Peter Bloom
Peter Bloom is Professor of Management at Essex Business School and co-Director of the COVER Research Centre. His work explores how organisations, economies, and societies can be reimagined to become more democratic, inclusive, and sustainable. With a background in political economy and critical management studies, he brings a distinctive interdisciplinary approach to questions of leadership, governance, and systemic change. Professor Bloom has written widely on themes of capitalism, democracy, ethics, and social transformation, authoring several influential books and articles that challenge conventional approaches to management and organisation. His research engages not only with the possibilities of digital innovation, but also with the broader struggles for equity, resilience, and justice in the twenty-first century. Beyond academia, he is a frequent commentator in international media and a sought-after speaker, contributing to public debates on the future of work, democracy, and the economy. At Essex, he is committed to creating spaces for critical dialogue and collaborative learning, equipping students and professionals to think differently about the role of management and to act boldly in shaping more sustainable futures.
Jordon Lazell
Dr Jordon Lazell serves as a Lecturer in Marketing and the Academic Director of Student Recruitment at Essex Business School. His research is deeply rooted in the sustainability challenge of food waste, exploring how consumer behaviours, retail practices, and surplus food supply chains intersect with broader efforts to combat food insecurity. His work spans diverse contexts, from circular and convivial economies to grassroots solutions that support community organisations tackling food poverty. Dr Lazell co-edited the Routledge Handbook of Food Waste and has published in prestigious outlets including the Journal of Business Research, Journal of Consumer Behaviour, Sustainability, and Social Business. He has taken the lead in organising the Future of Food Symposium—a global platform bringing together academics and practitioners to explore food’s role in societal change. Bringing over a decade of experience to his teaching, Dr Lazell contributes to modules such as Introduction to Management, Social Marketing, Operations and Supply Chain Management, and Retail Management. With a PhD from Coventry University on theories of practice in deserting household food waste, he brings a critical, interdisciplinary perspective to management, equipping students to confront real-world sustainability challenges.
Nicholas Beuret
Dr Nicholas Beuret is a Lecturer in Management and Marketing at Essex Business School. His research examines the political, social, and cultural dimensions of climate change, with a particular focus on how societies imagine and respond to environmental crises. He is interested in the infrastructures, narratives, and movements that shape our collective futures, from climate migration and degrowth to the rise of GreenTech and the politics of net zero. Before joining Essex in 2017, Dr Beuret worked in environmental NGOs and at Lancaster Environment Centre, experiences that continue to inform his critical, practice-oriented approach. His current projects explore themes such as profiteering in the green transition economy, the governance of catastrophic risk, and the potential of commons-based organising to drive ecological and social transformation. As a teacher, he brings this research into the classroom, engaging students with fresh perspectives on innovation, the social economy, and alternative organisational forms. His work consistently challenges orthodox approaches, inviting learners and practitioners to rethink sustainability and to imagine more just, resilient futures.
Raysa Rocha
Dr Raysa Geaquinto Rocha is a Lecturer in Organisation Studies and Human Resource Management at Essex Business School. Her research brings together organisational behaviour, practical wisdom, spirituality, corporate social responsibility, and entrepreneurship, offering new perspectives on how workplaces can become more inclusive, equitable, and innovative. She is particularly interested in how values-based approaches to management can enhance both productivity and human wellbeing. Her scholarship has been recognised internationally, earning awards such as the MSR Promising Dissertation Award from the Academy of Management and honours from leading European management conferences. She has also held visiting researcher positions at respected universities abroad and secured significant research funding to support her projects on leadership, equity, and organisational change. In the classroom, Dr Rocha is known for her authentic and student-centred approach, using experiential and creative methods to foster critical thinking and collaborative learning. She also supervises postgraduate research and contributes actively to international academic communities. Through her teaching and scholarship, she inspires learners and practitioners to reimagine leadership and management for a more just and sustainable future.
