ISBE ESN SIG Academic Research Workshop

How to Become a Successful Academic & Achieve Professorial Status

Featuring Guest Speaker: Emeritus Professor Gideon Maas

📅 Date: Tuesday 12^th May 2026
🕒 Time: 10am-11am (UK time)
📍 Location: On-line
🎓 Audience: Early‑career academics, researchers, PhD candidates, and aspiring professors

About the Workshop

Are you aiming to build a strong academic trajectory? Do you want to understand how to navigate the journey toward professorial status? This workshop will offer practical guidance, insider knowledge, and actionable strategies for advancing your academic career.

Join us for an inspiring, informative session with Emeritus Professor Gideon Maas, an experienced academic leader known for his work in innovation, entrepreneurship, and higher education development. He will share:

✅ How to develop a compelling research portfolio
✅ Strategies for publishing and building academic impact
✅ How to secure funding and build research networks
✅ The realities of academic progression and promotion pathways
✅ Tips for positioning yourself for professorial roles

Prof Gideon Maas (Professor Emeritus) is a globally recognized thought leader in entrepreneurship and innovation. With a career spanning various universities and continents – from the UK to Africa, Europe and Asia – he has built and led pioneering entrepreneurship centres, shaped policy, and mentored countless entrepreneurs and academics. His work bridges theory and practice, with a special focus on entrepreneurial ecosystems, family businesses, and sustainable innovation. Gideon is passionate about empowering individuals and institutions to drive meaningful change through entrepreneurial thinking. In the past, he was honoured with professorships at various institutions such as Coventry University, Plymouth University, Port Elizabeth Technikon (South Africa) and the University of Limerick (Ireland) and Adjunct Scientific Fellow at the Münster University of Applied Sciences Germany. Gideon also served on various boards such as being a past President of the Institute of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ISBE), Small Enterprise Development Agency (SEDA), and the Accreditation Council for Entrepreneurial and Engaged Universities.

Why Attend?

This workshop will help you:

✨ Strengthen your academic profile
✨ Understand career benchmarks and expectations
✨ Gain confidence in planning long‑term academic success
✨ Learn directly from a senior academic with global experience

Registration

Please register below – an on-line link will be emailed to all delegates one week in advance of the workshop.

Spaces may be limited — early booking recommended!