Redefining what a professor looks like: join Professor Marie Griffith’s inaugural lecture

In Who let me in? Redefining what a professor looks like, Marie will share a personal and professional journey through academia, digital transformation and social mobility. A dyslexic social scientist who has often wrestled with imposter syndrome, Marie reflects on a career path that has been far from linear. Starting University with two U5s, she has gone on to build an internationally recognised career in digital transformation and leadership, and became the second female President of the UK Academy for Information Systems in the organisation’s history.

Marie’s research focuses on the human side of digital change - exploring how small businesses navigate organisational transformation, how third-sector organisations create social value, and how students develop the confidence to find their voices.

Questions around representation have been a consistent thread throughout her career. Marie began her academic journey researching the lack of women in IT; today she is exploring similar issues around the underrepresentation of women in artificial intelligence. 

Through both her research and her personal experiences, Marie will challenge traditional assumptions about who belongs in academia and what a professor should look and sound like.

The lecture is both a personal reflection and a call to action: to widen the table, value different voices and encourage more people into research and leadership through inclusion, impact and social mobility.

“In my experience there is no single path into academia, and no single way to be a professor. My journey has been a little wobbly at times, but it has shown me that when we widen the table and value different voices, academia becomes richer, more inclusive and more impactful.”

She believes that if research, education and organisations are to address real societal challenges, a wide range of voices must feel able to contribute.

The event is open to everyone, including students, educators, businesses and members of the wider community interested in digital transformation, education and social mobility.

Registration opens at 17:30, with the lecture starting at 18:00. You can attend in person or online via Microsoft Teams.

For more information and to book tickets, visit: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/who-let-me-in-redefining-what-a-professor-looks-like-tickets-1983956752052?aff=external