We are delighted to announce that 2019 DBA alumna Dr Roxanne Stockwell is the winner of the 2020 Emerald/EFMD Outstanding Doctoral Research Award (ODRA).
Roxanne placed first in the Human Resource Management category for her thesis, titled: ‘The experiences and responses of business graduates to employer selection mechanisms’.
Reacting to her win, she says: “It is incredible to receive this award. I loved the research process a great deal and this has given me a real boost of confidence and determination to work out how I can do much more in the future.”
ODRA is a joint doctoral research award co-run by Emerald Group Publishing Ltd and EFMD, and focuses on significance for theory and practice; originality; methodology; and quality of data.
“My research was all about the nitty-gritty of how graduates actually get jobs,” explains Roxanne. “It is an in-depth case study that tells the story of the journey new grads make through the job-hunting experience to secure work.”
Roxanne is Principal and Vice President for Higher Education Awards at Pearson College London. She decided to study for the Bath DBA in Higher Education Management – the only programme of its kind – because “I have always been interested in how research connects to reality”.
She adds: “For me, the experience completely transformed my understanding of Higher Education. It also introduced me to in-depth academic research, and I discovered a new interest and passion.”
Director of ICHEM, Professor Rajani Naidoo, says: “Roxanne is critical and innovative, and it was a genuine privilege to be her doctoral mentor. Her research highlights the experience of students looking for their first job, and the lack of connection between the skills employers say they require and how they assess for these skills.
“The Emerald/EFMD prize recognises the contribution of her research to scholarship and to real-life impact.”