Dr Varqa Shamsi Bahar

Biography	Varqa Shamsi Bahar is as Assistant Professor in Marketing at Durham University Business School. Varqa’s intellectual project involves exploring the role of marketing and technology in solving business and social problems. His research has been published in the international journals Industrial Marketing Management, Information Technology & People and Tourism Management. He is a recipient of the British Academy Small Research Grant in 2024. Varqa holds an HEA Fellowship and has expertise and experience in teaching marketing at the postgraduate and undergraduate levels, including supervising students pursuing their PhD, MSc, and BSc degrees. His teaching involves innovative techniques including design thinking and marketing simulations. Before joining academia, Varqa worked in the fast-moving consumer goods and social media industry. He gained valuable experience in managing market leading and market challenging brands in a socially responsive, ethical and authentic way. These managerial experiences played a crucial role in shaping his values in research and teaching. Varqa is a strong advocate of responsible research in marketing. He believes that research must not only solve business problems but also address issues concerning society and the environment. Further, teaching must equip students with the skill sets to hit the ground running as they enter industry. More critically, teaching should guide students to develop the ability to make strategic decisions that consider the firm and its stakeholders and, moreover, society and the planet.
Research Interests	Digital platform management Disinformation research Activism Crisis informatics
Teaching and Learning	Varqa Shamsi Bahar's main teaching expertise are: Design thinking Marketing simulations Team-based learning Online and blended learning Large and small class teaching At Durham University Business School, he will be teaching marketing research methods and international marketing during the 2024-2025 academic year.