Dr Courtney Chrimes is a Lecturer in Digital Fashion Marketing within the Department of Materials, Faculty of Science & Engineering. She leads research at the intersection of circularity and digital innovation, driven by a strong commitment to supporting a greener and fairer society. Her work explores how emerging Industry 5.0 technologies - including artificial intelligence, machine learning, blockchain and Digital Product Passports - can enable circular business models and promote more sustainable consumption, contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goals 9 and 12.

Dr Chrimes has an established and growing record of high-quality, peer-reviewed research across marketing, retailing and business innovation. She is actively engaged in international research communities and has served as Guest Editor for Special Issues in leading Q1 journals, including Qualitative Market Research and Management Decision. Her emerging national and international research esteem is evidenced through invited talks and keynote lectures, including at the University of Fine Arts (Milan) and Charles Sturt University (Australia), as well as through international research collaborations with colleagues at the University of Catania (Italy), London College of Fashion, Newcastle University and Nottinghman Trent University. These collaborations focus on digital product passports, AI-enabled innovation within product development processes and immersive retail experineces demonstrating the global relevance of her research.

To date, Dr Chrimes has secured £80,577 in research funding, including £13,000 from external sources. This includes a Leverhulme-funded project examining how mobile technologies can reduce digital exclusion among older consumers, alongside projects focused on AI-enabled product decision-making and lifecycle assessment methodologies.

She also has a successful and sustained record of doctoral supervision and assessment. Dr Chrimes currently supervises eight postgraduate researchers, four of whom are funded by competitive scholarships. She regularly acts as an Independent Chair for transfer reports and final vivas, evidencing her ongoing contribution to research training, doctoral standards, and the successful progression of doctoral candidates.

Dr Chrimes co-founded the Retail & Management Re-Imagined (RMR) research group, which delivers monthly workshops and mentoring for PGRs and early career researchers. As Research Theme Co-lead of Management and Marketing, she also leads monthly meetings focused on publication planning, PhD studentships, and REF preparation. In 2023, she was invited to organise the International Colloquium of Design, Branding and Marketing, and she is currently a member of the organising committee for the Academy of Marketing Conference 2026, where she will oversee the Doctoral Colloquium. 

Her research excellence has been recognised through competitive awards, including Best Young Research Paper at the IFFTI Conference and Runner-up Best Paper at the Academy of Marketing Doctoral Colloquium.