Alison has worked within the Ulster University Business School, as an innovative educator for the last twenty one years. Her research and teaching focus is in the field of entrepreneurship and strategy. She has worked extensively within the SME community in Northern Ireland, having experience of developing strategic growth plans; alongside engagement in academic enterprise and knowledge exchange projects involving mentoring company practitioners. Alison has researched and published in the area of female entrepreneurial network dynamics, with a focus on minority and ethnic groups. She has been involved in a supervising a number of research projects focusing on female entrepreneurship; entrepreneurship education; Gaeltacht entrepreneurship in Ireland; Chinese entrepreneurial experiences of 1st and 2nd generations; and more recently entrepreneurial traits and characteristics of Gen Z. Resultantly, she has gained widespread recognition for her research engaging a variety of stakeholders, as evidenced through publications in Internationally recognised Journals and in being invited to undertake roles such as Track Chair for ISBE and as a member of the Editorial Board for IJGE. Beyond academia, Alison actively collaborates with community organisations, research networks, industry leaders and supports policies and programmes (such as Help to Grow) that foster an equitable entrepreneurial ecosystem. Her key aim is to bridge the academic theory with practical solutions for real-world impact.