Paul Jones

Email: [email protected]

Tel: 0121 204 4443

Office: South Wing 8005

Paul Jones is Associate Dean for Postgraduate Education and Student Experience at Aston Business School, where he leads strategic developments in postgraduate learning, assessment innovation, and student engagement.

His work sits at the intersection of work psychology, human resource management, and higher education practice, with a particular focus on how organisations develop people, and how people experience organisations. He has over 15 years’ experience in higher education, spanning research management, employability, and curriculum innovation.

Paul’s research and practice challenge conventional approaches to learning, development, and workplace wellbeing. His doctoral work explored the fragmented and evolving identities of academic staff through a postmodern lens, examining how professional growth is shaped by competing institutional demands. Building on this, his current work focuses on organisational reflexivity, assessment transformation, and the role of AI in reshaping learning, decision-making, and employee voice.

He is particularly interested in closing the gap between policy and lived experience, exploring how initiatives around wellbeing, development, and culture are enacted in practice, often with unintended consequences. His work combines critical theory with applied impact, aiming to design more meaningful, engaging, and effective organisational and educational environments.

Alongside his academic role, Paul is Editor of Business Research Unpacked for the British Academy of Management, where he works to translate academic research into accessible insights for practitioners, and serves on its Council, including the Academic Capability and Development Committee. 

His contributions to teaching, innovation, and the use of digital technologies have been recognised through multiple institutional awards and nominations, reflecting his impact on student learning and experience.

He is also actively engaged in national conversations around AI in education, assessment innovation, and student experience, including leading institutional initiatives and sector-facing events.

Doctor of Business Administration 

MSc Occupational Psychology

Postgraduate Diploma in Human Resource Management

Postgraduate Certificate in Counselling Skills

Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education

BSc Behavioural Science

Associate Membership - Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development

Senior Fellow of Higher Education Academy

Paul teaches across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in areas including strategic human resource management, organisational development, and HR analytics. His teaching is characterised by a strong focus on applied learning, critical thinking, and the integration of emerging technologies.

He has been at the forefront of embedding AI into teaching practice, using tools such as NotebookLM and Adobe Express to enhance student engagement, creativity, and skill development.

His approach emphasises:

• Practice-led learning and real-world application

• Innovative assessment design, including digital artefacts

• Student partnership and co-creation

• Responsible and reflective use of AI

Paul’s research spans three interconnected areas:

• Professional identity and development

  Exploring how individuals construct, negotiate, and perform professional identities within complex organisational environments.

• Organisational reflexivity and culture

  Examining how organisations learn, adapt, and sometimes fail to reflect on their own practices, particularly in relation to wellbeing, engagement, and performance.

• Assessment, learning design, and AI

  Investigating how technology, particularly AI, is reshaping learning, assessment, and the development of critical and applied skills in higher education.

His work draws on postmodern and critical perspectives to challenge taken-for-granted assumptions about work, learning, and organisational life.

• Associate Dean Postgraduate Education and Student Exprience - Aston Business School
• Interim Deputy Head of Department (2024)