Dr Abbie Winton

Profile

I joined the Digital Futures at Work (Digit) ESRC Centre as a Research Fellow in January 2026, based within the People, Work and Employment Department at LUBS. Digit was established in 2020 with a five-year Centre grant, and was awarded a further 5 years of funding (2025-2029) to study the UK’s emerging digital work ecosystem. My research interests broadly include the evolving role of different actors within technological ecosystems (such as local government) and the industrial policy implications for this, in addition to the changing nature of service sector and creative work in a context of digital transformation.

Prior to Digit, I worked on the CHANSE/ESRC-funded project Humans in Digital Logistics (HuLog) which explored how technologies being used in warehousing and what this means for the future of work in the sector. The project is running for three-years in collaboration with an international consortium of partners in Leeds, Hasselt University (Belgium), Hertie School (Germany) and Kozminski University (Poland). HuLog aims to produce multidisciplinary, cutting-edge scientific knowledge on work and employment in European logistics by working with a range of stakeholders in local government, warehousing and beyond to deliver the project.

Prior to the HuLog project, I completed my PhD at the University of Manchester (Work and Equalities Institute) which adopted a Social Shaping of Technology perspective to help understand the changing nature of food retail work during the pandemic. The project paid particular attention to the gendered nature of work and how it shapes and is shaped by technology. After completing my PhD, I spent a year working for the Institute for Employment Studies where I continued to do research looking at gender inequalities, both in relation to career pathways and pensions.

Research interests

As part of Digit, we are investigating emerging developments releated to the governments industrial strategy and AI Growth Zones – particularly regarding what this means for local employment systems and the future of labour markets within effected regions. If you'd like to talk further about any of these themes please feel free to get in touch.

Further information about Digit can be found here.

Qualifications

• PhD Business & Management, University of Manchester
• MRes Business & Management, University of Manchester
• BSc Management with International Studies, University of Manchester

Research groups and institutes

• Centre for Employment Relations, Innovation and Change