Career background

Before joining academia, I worked for over ten years in sustainability management. At the University of Edinburgh’s Department for Social Responsibility and Sustainability, I focused on socially responsible supply chains and procurement, responsible investment, circular economy initiatives, and developing the university as a Living Lab. Earlier in my career, I worked with international and local NGOs in Senegal and India on sustainability certification and value‑chain development.

I completed my PhD in Psychology at the University of Edinburgh in 2022. My doctoral research used discursive psychology to investigate how designers account for decision‑making and influence, how they construct and negotiate responsibility, and how values are invoked in design talk in relation to sustainability. I subsequently held an ESRC Postdoctoral Fellowship at Heriot‑Watt University before taking up my current role.

Research themes

My primary research focus is on how environmental and social sustainability issues are discussed and negotiated within and between organisations. Using discursive psychology, I analyse recordings of real‑world conversations to understand how decision‑making, influence, persuasion, identity, and accountability are accomplished in interactions.

Methodological expertise

During my PhD I developed expertise in discursive psychology and conversation analysis, and I continue to apply and extend this methodological knowledge in sustainability‑related contexts. I analyse both naturally occurring interactions, such as meetings, and research interactions, including interviews and focus groups. I have also conducted thematic analysis in collaborative projects.

Interdisciplinary focus

My research spans social psychology, business management, and design studies. I have presented and published across these disciplinary areas, and I continue to work on translating approaches and insights between them.

Collaboration and engagement

I have collaborated widely on applied research with public, private, and third‑sector organisations. I am seeking new collaborations with:

- Practitioners/professionals interested in gaining insight into how sustainability is negotiated and influenced in organisational conversations, particularly around strategic decision‑making

- Academics from any discipline who are open to incorporating a discursive psychology perspective into collaborative projects on sustainable change

See my research website 'responsible decisions'

British Academy of Management – Transitions 1 Grant (Principal Investigator)

Role morality and sustainability professionals: managing expectations of sustainable behaviours in work and non‑work roles

Grant Ref: 2025‑T1‑525

Amount: £5,772.69

Dates: 2026–2027

Link: https://www.bam.ac.uk/grants/project-repository/funded-transitions-1-projects/2025-liz-cooper.html

British Academy Early Career Researcher Network – Development Fund (Principal Investigator)

Researching Sustainability Management – Developing Interdisciplinary Understandings of New and Emerging Sustainability Professions

Ref: DEV12425\24011

Amount: £906.18

Date: 2025

Economic and Social Research Council – Postdoctoral Fellowship (Principal Investigator)

Developing the contribution of discursive psychology to sustainable business and circular economy research

Grant Ref: ES/Y009916/1

Amount: £108,875

Dates: 2023–2024

Principal’s Career Development Scholarship (University of Edinburgh) (Principal Investigator – PhD Award Holder)

PhD funding for Navigating expectations for sustainable product design: a discursive psychology analysis of designers’ accounts

Dates: 2019–2022

EU DEAR Programme (Development Education and Awareness Raising) (Collaborative bid writing and project management role)

Make ICT Fair — a three‑year collaborative project involving ten NGO partners across Europe

Amount: €3,885,000

Dates: 2017–2020

Project information: https://dearprogramme.eu/project/make-ict-fair/

Alongside my research on sustainability in organisations, I devise content and learning activities for, and teach on, three undergraduate courses: Sustainable Business (C17SB), Sustainable Change Management (C10SA) (course leader) and Leading in Organisations (C19LO). I am the Year 4 Coordinator for the Business Management Graduate Apprenticeships programme. I have previously taught research methods at postgraduate and undergraduate levels, as well as a range of management and psychology courses. I supervise undergraduate and postgraduate dissertations and currently act as second supervisor for a doctoral practitioner‑researcher. I hold Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA) and am completing a PG Cert that will lead to Fellowship.

Within Heriot-Watt, I am a founding member of two funded research labs: the Sustainable Circular Innovation Lab and the SOCIAL Impact Lab, where I serve as Deputy Lead. Within each lab, we develop new collaborative research and impact projects.

Externally, I am a member of the British Academy of Management (Sustainable and Responsible Business SIG and Early Career Academic Network), the British Academy Early Career Researcher Network, and the Environmental Association for Universities and Colleges (EAUC). I am an elected member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Young Academy of Scotland (2022–2027), through which I have contributed to policy‑focused working groups and projects. I am an affiliate member of the Institute of Sustainability and Environmental Professionals (ISEP).

I am a reviewer of funding bids for the British Academy Early Career Researcher Network, the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and the ESRC, and have previously reviewed for the Journal of Business Ethics and for the EAUC Green Gown Awards. My applied work has included planning and facilitating knowledge‑exchange workshops bringing researchers and practitioners together to explore sustainability and ethical practice. I have been nominated for internal teaching awards and was part of a team receiving a highly commended Sustainability Champion award within Heriot‑Watt University (2025).