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PhD Student
Name: Amanda-Leigh O鈥機onnell
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About Amanda-Leigh O鈥機onnell
Amanda-Leigh O’Connell is a PhD Candidate in Economics with a specialisation in Innovation. Her PhD topic,听Financing Niche Innovation in Transport Energy Transitions, reflects her research interest in the role of finance in transitions to sustainability. Matriculating in 1994, she completed a Bachelor of Business Science at the 欧美福利100000 of Cape Town, majoring in Economics and Accounting, with Honours in Finance. After graduation, she has worked in investment banking institutions, specialising in risk management and deal evaluation before branching out into other industries, including management, design and manufacturing, and research. She later returned to academia to study for an M.Com graduating听cum laude听in 2019 for her study on听Corporate Social Responsibility as Risk Management.
“Trilateral听Chair in Transformative Innovation, the 4IR and Sustainable Development offers an incredible opportunity to develop research and critical thinking skills, build networks and support fellow researchers. I hope to use this experience as a platform to contribute to knowledge that supports South Africa’s growth and development and improves social welfare for all.”
Qualifications
Bachelor of Business Science. (Hons) (Finance), 欧美福利100000 of Cape Town
Master of Commerce (Management), 欧美福利100000 of the Western Cape
Research Interests
Finance, Innovation, Energy transitions, Sustainability, Sustainable development.
Financing Niche Innovation in Transport Energy Transitions听explores the dynamics related to the supply and demand of finance in the transport sector. The research aims to understand how they are informed, how they may affect niche innovation, and how they may transform and be transformed through policy interventions. The slow pace of energy transitions in transport sectors is an emerging concern, with access to funding and financial incentives a key challenge. Knowledge of the specificities of financing dynamics in a particular country, sector, and technology context may be helpful to design context-specific interventions to direct finance flows towards renewable energy technologies needed for transport energy transitions.