Meet the Agile Research Network (ARN) team, a collaborative group of researchers and industry experts dedicated to advancing the understanding and application of Agile methodologies. Our team is drawn from leading UK universities, including The Open University and University of Glasgow as well as the Agile Business Consortium, each bringing a unique expertise in software engineering, education, and industry-based research. Working closely with practitioners worldwide, the team shares practical insights and findings that help shape the future of Agile practices. Below, you can learn more about the individuals driving this innovative research network.
Mahum Adil is a Research Associate in Software Engineering at the School of Computing Science, University of Glasgow. She completed her PhD at the Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy, where she developed the Distributed COllaborative DEsign Decision (DCODED) framework to support architectural design decision-making in distributed software teams (available on Miroverse). Her current research focus is to understand how agile software teams make sustainability-related decisions—across economic, environmental, individual, social, and technical dimensions—and how these decisions shape agile practices.
Leonor Barroca is a Senior Lecturer in Computing at The Open University. Her research is in the Software Engineering area where she has published in international conferences and journals; she has recently been also carrying out research in the area of research skills development in distance education and open educational resources for software engineering. She has been involved with undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in software engineering.
Advait Deshpande is a Lecturer in the School of Computing & Communications at the Open University. Before joining the OU, Advait worked in ICT consulting, and policy research and advisory services. His research interests include agile business practices, digital transformation, and large sociotechnical systems. His research adopts a mixed methods approach combining qualitative, quantitative, and participatory methods.
Peggy Gregory is a Senior Lecturer in Software Engineering at the University of Glasgow's School of Computing Science. With prior experience as an IT manager, her research explores technology use, design, and its social and ethical impacts, focusing on agile methods and eHealth. She also teaches the MSc in Agile Software Projects and collaborates with local businesses using agile practices.
Ehikioya Obode is a doctoral researcher at the University of Glasgow, exploring how Agile Coaches create, evidence, and sustain value within organisations. His research examines the contribution of agile coaching to organisational learning, cultural change, and agile transformation, particularly in complex, distributed, and regulated environments, such as the financial services sector. Drawing on both academic research and industry experience as a consultant and agile practitioner across the financial, consulting, public, and energy sectors, he brings a practical lens to questions of value and impact in agile transformation. His work aims to bridge theory and practice in the rapidly evolving agile landscape.
Helen Sharp is a Professor of Software Engineering at the Open University. Her research explores professional software practice, and she has collaborated with practitioners since the 1990s. Active in both software engineering and UX communities, she co-authors a leading textbook on Interaction Design (id-book.com). Helen also serves on the IEEE Software Advisory Board and reviews for journals and conferences.
Katie Taylor, co-founder of the Agile Research Network, transitioned from freelance consulting to academia, launching the UK’s first Masters in Agile Leadership. She now works with the Agile Business Consortium, where she has been a director for 20 years and currently serves as Chair. Katie is passionate about the growing field of business agility as it matures.
Mali Senapathi is a Senior Lecturer at Auckland University of Technology, specialising in agile software development, DevOps, and digital transformation. Her work is published in top conferences and journals in Information Systems and Software Engineering. She also serves as an Associate Editor for Agile-related conference tracks (e.g., ICIS, ECIS, and PCIS) and reviews for premier journals like MIS Quarterly and Journal of Systems and Software.
Diane Strode research is based around agile software development, organisational agility, and coordination theory, focusing on teams and software projects. A Visiting Research Fellow at The Open University and Senior Lecturer at Whitireia-Weltec Institute, she collaborates internationally. Her work is published in top journals such as the Journal of Systems and Software. Diane holds a PhD and has prior industry experience as a software developer.
Chukwudi Uwasomba is a Research Associate at The Open University, specialising in agile methodologies in software development and business processes. He holds a First-Class BSc in IT and Business Information Systems, an MSc in Business Information Systems Management, and a PhD in Computing. His research focuses on enhancing agility and developing advanced computational techniques, bridging theory and practical applications.
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