Xiuqin is a Research Fellow at the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research, Alliance Manchester Business School, University of Manchester. She holds a PhD in Innovation and Management and has since worked on multiple interdisciplinary projects employing both qualitative (e.g., interviews, focus groups) and quantitative (e.g., Delphi and large-scale surveys) methods.

Her research focuses primarily on Knowledge-Intensive Business Services (KIBS)—including R&D services, cybersecurity services, digital transformation services, and consultancies—and other innovation intermediaries such as universities and public research institutes. She examines their business models and strategies, innovation activities, performance, and their roles within innovation ecosystems. She is particularly interested in understanding how these organisations respond to technological, economic, societal, and political changes (e.g., digitalisation, AI, COVID-19, geopolitical uncertainty), and how they adapt and innovate to shape regional, national, and international economies.

Her broader interests extend to technology adoption, cybersecurity and digital resilience, green technology and sustainability, the impact of geopolitical conflicts and research security concerns on international research collaboration, as well as social innovation and social entrepreneurship.

Her research has been supported by a range of sponsors, including UKRI, ESRC, Digital Security by Design (DSbD), Digital Catapult, and Connected Places Catapult.

Xiuqin welcomes PhD supervision in the areas of service innovation, Knowledge-Intensive Business Services (KIBS), knowledge management, R&D outsourcing and offshoring, innovation intermediaries, university–industry collaboration, cybersecurity and digital resilience, emerging technologies, research security, and international research collaboration.