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Karena Yan is pictured against an ivy wall in the University of Galway quadrangle.

Karena Yan

PROF

 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2353-7279

Personal profile

Biography

Professor Karena Yan is the Dean of the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics and an Established Professor of Innovation and Strategic Management. She is affiliated with the Centre for Entrepreneurial Growth and Scaling (CEGS).

Her research focuses on innovation, strategic management, and technology-driven organisational change, particularly exploring how firms respond to institutional challenges, technological disruption, and sustainability transitions. Her recent studies have addressed issues such as corporate green innovation, institutional dynamics, and organisational resilience, with implications for both academic theory and business practice.

Her work has been published in Research Policy, Journal of Product Innovation Management, Organization Studies, Journal of Business Ethics among others. She currently serves on the editorial boards of International Business Review and International Marketing Review. Her research has been funded by leading research councils and industry collaborations, notably the UK’s EPSRC and the Charles Wilson fund—the latter supporting collaborative innovation with SMEs in the northeast of England.

She regularly contributes insights beyond academia, having provided expert advice for the UK Parliament’s report on the Metaverse and Web 3.0. Her research has been featured in The Economics, The Sunday Times, and BBC.

Prior to joining the University of Galway, Karena was Professor at Durham University Business School and served as Associate Dean leading the School’s Doctor of Business Administration portfolio with strategic responsibility for global expansion and academic development. She also served as Co-director of the Centre for Innovation and Technology Management, leading interdisciplinary research initiatives and enhancing research impact. Beyond the university, she was President of the Chinese Economic Association (Europe/UK) in 2022–2023, fostering international research collaboration across academic communities.

Research Interests

  • Strategic and green innovation
  • Organizational resilience and technological transformation
  • Supply chain learning and digital ecosystems
  • Executive agency and institutional change

Teaching Interests

  • Sustainability and ethics
  • Global strategic management
  • Research design and analytics

UN SDG Alignment

  • SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure),
  • SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities),
  • SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production),
  • SDG 13 (Climate Action).

Awards

Education/Academic qualification

M.Sc., PhD

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  1. SDG 4 - Quality Education
    SDG 4 Quality Education
  2. SDG 8 - Decent Work and Economic Growth
    SDG 8 Decent Work and Economic Growth
  3. SDG 9 - Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
    SDG 9 Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
  4. SDG 12 - Responsible Consumption and Production
    SDG 12 Responsible Consumption and Production
  5. SDG 13 - Climate Action
    SDG 13 Climate Action
  6. SDG 16 - Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
    SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
  7. SDG 17 - Partnerships for the Goals
    SDG 17 Partnerships for the Goals

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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years

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