Meet the Digital Economy Theme Lead

Learn more about Mabel Sanchez Barrioluengo.

"Digitalisation is not just a technological shift—it is a defining economic and societal challenge of our time. As we navigate the transition to Industry 5.0, we must ensure that innovation and productivity gains are matched by inclusive, equitable and human-centric approaches to work, skills, and regional development." - Mabel Sanchez Barrioluengo

 

Mabel Sanchez Barrioluengo is Senior Lecturer in Science Policy and Innovation at the Alliance Manchester Business School and Deputy Director of the Manchester Institute of Innovation Research.

Previously she worked as Research Fellow at the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission in the area of Human Capital and Employment. She has a degree in Statistics and holds a PhD from the Technical University of Valencia and INGENIO (CSIC-UPV) in Spain with a particular focus on the economics of innovation and higher education.

Her main research interests include the relationship between digital technologies, skills, employment and productivity, the involvement of universities in economic development and university-society collaborations.

Mabel’s transdisciplinary research experience on the future of work and digital transformation in the UK and beyond adopts a human-centric lens to explore how advanced digital technologies—such as AI, IoT, robotics, and 3D printing—co-evolve with skills and regional capabilities, and how these dynamic impacts innovation, productivity, and policy.

She has led projects in collaboration with key stakeholders, including the GM Chamber of Commerce, Government Department of Science Innovation and Technology and the JRC-EC, contributing to the development of national datasets on digital technology adoption and informing government reports on the 3D printing ecosystem in Greater Manchester. Her work has directly informed place-based strategies for digital adoption and skills development.