Louise Nash
Dr Louise Nash is a Senior Lecturer in Organisation Studies and Human Resource Management at Essex Business School, where she also serves as Director of Postgraduate Research. With a background in management practice, her research investigates the lived experience of work, especially how place and the rhythms of everyday life shape organisational cultures. She has a particular interest in neurodiversity and gender in the workplace, and she often employs visual and embodied methods to explore these complex topics. Dr Nash examines working life in rich, nuanced ways—whether studying the performative routines of financial districts or delving into inclusion and belonging at work. Her current and past supervision of doctoral researchers reflects her commitment to exploring organisational aesthetics, sensory methodologies, and the experiences of neurodivergent employees. Bringing a deeply qualitative and creative lens to her research and teaching, she helps students and colleagues envision workplaces that are more inclusive, authentic, and attuned to human rhythms.
David Watson
Dr David Watson is a Senior Lecturer in Organisation Studies and Human Resource Management at Essex Business School and has served in this role since joining the University. Before that, he held a position as Associate Professor at Norwich Business School from 2017 to 2023 and contributed to a major national research programme focused on work, learning, and wellbeing. An experienced interdisciplinary qualitative researcher—also trained in quantitative methods—Dr Watson’s work spans diverse settings including social movements, community organisations, and vulnerable groups facing deprivation. His PhD, completed at Essex in 2017, explored how alternative organisations within food systems influence wellbeing. Building on that, his current research examines the political economy of the food system, alternative organisational forms, green Marxism, environmental sociology, wellbeing theory (such as the capabilities approach), and how wellbeing informs policy. In his teaching, Dr Watson brings this rich and critical worldview to modules on ethics, sustainability, corporate social responsibility, and organisational management. Whether supervising doctoral researchers or engaging students in classroom discussions, he encourages them to critically explore how work, wellbeing, and social structures intersect in shaping more equitable and sustainable futures.
Phoebe Moore
Professor Phoebe Moore is Professor of Management and the Futures of Work at Essex Business School, where she also co-directs the research Centre for Commons Organising, Values, Equalities & Resilience (COVER). Her work explores how algorithmic systems, digital profiling, and affective computing are reshaping workplaces—influencing how people experience surveillance, emotion, and autonomy at work. She critically interrogates how these forces impact wellbeing, privacy, and job quality. Her current research delves into the ethical and regulatory dimensions of algorithmic affect management, examining both its productivity potential and its risks for employee wellbeing. Her insights inform policy debates on labour rights and data governance. In the classroom, Professor Moore brings these urgent themes to life, inspiring students to think critically about the future of work and the digital transformations it entails. Through her leadership of COVER and wide-ranging publications, she challenges conventional thinking and helps shape more equitable, resilient, and human-centred futures of work.
Prithwiraj Nath
Professor Prithwiraj Nath serves as the Faculty Director of Partnerships for the Faculty of Social Sciences and is Professor of Marketing at Essex Business School. In his leadership role, he drives academic collaboration, business development, and internationalisation across multiple disciplines—including Business, Economics, Sociology, Government, and more. Drawing on over a decade of experience in academic leadership, he works closely with university leaders, departments, research centres, and professional services to advance strategic partnerships and knowledge exchange in education, research, and innovation. As a marketing scholar with more than two decades of experience, Professor Nath specialises in consumer behaviour in digital environments, marketing analytics, sustainable marketing strategy, and retail and e-commerce contexts. His research has earned support from prestigious funders such as Innovate UK, the British Academy, and the UK’s Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, as well as industry partners including leading retailers and non-profits. He has published extensively in top-tier international journals, serves on editorial boards, and has received multiple best-paper and reviewer awards for his contributions to the field.
James Muldoon
Dr James Muldoon is a Reader in Management at Essex Business School whose research sits at the intersection of political theory, technology, and the future of work. He explores how artificial intelligence, digital platforms, and emerging technologies are reshaping labour, democracy, and power, with a particular focus on the often unseen human labour that sustains AI systems. His recent books and articles have examined themes such as ethical AI, the governance of digital platforms, and the possibilities for more democratic and cooperative alternatives to existing economic and technological models. He also leads interdisciplinary projects that bring together debates on digital labour, climate justice, and democratic reform, with an emphasis on amplifying the experiences of workers and communities most affected by technological change. As both a scholar and teacher, Dr Muldoon encourages students to question dominant narratives about innovation and to imagine more inclusive, equitable, and sustainable digital futures.
