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Staff Profile

Professor Rob Wilson

Visiting Researcher

Background

Overview

I served as a staff member at Newcastle from 1995 with my last role as Professor of Information Systems Management at Newcastle University (2014-18). I was a founding member and Director of the Centre for Knowledge Innovation Technology and Enterprise (KITE) (2012-18). My research interests are in public service innovation and sociotechnical systems: the role that data, information and information systems play in inter-organisational innovation and relationships. 

I have over two decades of experience working on and leading public service information system research and development projects. I have lectured widely on collaboration, information sharing and information systems in public service contexts and have taught on a range of UG and PG management programmes including Research Methods, Information Systems, Public Services Management and Partnership/Collaborative working.

To keep up to date with what I am doing follow me on Twitter @WilsoRob

Google Scholar: Click here.


Research

Research Interests

Over the course of my career at Newcastle I was actively engaged in over fifty research and development projects. The work is based in three overlapping contexts - the integration and information aspects of public services (in particular contexts of health and social care - including children, older people and families); the challenges of information and measurement in local governance (the NHS, VCS/Third sector and local government) and the role of information and information systems in education in particular higher education.

Outputs include journal articles, books/book chapters and conference papers. The applied nature of much of the work in domains of policy and practice has also generated impact through policy and evaluation reports, workshops, invited presentations, expert advice and manager/practitioner toolkits.

This programme has been influential in policy making and information systems thinking and much of the research is covered in detail in a co-authored book Digital Government @ Work (with Ian McLoughlin featuring contributions from Mike Martin) published by Oxford University Press.

A long term focus has been healthcare and information systems comprising over two decades of working in and around projects looking at electronic health records, telecare and prescribing systems in a range of settings. My most recent collaboration with Ian McLoughlin produced a book on disruptive innovation and Digital Healthcare, also for Oxford University Press.

Keywords:  information sharing; multi-agency and inter-organisational relationships; identity management; public service innovation; social informatics; sociotechnical systems;


Teaching

Teaching and Learning

The themes of my teaching and learning are drawn from my research interests in the use of data and information in the public, private, third sector and higher education. I am a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and take an action learning approach to teaching by seeking to engage students through their own knowledge and experiences. Over the last decade I taught Research Methods, Public Services Management and Information Systems to both UG and PG students. I have also taught Partnership and Collaborative working on the MBA and was involved in the supervision of UG and PG students across a range of management and marketing programmes. 

During my time at the Business School I was nominated by students for the Vice Chancellor's Teaching Excellence award and the Newcastle University Student Union Teaching Excellence Award (for Innovative teaching). My pedagogical research is focused on aspects of the student experience and has been supported by a number of University funded internal consultancy projects, Teaching Innovation awards and Research Scholarships.

I have also designed and led PG programmes and executive education sessions on Leading Change in Healthcare Environments (for a MSc in Healthcare Management), Digital governance (on a Masters in Health Informatics), and Partnership Working (part of a suite of CIPD accredited courses). Other sessions include a range of training, conferences and workshops for public, private and third sector organisations on aspects of partnership working/inter-organisational relationships and information sharing/information governance. I served as an External Examiner for the Open University (2015-18).

In parallel I have a strand of research which focuses on the design, implementation and use of information and information systems in the HE sector. With colleagues (including James Cornford, Paul Richter and Sue Baines) I have been engaged in a range of internal and external consultancy projects (e.g. for Newcastle University on the development of e-portfolios and for JISC on system integration). As well as the impact of the learning from these activities a number of reports and tools are available. Findings have also been presented at a number of national and international conferences (HEA, BAM and SRHE) on policy and practice in higher education and various papers are being prepared for publication.

Publications