Mabel Sanchez Barrioluengo is a Senior Lecturer in Science Policy and Innovation at the Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester. She serves as the Deputy Director of the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research and is the Digital Economy theme lead for the University’s Digital Futures platform. Since April 2026, Mabel has also joined the CERU/SRUK Executive Committee as the Director of the North West and Yorkshire Constituency.
Originally from León, Mabel studied Statistics at the University of Salamanca and University Miguel Hernández de Elche. She holds a PhD from INGENIO (CSIC-UPV), with a focus on the economics of higher education. Following her doctorate, she joined the European Commission as a Research Fellow at the Joint Research Centre, where she focused on “science for policy” concerning areas like learning mobility, role of higher education institutions, and the impact of digitalization on the future of work.
Her primary research interests include the role of universities in economic development, scientific careers, university-society collaborations, and the relationship between digital technology deployment and skills. She serves as an editor for the Journal of Technology Transfer, Regional Studies, Regional Science, and the Journal of Engineering and Technology Management.
