Huma Javaid is a Research Associate at the University of Manchester, Alliance Manchester Business School. She is working at the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research (MIoIR) on the project examining the impact of digital technologies and skills on firm performance. These digital technologies encompassing Industry 4.0 include Artificial Intelligence (AI), Big Data, Cloud Computing, 3D Printing, Internet of Things (IoT), and Robotics. The core objectives of the research are to: (1) identify key features of skills change in UK at the local and national level over the last decades and guage impact of technology on the changing nature of occupations; (2) assess new skills requirements needed in the digital economy and (3) analyse how skills and employment changes impact firm performance.

She obtained her PhD at the University of Bath, School of Management. Her research interests include corporate strategy, mergers and acquisitions, alliances, corporate venture capital and innovation management in technology firms. Prior to joining AMBS, her research focused on how technology firms fill resource gaps where the main modes of corporate development include alliances, corporate venture capital and acquisitions which provide access to complementary resources. A relevant stream of her work is on due diligence and how the risk of adverse selection can be overcome by evaluating firm alliances and corporate venture capital relationships in acquirers’ search for takeover targets. Another stream of her research concentrates on how corporate growth strategies adopted by technology firms help them to create value and be more innovative.

She is highly skilled in quantitative analysis techniques and open to collaborating with researchers and scholars in academia and industry. She has presented her works at major international academic conferences including SMS, EURAM, BAM and AOM. She is the Winner of the Best Paper Award at EURAM 2022 for her research paper titled:"Explaining the length of the due diligence process in technology acquisitions: How long should acquirers examine a desired target before deciding or not to acquire it". Her work on “How target inter-organizational relationships influence innovation in technology acquisitions: A signaling perspective” was nominated for SMS Best PhD Paper Prize (2020).