Zimu Xu

Lecturer

Cranfield University

Zimu Xu is a lecturer in Entrepreneurship at the Bettany Centre for Entrepreneurship. Prior to which, having completed her PhD on ‘Critical analysis of business growth in the UK digital gaming industry’, Zimu worked as a lecturer in Enterprise and Entrepreneurship, and later as a lecturer in Business Analytics at Coventry University. Zimu earned her MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship after completing her BSc in Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics at the University of Warwick.

Zimu’s research interests and passion lie within entrepreneurship and technology and examines the nuances during businesses’ growth trajectory. Prior to joining the teaching team at Coventry, she had worked in the research team for a number of years and participated in a range of research projects at the International Centre for Transformational Entrepreneurship. Selected project topics include entrepreneurial ecosystems, innovation ecosystems and AI industry in China, digital skills gap in the UK healthcare sector, social enterprise, innovation and entrepreneurship in sports sector. As a result, Zimu has produced a range of publications including journal articles, book chapters, reports and conference papers.

Aside from her research and teaching activities, Zimu also manages the Green Business Network that aims to help businesses reduce their impact on the environment, and build a collaborative environment among businesses to promote and implement sustainable practices.