By addressing a wide range of disruptive forces – societal, technological, political and ecological – this event seeks to foster academic dialogue on the challenges and opportunities professionals face.
We will explore the disruptions affecting professionals and professional work today, bringing together leading academics and early-career researchers.
This event is co-organised by the University of Bath School of Management, and King’s Business School, King’s College London.
Registration
PhD registration
To register for the PhD workshop, please submit a one-page abstract and bio to both Stefanie Gustafsson (sd423@bath.ac.uk) and Crawford Spence (crawford.spence@kcl.ac.uk) by Friday 28 February 2025.
Notifications of acceptance to the workshop will be sent by Friday 14 March 2025.
PhD mentors and PhD students who are accepted should complete the Day 1 and 2 sign-up form.
Main day only registration
For attendance on the main day only, please complete the main day sign-up form.
Registration will close on the Monday 31 March 2025.
Attendance will be limited to 50 people.
Event structure
Monday 19 May – day 1
Half-day PhD workshop and panel discussion on publishing professions research (starting at 12pm).
Tuesday 20 May – day 2
Paper presentations (9am to 4pm).
Schedule for day 1 - PhD Workshop
| Time | Activity | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 12 - 1pm | Registration and Lunch | 10 East Reception and Pavilion |
| 1 - 3pm | PhD group discussions with academic mentors Chris Carter, Laura Empson, James Faulconbridge, Claudia Gabbioneta, Sungchul Noha and Crawford Spence | 10 East Incepta Lab |
| 3 - 3.30pm | Coffee | Pavilion |
| 3.30 - 4.30pm | Panel discussion: 'Becoming a Professions Scholar' | 10 East Incepta Lab |
| 4.30pm | Day 1 close | 10 East Incepta Lab |
| 6.30pm | Dinner |
Schedule for day 2 - Main event
| Time | Activity | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 8.45 - 9am | Registration | 10 East Reception |
| 9 - 9.15am | Introduction and welcome from Stefanie Gustafsson and Crawford Spence | 10 East 5.29 |
| 9.15 - 10am | James Faulconbridge and Cara Molyneux, Lancaster University: 'For the Client: Generative Machine Learning and the Relational Reordering of Professional Expertise' | 10 East 5.29 |
| 10 - 10.45am | Laura Empson, Bayes Business School/Copenhagen Business School: 'Collegiality in Contemporary Professional Service Firms' | 10 East 5.29 |
| 10.45 - 11am | Coffee | 10 East Pavilion |
| 11 - 11.45am | Chris Carter, University of Edinburgh and Andrew Brown, University of Bath School of Management: 'Heroes, Villains and Fools: Crafting a Political Identity' | 10 East 5.29 |
| 11.45am - 12.30pm | John Millar, University of Durham: 'Conflictual Policy-Making During the 1980s AIDS Crisis: Frontstage and Backstage Perspectives_ | 10 East 5.29 |
| 12.30 - 1.30pm | Lunch | 10 East Pavilion |
| 1.30 - 2.15pm | Claudia Gabbioneta, University of York: 'Publishing Work on Professions in Generalist Management Journals' | 10 East 5.29 |
| 2.15 - 3pm | Frida Pemer, Stockholm School of Economics: 'From Digital Disruption to Creative Accumulation – New Skills in Professional Service Firms' | 10 East 5.29 |
| 3 - 3.15pm | Coffee | 10 East Pavilion |
| 3.15 - 4pm | Sungchul Noh, Hitotsubashi University Business School: 'Becoming Occupational Activists: The Dynamics of Collective Struggles for Alternative Occupational Futures' | 10 East 5.29 |
| 4 - 4.45pm | Mabel Torbor, Nottingham University Business School: 'Intersectional (in)visibility and authenticity at work: Narratives of Women in STEM Professions' | 10 East 5.29 |
| 4.45pm | Closing remarks | 10 East 5.29 |
Costs
Attending the event is free of charge. Participants are asked to book and cover their travel and accommodation.
Venue
The event will be held at the University of Bath School of Management.