2008, and then to Associate Professor in 2011. Her academic work centers on design entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship during crisis, with a focus on how design thinking approaches can facilitate entrepreneurial processes and problem-solving.

Her educational background includes a PhD in entrepreneurship from Aalborg University (2007), an MSc in Economics and Business Administration (2003), and a Bachelor of Science and Administration and Politics (2000), all from Aalborg University. She has also completed teaching qualifications including a Course for PhD supervisors (2013) and a Teacher-Training Programme for Assistant Lecturers (2011) at the University of Southern Denmark.

Nielsen's research primarily explores two major areas: design entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship during crisis. In design entrepreneurship, she investigates how design and design thinking facilitate entrepreneurs and intrapreneurial managers in decoding complex problems and creating new opportunities. She examines how designers' problem-solving approaches can be applied in various contexts including startups, SMEs, teaching, and sustainability initiatives. Her crisis entrepreneurship research focuses on how major crises like the coronavirus pandemic or financial crises represent both danger and opportunity, exploring topics such as crisis strategies, preparedness, and how crises create entrepreneurial alertness.

Her research output shows a clear trend toward crisis management and entrepreneurship, particularly focusing on SME responses to external crises. Recent publications (2022-2025) demonstrate a strong emphasis on crisis preparedness, strategic leadership during crises, and the intersection of sustainability with crisis management. The research spans both theoretical frameworks and practical applications for businesses navigating complex crisis situations.

Nielsen has received notable recognition including The Tuborg Fund's Academic Award (150,000 DKK) in 2004. She is actively involved in knowledge dissemination through workshops on design thinking and presentations for entrepreneurs, SMEs, and educators.

Her professional activities include significant project leadership, such as "Entreprenante verdensmålstuderende på SDU" (2019-2022), "Underviser-Hackathon" (2019-2020), and "Hvad kan SMV'er lære af Covid-19?" (2020-2022). She has also supervised Master's theses from 2008 to 2023 and been involved in teaching courses on Design Management and Innovation, Business Facilitation, and Strategy.

Nielsen is actively engaged in the academic community, serving on review committees for institutions like Copenhagen Business School and Aarhus University. She regularly participates in workshops, gives talks to private and public companies, and contributes to media discussions on topics like green transition and crisis management.