Maria Hussain

Dr Maria Hussain is an Associate Professor in Management and Organisations & Director of Student Equity at the University of Leeds, a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Certified Business and Management Educator. Her expertise lies in; inclusive management education, intercultural communication and organisational culture relating to EDI (race- equity) in complex organisations.

Maria is an elected member of the British Academy Management (BAM) national Council, providing steer on equity and inclusive educational practice within Business Education. She has recently been appointed as a national Race Equality Charter institutional application reviewer at Advance HE and EDI consultant. She is also a member of Great Britain Applied Linguistics (LAGB) Subcommittee for Racial and Social Justice. Institutionally, Maria Co-Chairs the Muslim Staff Network, the only faith-based staff network in the sector. This important work has influenced university-wide EDI policy and ongoing implementation on the intersection of race-religion in addressing outcomes and awarding ‘gaps.’

Furthermore, Maria has recently won a prestigious fellowship at the Leeds Institute of Teaching Excellence (LITE). Her research project entitled: ‘Enhancing the value placed on diversity: from the international classroom to the global workplace’ will explore attitudes towards diversity from both student and employer perspectives.

Maria’s PhD was entitled ‘A longitudinal critical task-based needs analysis of international postgraduate Business students studying in the UK‘, at the University of Sheffield. This study draws on multiple sources of data through an ethnographic Academic Literacies approach (Lea and Street, 1998; Lea and Street, 2006; Street, 1984, 2013) in exploring and better understanding the critical needs of PGT international business students studying in the UK.