Prof Matthew Davis

Profile

My research examines how people interact with work environments, technologies and organisational systems. I am particularly interested in workplace design, hybrid working, future workplaces and the application of socio-technical systems thinking to organisational change.

Across my work, I use organisational psychology to understand how work can be designed to support performance, wellbeing, collaboration and inclusion. My research also examines how organisations engage with corporate social responsibility, including sustainability and modern slavery in supply chains.

I led an ESRC-funded project examining how organisations adapted offices and working practices to support hybrid working after COVID-19. The project explored how different office designs, hybrid working practices and patterns of interaction shape work, collaboration and performance (Future Workplace Website).

I have worked with partners including Rolls-Royce, Marks and Spencer, Arup, Atkins, Next, Leeds City Council, British Gas and public sector organisations. I have led and contributed to a range of public and privately funded applied research projects, including work with government, public sector and education partners.

I have published my research in international journals, high-quality edited books and practitioner outlets. I have won international, national and university awards for my work.

I welcome enquiries from organisations, policymakers, media and prospective doctoral researchers interested in hybrid working, workplace design, socio-technical systems, organisational psychology, responsible business and the future of work in public sector and educational settings.

Current Leadership and External Roles

Associate Dean (Culture & Inclusion), Leeds University Business School
Strategic leadership on culture, inclusion, wellbeing and people development across the Faculty of Business.

Expert Member, UK Ministry of Defence Research Ethics Committee
This position is a formal Ministerial Appointment to a Public Body. The committee provides independent advice across the Ministry of Defence on the ethics of involving human participants in research. UK Ministry of Defence Research Ethics Committee

Chair of the Board of Directors, St Clare Catholic Multi-Academy Trust
Board leadership and governance within the education sector, including strategic oversight, assurance and organisational development.

Responsibilities

• Associate Dean (Culture & Inclusion)

Research interests

My main main research interests are in the following areas:

• Hybrid working, workplace design, activity-based working and future workplaces
• Socio-technical systems thinking, including the design and evaluation of work, technology and organisational systems
• Corporate social responsibility, including sustainability, pro-environmental behaviour and modern slavery in supply chains
• Human-centred approaches to organisational change, technology adoption and work design

Research funding

Recent Funding

• 2024 Kayman, R., Csikar, J., Vinall-Collier, K., Pye, S., Bates, E., Aggarwal, V. & Davis, M.C. CRAFT - Cultivating Research And Flexible Teams. UKRI Enhancing Research Culture 2024/25. Twelve-month project, £18,393.
• 2023 Mackie, S. (Co-PI), Boyce, S. (Co-PI), Ismail, H. (Co-I), Davis, M.C. (Co-I), Muller, S. (Co-I), Edwards, A. (Co-I), Rowley, D. (Co-I), Maddock, J. (Co-I), Tarr, M. (Co-I), & Hodgson, H. (Co-I). The Polymyalgia Paradox: Addressing north-south inequities in polymyalgia rheumatica using grassroots community connectors in a deprived urban area. National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR205184). Eighteen-month project, £95,544.
• 2021 Sumner, M. (PI), Bide, B. (Co-I), Davis, M.C. (Co-I). Cottons Hidden Voices: Stories from the makers of your clothes. Arts and Humanities Research Council (AH/W006936/1). Fifteen month project. £149,990.
• 2021 Davis, M.C. (PI), Hughes, H.P.N. (Co-I), Rees, S.J. (Co-I), Wu, C. (Co-I), & Gritt, E. (Co-I). Adapting offices to support COVID-19 secure workplaces and emerging work patterns. Economic and Social Research Council (ES/W001764/1). 18 month project, £508,080.
• 2020 Sumner, M. (PI), Davis, M.C. (Co-I), Voss, H. (Co-I), & Singhal, D (Co-I). Impact of Covid-19 on management to eradicate modern slavery from global supply chains: A case study of Indian fashion supply chains. Arts and Humanities Research Council. Five month project. £108,572.
• 2020 Unsworth, K.L. (PI), Pienazek, R. (Co-I), Davis, M.C. (Co-I), Song, L. (Co-I), McKay, A. (Co-I). Sustainable and Productive?! Helping Manufacturing SMEs to Manage Multiple Goals. ESRC/University of Sheffield. Six month project, £70,370.
• 2017 Voss, H. (PI), Sumner, M. (Co-I), Davis, M.C. (Co-I), & Waite, L. (Co-I). (2017). Modern Slavery in Fashion Supply Chains. British Academy. £191,903.
• 2017 Hughes, H.N. (PI), Davis, M.C. (CO-I), & Robinson, M.A. (CO-I). SUSSUDIO. Rolls-Royce funded. Twelve month project, £141,049.
• 2016 Davis, M. C. (PI), Unsworth, K.L. (CO-I), Robinson, M. A. (CO-I). Energy efficient behaviour change in schools. British Gas funded. Six month project, £59,974.
• 2016 Davis, M. C. (PI). Engineering System Pilot Evaluation and System Development. Rolls-Royce funded. Six month project, £51,354.
• 2015 Robinson, M. A. (PI), Davis, M. C. (CO-I), & Stott, C. (CO-I). Psycho-Social and Cross-cultural Theoretical Framework of Crowd Behaviour and Management. 20 month project, €207,387 (£172,823). Work package 1 of Impact of Cultural Aspects in the Management of Emergencies, IMPACT Consortium, Project 653383, EU Horizon 2020, €1,398,912 (£1,165760) overall, across eight partners.

PhD Supervision & Examination

I welcome applications for PhD students, particularly those who are interested in:

• The design and evaluation of modern workplaces, including agile, activity-based and flexible workspaces
• Hybrid working, digital work and the future of work
• Interactions between people, buildings and technology, including energy use, automation and technology design
• Socio-technical systems approaches to organisational change, work design and technology implementation

Qualifications

• 2012    PhD in Organizational Psychology University of Leeds
• 2007    MSc in Occupational Psychology (Distinction) University of Sheffield
• 2006    BSc in Psychology and Cognitive Neuroscience (1st Class Honours) University of Sheffield
• 2016    BPS Test User: Occupational, Personality & Ability

Professional memberships

• Chartered Psychologist, British Psychological Society
• Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society
• Certified Management and Business Educator
• Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts

Student education

I am a Certified Management and Business Educator and have taught across undergraduate, postgraduate and executive programmes. My teaching has covered corporate social responsibility, socio-technical systems thinking, research design, statistics and dissertation supervision.

I have supervised undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations across Management, Organizational Psychology and Executive MBA programmes. I have also delivered sessions on research ethics for the Business School’s doctoral programme.

I have designed and led online and in-person executive education and leadership development programmes.

Current postgraduate researchers

• Muhammad Haris
• Felipe Brescancini