Dr Zeineb Djebali BA MALit MBA PhD

Personal Statement

I am a Senior Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at the University of Liverpool Brett Centre for Entrepreneurship. My interest in entrepreneurship stems from both my PhD where I examined the social entrepreneurial intentions of those in ‘later working life’, together with my practical experience as an ‘entrepreneur’ founding businesses both in the UK and overseas. My research interests include entrepreneurship and small firms, looking at the interplay between the people involved (i.e. founders/entrepreneurs) and their environments. Most of my research uses qualitative approaches, which often involves being immersed with founders/entrepreneurs to examine their entrepreneurial reality and motivation for starting a business.

I have a strong track record of leading and teaching entrepreneurship modules to both undergraduate and postgraduate students from a range of disciplines. These include business modelling, entrepreneurship in the digital economy, business venture creation, business planning, social entrepreneurship, and entrepreneurship and digital transformation. I have also supervised over 100 Master and MBA projects ensuring students develop both research and entrepreneurial skills that can support their future career ambitions. My passion for Entrepreneurship is fuelled by working with real-life start-ups, and developing extensive networks of founders and investors that support students’ exposure to the realities and myths surrounding entrepreneurialism.

I began my career in academia following a variety of senior roles in not-for-profit and corporate sectors where I managed a portfolio of SMEs/investors and philanthropists. This experience ensures that the teaching I pursue is relevant to students’ experiences and career ambitions.

My research reflects the breadth of interest I hold in the field of entrepreneurship/social entrepreneurship. I have publications in high ranking journals, and I have also published book chapters linked to qualitative research and reflexivity. I have been awarded the Innovation in Teaching Prize at the European Conference on Research Methods (ECRM – 2018 and 2022) and have mentored and incubated a number of students’ start-ups, taking a great pride in this role by seeing students develop their business opportunities from the ground up.

My passion for both teaching and researching entrepreneurship is ongoing. I believe that students regardless of their background and disciplines can benefit from developing their entrepreneurial mindset and skills so they can leverage these either as ‘entrepreneurs’ or within the corporate environment.

I am always keen to helps students/start-ups with their business ideas/business models, so please contact me if you need any support.