Dr. Aylin Ates is an Associate Professor in Strategy at the University of Strathclyde Business School in Glasgow, UK. She is closely involved with business practice and policy through research projects, professional education programs, and various speaker and advisory roles. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Strathclyde, which investigated strategy processes in UK manufacturing SMEs, and a BSc (Hons) in Industrial Engineering from Istanbul Technical University, Faculty of Management in Turkiye.

Aylin’s core contribution to knowledge is in the field of the small and medium enterprise (SME) strategy and resilience. By bridging the theories of strategy and performance management to enhance our knowledge of how to build adaptive and resilient high-tech, manufacturing SMEs, she has developed an international reputation. Her expertise in SME viability and resilience is recognised globally and informed policy at the international level. For example, the UN organisation - United Nations Industrial Development Agency (UNIDO) authorities invited Aylin to write a feature article for the UNIDO Industrial Analytics Platform, called ‘Small and medium enterprises' resilience and viability in turbulent times’ while reaching out to a global audience.    

She authored 55+ high-quality publications in prominent management journals such as the International Journal of Operations and Production Management, the Journal of Business Research, the International Journal of Production Research, Production Planning and Control, the European Management Journal, the Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, and the International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management. She is an Associate Editor of the International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management (established in 1952, and published by Emerald).

Aylin has led several major research projects while attracting a total of £645,000 in research funding (coming to the University) as Principal Investigator or Co-Investigator. She secured major grants from industry, the European Commission, EPSRC, the British Council (Newton Fund), Innovate UK - KTP, Scottish Funding Council, Highlands and Islands Enterprise, and the UK Space Agency.

Aylin holds several leadership roles at the University – elected member of the Senate and the Discipline Committee, member of the Faculty Academic Committee, Director of Postgraduate Teaching at the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, and University Dignity & Respect Adviser. She is appointed as an Expert Advisor and Peer Reviewer for the UK and international government organisations such as the National Science Centre Poland, the UKRI, and the British Academy of Management, where she selects proposals to be granted government funding. Also, she serves as an external examiner at Coventry University, the Faculty of Business and Law, the School of Strategy and Leadership.

• Strategic management (with particular reference to manufacturing small and medium enterprises-SMEs)
• Digital transformation and managing obsolescence
• Organisational resilience and performance management in SMEs
• Ecosystems and High-Value Manufacturing

I supervise UG, MSc, MBA and PhD/DBA projects in the area of strategic management, performance management, innovation, technology and change management.

I design and deliver modules on Strategic Management, Technology and Organisational Change and Consulting within post-graduate MSc and MBA programs.

Current Classes:

• Business Strategy (PGT)
• Advanced Qualitative Methods (Faculty MRes/Doctoral Programme)
• Strategic Analysis and Evaluation (MBA)
• Technology & Organisational Change (PGT)
• Consulting in Practice (PGT)

My research interests cover the areas of strategic management, digital transformation, performance management, and manufacturing ecosystems mainly in small and medium enterprise context. I use qualitative data analysis techniques and happy to consider PhD applications in these fields.