Samuel Mwaura

Dr Samuel Mwaura is lecturer of entrepreneurship at the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, University of Strathclyde Business School. His main research interest is on the links between entrepreneurship, individual and household wellbeing, and wider socio-economic development.

Samuel’s recent work has focused on innovation and its impact on productivity, SME financing, the link between entrepreneurship and household wellbeing (including household wealth), and enterprise performance in developing economies and amongst ethnic minorities, migrants and women in the UK. Samuel is passionate about knowledge exchange and societal impact from his research.

Besides contributing to the academic discourse through international conferences and publications, Samuel’s research has been disseminated to various enterprise practitioners, policy-makers and the general public in the UK and beyond through consultancy reports, practioner workshops, policy hackathons, mass media and social media.

Through my research, I have gained expertise in the following areas:

• Evaluation of SME performance and growth
• Enterprise finance
• Diversity (intersectionality) and entrepreneurship
• Entrepreneurship and household economic wellbeing
• Innovation and it's impact on firm performance
• Entrepreneurship in least developed countries
• Cultural and creative industries
• Social capital, networks, and industrial clusters
• Regional economic development policy
• Entrepreneurial ecosystems

Methodologically, I have expertise using both quantitative and qualitative approaches. I have used large datasets as well as designed and conducted surveys in my research. Analytically, I use various multi-variate regression techniques as well as GIS mapping. Qualitatively, I have also carried out and analysed in-depth interviews.

My research has generally been multi-disciplinary, collaborative (including with policymakers), and geared towards generating practical implications and impact on business practice and public policy. I therefore have experience interacting resourcefully with academic colleagues from other disciplines as well as policy-makers and the business community leading to informed changes in policy (e.g. regional development policy) and business strategy and practice. In addition, participation in a variety of public engagement events has allowed me to gain expertise in adaptable knowledge dissemination techniques, including radio and TV interviews.

I have experience teaching at all undergraduate levels as well as taught post-graduates programmes. Teaching areas include:

• Enterprise finance
• Start-up and small business management
• Innovation management
• Entrepreneurship and innovation policy

I welcome opportunies for research collaboration and PhD supervision in the following broad areas that I have both qualitative and quantitative methodological expertise in:

• Enterprise/ SME Finance
• Inclusive Entrepreneurship (Diversity, minority, women's entrepreneurship)
• Innovation
• SME performance/ growth
• Link between entrepreneurship and households
• Entrepreneurial ecosystems
• SME Clusters and local/ regional economic development policy
• Entrepreneurship in developing country contexts