Dr Ruoying Zhou

Dr Ruoying Zhou is a Lecturer in Entrepreneurship at the University of Leicester School of Business. Her research focuses on innovation, entrepreneurship and organisational adaptation, with particular interests in university entrepreneurship ecosystems, dynamic capabilities, knowledge exchange, and the strategic implications of emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence.

Ruoying is actively engaged in research development and the wider academic community. She serves as the College of Business Early Career Researcher Representative and contributes to research culture through researcher development initiatives, writing retreats, workshops and other activities supporting early career researchers. She is also involved in organising research events and initiatives that facilitate scholarly collaboration and the development of new research.

Alongside her research, Ruoying teaches entrepreneurship, innovation, strategy and the business environment across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. Her teaching draws on contemporary research and real-world organisational challenges to help students connect theoretical perspectives with business and entrepreneurial practice.

My research sits at the intersection of entrepreneurship, innovation and strategy, with a particular focus on how organisations and entrepreneurial actors develop capabilities, respond to disruption, and contribute to economic and societal impact.

One strand of my research examines university entrepreneurship ecosystems and knowledge exchange. I am interested in how universities interact with businesses and other actors, and how different forms of knowledge exchange contribute to local/regional innovation.

A second strand of my research focuses on SMEs and organisational capabilities. I am interested in how SMEs develop, deploy and renew capabilities to pursue growth and innovation, enhance performance, and respond to changing and uncertain environments.

I am also developing research on the implications of emerging technologies, particularly artificial intelligence (AI), for organisations and entrepreneurship. This work explores how AI is changing organisational processes, strategic decision-making and entrepreneurial activity, and how organisations develop the capabilities needed to engage with these technologies effectively.

Across these areas, I use a range of quantitative and qualitative methods and am particularly interested in research that connects theoretical development with contemporary organisational, entrepreneurial and policy challenges.

Journal articles

Xiao, L. and Zhou, R., 2026. SMEs’ adaptive capabilities and growth intentions: evidence across different disruption types. The Journal of Technology Transfer, pp.1-33.

Zhou, R. and Baines, N. (2024) ‘To what extent do universities’ formal and informal knowledge exchange activities interact? Evidence from UK HE-BCI survey’, The Journal of Technology Transfer, 49(4), pp. 1145–1175.

Zhou, R. and Tang, P. (2020) ‘The role of university Knowledge Transfer Offices: Not just commercialize research outputs!’, Technovation, 90, 102100.

Book chapters

Xiao, L., Zhou, R. and Xu, J. (2024) ‘Digitalisation of Entrepreneurial Finance in China: A Focus on Policy’, in De Gruyter Handbook of Digital Entrepreneurship, p. 145.

I have experience supervising doctoral research, with one PhD completion and three doctoral researchers currently under supervision.

I welcome enquiries from prospective doctoral researchers interested in areas related to my research, including:

• Entrepreneurship and innovation

• University entrepreneurship ecosystems and knowledge exchange

• SMEs, growth and organisational capabilities

• Organisational adaptation and responses to disruption

• Emerging technologies, including AI, and their implications for entrepreneurship and organisations

I teach across undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, with a particular focus on entrepreneurship, innovation, and the business environment.

My current teaching includes:

• MK3166 – Entrepreneurship
• MK7013 – Marketing Strategy and Innovation
• MK1001 – The Business Environment