Research Background: Islamic Banking, Bank Business Models, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

I am a Lecturer in Economics at the University of Bristol with an academic background in Islamic banking and finance. My research has examined heterogeneity in bank business models within and across Islamic and conventional banking, particularly through the identification of strategic groups. This work has also analysed the relationship between business models and performance across banking systems. A key strand of this research also examined corporate social responsibility (CSR) and disclosure practices, and how these can be used to infer differences in social performance, with a particular focus on banks operating in the GCC and on the role of ethical frameworks and institutional context.

Developing Research Strands: Identity Economics, Consumer Behaviour, and Modest Fashion

Alongside my work in banking and finance, I am developing research strands in identity economics that examine how values, norms, and social identities shape economic behaviour and market participation. This includes work on modest and Islamic fashion as applied contexts for understanding consumption, choice, and participation in markets under cultural and social constraints.

This strand of my research is informed by perspectives from consumer psychology, social psychology, and behavioural science, particularly in relation to decision-making and preference formation. While remaining grounded in economics, I am interested in using these interdisciplinary insights to develop future research and teaching, that explore the interaction between identity, behaviour, and economic outcomes.

Emerging Agenda: Inclusive Innovation and Productivity-Enhancing Technology

An emerging area of my work explores disability as a lens for innovation in technology and professional practice. Rather than viewing disability solely through an assistive framework, I am interested in how constraints can inform the design of more inclusive, productivity-enhancing systems—drawing on advances in AI-enabled tools and human–computer interaction—to support effective participation in knowledge-intensive work. Within this agenda, I have a particular interest in upper-limb disability and hands-free approaches to computer interaction. This strand informs my engagement with interdisciplinary and enterprise-focused initiatives and shapes the direction of my future work in this area.