Stephanie Humphries

Biography

Stephanie leads Knowledge Exchange at the University of Essex, where she develops and delivers partnerships between the University and organisations across industry, the public and third sectors. She is passionate about building long-term, meaningful partnerships that deliver tangible value. Her focus is on helping businesses and partners access academic expertise, technical capability and emerging talent to solve challenges, drive innovation and unlock growth. Stephanie works closely with organisations to design and deliver collaborative projects tailored to their needs - from research partnerships and consultancy, to evaluation and innovation programmes. Stephanie also leads activity around intellectual property and commercialisation, supporting academics and technicians to translate ideas into products, services and real-world solutions. Before moving into higher education leadership, Stephanie was the strategic director of a local SME, working with founders and business leaders across a wide range of sectors. This experience gives her a strong understanding of the realities businesses face, and shapes her practical, outcome-focused approach to collaboration. Working at the interface between academia and industry, Stephanie is passionate about bringing together the right people, ideas and opportunities, to enable organisations to innovate, grow and respond to complex challenges.