My name is Juliane and I’m a Research Fellow at City-REDI since October last year. Originally from the South of Germany, I made the UK my home at the start of this millennium. My connections to the Midlands has been growing ever since, though I have also spent some time in the North of England studying for my PhD in the Linguistic Department at Lancaster University.
I have always had a passion for social justice, in particular, gender (and other) equality and empowerment, I developed a keen interest in Social Science approaches during my PhD. Using a data-driven and empirical approach, and thus making the leap away from the Humanities, I discovered that one of my true skills is talking to people and finding out what is important to them. I explored research participants’ university and workplace experience (Birmingham City University) and looked at the impact of government policies on education (UCAS, Aston University). I first explored technological and organisational innovation at the Warwick Business School in relation to knowledge sharing and management.
Now at City-REDI, I work on a Leverhulme funded project led by Dr Max Nathan on innovative approaches to tech accelerators. It is a joint project between LSE and Birmingham Business School where we’re looking at the impact of an acceleration programme for the growth of new businesses in the creative industry and social enterprises. It’s a multi-method project and I’m responsible for the qualitative data collection and analysis.
What about Linguistics, my first passion? I haven’t fully given up on it and have been teaching different Linguistics Modules at Lancaster University, Aston University, Manchester Metropolitan University and, currently part-time, in the English Language and Applied Linguistics Department at Birmingham University. In addition, I have rekindled my teenage ambition to make a difference in the world by delivering workshops and training in life and connection skills.
In my free time, I enjoy travelling the English and Welsh countryside, learning new languages, eating good food and spending time with family and friends.
This blog was written by Dr Juliane Schwarz, Research Fellow, City-REDI.
Disclaimer:
The views expressed in this analysis post are those of the authors and not necessarily those of City-REDI or the University of Birmingham.
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