I’m an economic sociologist excited by the impact of technology on society, education and business. My joint research project into the Fully Functioning University was awarded Researchers of the Year 2017 by Professor Mark Cowling, Brighton Business School Head of research. The findings have been published by Emerald as part of their Great Debates in Higher Education series.

I research the history and role of higher education, graduate employability and how graduates might best be served by university. I am interested by the role social media, big data and internet technologies in how society works and how business is conducted.

I am not currently looking to supervise

Asher is an economic sociologist with a passion for teaching the complexities of information systems in a business context. He has taught for nearly twenty years, but had a varied range of experiences before entering the Academy. He ran Comic Shops, swept streets and was a butler, before finding a place for his passion for networked information systems at the dawn of the internet age. During the 90s Asher built web sites and e-commerce publishing systems, eventually leading transnational software development projects for ZDNet.

Asher has with colleagues on a number of projects relating to graduate employment and what it is employers value in graduates. We call our findings the New-Vocationalism. The idea is simple, that employers value that graduates have the willingness and ability to learn in employment

Asher’s current research is into understanding the role of social media for job seeking graduates. He has published on graduate employability, signalling and human capital and the history of universities, action learning and New-Vocationalism in a range of journals including International Journal of Social Economics, Higher Education Review and Action Learning Research and Practice.

Away from work and research asher is an enthusiastic cook, cocktail maker and father of three. With his wife Mitch and dog Cleo he spends much time walking the Sussex south downs, or sleeping by a fire in his tipi.

My teaching is informed by my New Vocationalism research. I offer students opportunities to demonstrate their willingness and apptitude to learn in their work

I have used online and distnace learning in a wide variety of contexts. My role as associate editor at the journal Interactive Learning Environments keeps me engaged with developments in online learning systems.

I have taken part in several sucessful KTPs and am currently the aacademic supervisor on a new KTP with Judge Sampson Ltd where the plan is digitally transform their approach to product innovation and digital marketing

Other KTP projects have invovled systems redesign for a manufacturer of outdoor / hiking goods, social media fund raising for a charity and a move to e-commerce for a musical instrument distributor.