Dr Alex Kevill

Profile

I joined the Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Studies in 2017, having previously been a senior lecturer at the University of Huddersfield. Before this I completed an ESRC funded PhD at Lancaster University in 2015, investigating the micro-foundations of dynamic capabilities in micro-enterprises. I have been lead author on publications in internationally renowned journals and was awarded the 2021 best paper prize by the International Small Business Journal. I am also an associate editor for the International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Innovation. I have enjoyed teaching on various modules and courses at undergraduate and postgraduate levels in different UK higher education institutions and have also taught internationally as part of a large-scale Erasmus funded research project. I have taught a wide range of subject areas including entrepreneurship, innovation, management, consulting, employability, learning, and research methods. I have experience supervising undergraduate and postgraduate dissertation students and also doctoral research students. Prior to commencing my PhD studies, I worked in the financial services sector undertaking a range of business and human resources related roles. During this time I was involved in numerous organisational development projects. I also have experience working and consulting for a number of small and micro-enterprises. 

Research interests

I have a keen interest in understanding the role that age plays in entrepreneurial decision making and behaviour. I am also intrigued by how knowledge from entrepreneurial learning interventions can be transferred to practice. This is the subject of a project I am working on, which has been funded through the Lerverhulme Small Research Grant scheme and is titled ‘Mind the Gap: Investigating the Transfer of Digital Capabilities from the Classroom to the Business in SMEs’. I also research the micro-foundations of dynamic capabilities in micro-enterprises and entrepreneurial organisations, focussing particularly on the role that individuals' psychological and affective states play in such capabilities. I place importance on understanding how different research methods can help to advance entrepreneurship and small business research.

I am interested in supervising PhD students in the following areas: -

Third age entrepreneurship

Dynamic capabilities in entrepreneurial businesses 

My expertise is in qualitative research approaches

Qualifications

• PGCHE, University of Huddersfield
• PhD in Management Learning and Leadership, Lancaster University
• MA in Human Resource Development and Consulting, Lancaster University
• PGCE (Post Compulsory), University of Central Lancashire
• BSc (Hons) Business Studies, Lancaster University

Professional memberships

• Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship
• Higher Education Academy

Student education

My teaching focusses on a range of topics, including enterprise, entrepreneurship, and innovation. I have taught at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and also supervise both undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations.

Research groups and institutes

• Centre for Enterprise and Entrepreneurship Studies
• Workplace Behaviour Research Centre

Current postgraduate researchers

• Thitikan Khamwan
• Michael Nkrumah