• Email: [email protected] 
• Tel: 0121 204 4316
• X: @CherLi_econ
• LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/Cher-Li
• Follow Cher's work in the ESRC Productivity Hub

📢 PhD Opportunity (October 2026 Entry): We are currently seeking a highly motivated PhD candidate for a fully funded studentship exploring "AI Diffusion, Superstar Firms and Technology Sovereignty". You will work with me, Prof Chris Jones and Dr Anwar Adem, on a flagship initiative within the Centre for Business Prosperity (CBP) and the Advanced Services Group (ASG) at Aston. Both UK and international applicants welcome. More details on the project and how to apply:  https://tinyurl.com/y7r27zjk

Cher Li joined Aston Business School in 2023 as a Professor of Economics. She has an extensive background in higher education, having previously worked at Nottingham University Business School, Imperial College Business School, the University of Strathclyde and the University of Glasgow. 

An expert in the economics of innovation, Cher’s work is at the frontier of how AI adoption, technology and global standards shape national productivity, global value chains and market power. She serves as a rover/chair of the UKRI Interdisciplinary Assessment College (IAC), the government Expert Peer Review Group (PRG) as well as the Council of Experts of UKRI Innovation and Research Caucus (IRC) – a leading think tank to provide thought-leadership as well as inform innovation policy and practice. Cher is also a member of the Innovation Growth Lab (IGL) Research Network – a global policy initiative led by Nesta, Innovate UK, BEIS and other partners. 

She has successfully secured funding for her research projects from organisations such as the ESRC, UK government departments (e.g., BEIS, UK Trade and Investment now the Dept for International Trade, Scottish Enterprise), and international organisations. Her recent research is supported by grants from the ESRC (UKRI) and the Productivity Institute, focusing on technological leadership within global production networks and the role of leadership diversity in unlocking productivity. Cher was a Co-investigator on the 2 million GBP UKRI project - Transforming Productivity: Coordination and Evidence Hub (2020-2023, funded by ESRC). 

Cher's expertise has led her to consult widely for various government offices, independent agencies, and private businesses, often serving on steering groups for many UK government projects in innovation, IP, internationalisation, and productivity. Her policy reports have contributed to the evidence base used in shaping the UK's industrial policy, including the 2014 BEIS Foresight initiative on the Future of Manufacturing. In 2019, Cher received the prestigious BSI Standards Makers Awards for Education about Standardisation from the British Standards Institution, in recognition of her exceptional teaching and research in standards, innovation, and productivity.

Cher's primary areas of research focus on innovation, digital economy, technology and management standards, AI adoption and firm performance indicators such as productivity. She is keen to supervise PhD candidates whose research interests align with these domains. Cher has successfully supervised various PhD students through to completion, many of whom have secured lectureships at leading institutions, including Alliance Manchester Business School and the University of Santiago, Chile. She warmly welcomes applications from prospective PhD students in these fields.

• Professor of the Economics of Innovation, Nottingham University Business School (NUBS), 2023
• Associate Professor in Industrial Economics, Nottingham University Business School (NUBS), 2013-2023
• Senior Research Fellow, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Group, Imperial College Business School, 2009-2013
• ESRC Research Fellow, Department of Economics, University of Strathclyde, 2007-2009

• College of Experts, Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT), 2026 - present
• Chair & Rover, UKRI Cross Research Council Responsive Mode Scheme (CRCRM), 2023 - 2025
• Deputy Chair of the UKRI Policy Fellowships Panel, 2023
• Council of Experts of UKRI Innovation and Research Caucus (IRC), 2023-present
• DESNZ Peer Review Group (PRG), Dept. for Energy Security and Net Zero, 2023-present
• BEIS Peer Review Group (PRG), Dept for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (now Dept for Business and Trade), 2020-2023, (assessing evaluation projects of government-led business support programmes)
• UKRI Manufacturing Made Smarter (MMS) Network+ Commissioning Panel, 2021
• BEIS GO-Science (BEIS) Covid-19 Recovery Group (Local and National Growth ARI), 2020-2021
• Member of the Innovation Caucus (leading think tank funded by ESRC and Innovate UK to provide thought leadership and inform innovation policy and practice), 2017-2023
• Special Issue Editor of Small Business Economics journal (on green entrepreneurship), 2017
• Steering group for the UK government’s ‘FDI and UK IP’ project, UKTI (now Department for Business and Trade), 2010-2011
• Steering group for the UK government’s ‘Trade in Services’ project, UKTI (now Department for Business and Trade), 2009-2010

Cher is the principal investigator leading the following externally funded projects:

• Top Leadership Teams and Productivity (2025–2026): Principal Investigator on an ESRC-funded project (via the Productivity Institute) examining how leadership dynamics align with strategic decision-making to unlock UK firm productivity (£50,000).
• Global Standards and Tech Leadership (2025–2026): Principal Investigator on a UKRI-funded comparative study of the UK’s position within the global value chains of critical technologies (£50,000).
• The Economic Value of Accredited Management Systems Certification (2024–2026): Leading a major partnership with the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS), including a commissioned research project and an ESRC DTP-funded PhD programme investigating management standards and business performance.

• The Economic Value of Accredited Management Certification: Performance, Productivity and Resilience in UK Firms, report published by UK Accreditation Service (UKAS), joint with Prof Richard Kneller and Dr John Moffat. Press release here and read the full report here.
• Moderator of OECD/Word Bank/Georgetown AI and Innovation Policy Roundtable 2025. Watch the recording here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LUiBn1cngxs
• Keynote speech “Digital Innovation for Smart and Sustainable Business”, Industry and Parliament Trust Roundtable, House of Commons, Westminster, September, 2025. 
• Panel discussion on “Conversations exploring Careers as a Professional Economist – A Living Library”, Royal Economic Society Annual Conference, July 2025.
• Panel “Building management capabilities and business support programmes”, ESRC PrOPEL Hub conference, University of Strathclyde (Glasgow), 2024.
• Presentation “Investment, Innovation and Productivity”, Ofcom and CMA Conference on “Economic Regulation in Times of Cost-of-living and Productivity Challenges”, 2023 
• Panel discussion at the European Commission DG RTD Foresight project on Futures of Big Tech in Europe, 2023