Louise has over 25 years’ experience in local, regional and international economic development as a policy maker, practitioner and researcher. She joined Newcastle University’s Centre for Urban and Regional Development Studies (CURDS) in 2011, where her research is focused on understanding the role of universities as ‘anchor’ institutions in place-based economic development and innovation. She is also interested in the process of building local collaborative leadership to develop innovative solutions to meet local challenges and opportunities. Since January 2019 she has held the position of Associate Dean for Research and Innovation for the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, where she leads the strategic development of the faculty’s approach to knowledge exchange and innovation. She is strategic director and principal investigator of Insights North East, a new £5.5m initiative aimed at strengthening the links between academic research and regional policy making.