Professor Lee Miles
- 65801 / 07710763524
- lmiles@bournemouth.ac.uk
- http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1980-0115
- Professor and Deputy Dean
- Executive Business Centre EB411, Bournemouth University, 89 Holdenhurst Road, Bournemouth, BH8 8EB
- Keywords:
- Crisis journalism
- Crisis management
- Decision Making
- Economic Policy
- Entrepreneurship
- Financial Crisis
- Innovation studies
- Leadership
- Management
- Media policy
- Policy and Planning
- Political communication
- Political organisation
- Political science
- Politics
- Public Policy
- Tourism
- Tourism human resources
- Tourism marketing
Biography
Lee is a permanent Deputy Dean of Bournemouth University Business School (BUBS) since 2022 and Professor of Crisis and Disaster Management at Bournemouth University Disaster Management Centre (BUDMC). He is an innovative thought leader, introducing a new '5-E's' RKE strategy for BUBS (2023), leading REF 2029 preparations, managing accreditation and reviewing programme/portfolios. Lee undertakes senior University-level leadership roles, alongside being Deputy Dean; including Chair of the University's Knowledge Exchange and Innovation Funding Panel, managing HEIF/innovation funding. He has university executive team experience and co-led the University's Knowledge Exchange workstream towards the Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF) and a new RKE Fast Track Funding Mechanism (2023-24). He leads by example, and presently directs the Innovate UK funded EM-PREPARE project, working with a start-up company, (Safehouse Pro Ltd).
Lee was educated at the Universities of Lancaster, Birmingham and Hull, receiving his PhD from the University of Hull (1999), and awarded a Docent by Karlstad University in Sweden (2004)...
Lee has enjoyed an extensive career working in departments of politics and international relations (Hull and Karlstad universities), politics and communication studies (University of Liverpool), and business school settings (Lincoln, Loughborough and Bournemouth universities) in the UK and Sweden. During that time, he has held senior management positions at the Departmental, Faculty and University level.
Professor Miles is a distinguished scholar and established thought leader, holding Professorships at the universities of Liverpool (2006-2009), Karlstad (2009 - 2017), Loughborough (2011-2015) and now Bournemouth (2015 - ) as well as holding honorary professorial positions at Lancaster and University College London (UCL). Lee has also twice been awarded the prestigious title of Jean Monnet Professor by the European Union (in 2003 (Hull) and in 2004 (Liverpool)) in recognition of his expertise in European foreign policy and crisis management. He has been editor of prestigious peer-reviewed academic journals, including Cooperation and Conflict (2010-2014) and the Journal of Common Market Studies (JCMS) Annual Review (2001-2004), and presently is a member of editorial boards of prominent journals, such as Foreign Policy Analysis and Continuity and Resilience Review. He is also an accomplished PhD supervisor, having supervised 23 PhD candidates to completion from seven universities in the UK and Sweden.
Lee has provided award-winning thought leadership in terms of enhancing disaster management in Africa and the Caribbean. His intellectual contributions focus on developing effective Single Points of Failure (SPOF) techniques that can bridge the gap between theory and practice in crisis and disaster management. Recently, this SPOF diagnostic work that builds African capacity to manage disasters was recognised by the world's largest association of Business Schools, AACSB, as one of the top 25 global 'Innovations that Inspire' for 2023. He is also lead facilitator of AACSB's prestigious 'Enhancing Resilience' Seminar. His research projects in Sierra Leone were profiled in the UK Resilience Lessons Digest in 2024, (published by the UK Cabinet Office/EPC) as best practice.
Lee is an award-winning commentator on disasters in the national/ international media. His intellectual contributions have featured on premier media outlets, such as (radio): BBC R4 Today Programme, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC World Service News Hour Programme, Good Morning Scotland Programme, Radio Scotland, R4 Austria, BBC Radio London and BBC regional stations, and Talk Radio as well as (TV): BBC News Channel, CNN International, Good Morning Britain (ITV), STV and GB News. He has also contributed to articles published in UK printed media, such as The Sunday Times.
For further details on Professor Lee Miles, see the Website Links section of this Personal Home Page.
moreResearch
Lee’s research interests and thought leadership includes:
First, International Crisis Management (ICM) and Foreign Policy Analysis (FPA). Lee's intellectual contributions focus on examining the role of political/policy entrepreneurs and building entrepreneurial resilience to enhance crisis and disaster management. He has long-standing interests in the Nordic countries as well as the role of crisis simulations and scientific advice in crisis and disaster management, co-authoring peer-reviewed articles in 2021 and 2022.
Second, Lee has sought to establish thought leadership and directed impactful international projects on African disaster management. In recent years, he has directed major projects working with African partners to address single points of failures and capacity gaps in disaster management systems in Africa. This has included:
- The UK Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) sponsored Driving African Capacity Building in Disaster Management (AFRICAB) project (2018-21) working in Cameroon, Senegal and Sierra Leone. AFRICAB's research findings have especially influenced the formation and policy development of Sierra Leone's new National Disaster Management Agency (NDMA), including new Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for Relief and Response and an NDMA Service Charter in 2023. AFRICAB has also led to societal impacts, improving the skills and capacities of local disaster managers, policymakers and community leaders covering over 1 million people in the capital of Freetown... Innovations include Freetown City Council (FCC) introducing a new Minimum Training Competence Requirement in Disaster Management (2020), and two revised Disaster Management Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) (2021 and 2022) that incorporated AFRICAB guidance. AFRICAB research attracts international attention including policy papers at key disaster management related summits hosted in Nigeria, South Africa, Jamaica, Jordan and the UK, as well as COP-27. The intellectual contribution of AFRICAB has also been the subject of media attention from national and international outlets.
- The Research England (RE) funded EVALDIS project (2022-23) - that uses participatory research techniques - to support the NDMA's regional disaster management capacity in Sierra Leone. EVALDIS Final Report 2023 launched in March 2023, was endorsed by the Government of Sierra Leone. In 2024, EVALDIS findings were incorporated into the first national constitution of a national organisation of local Community Disaster Management Committees (CDMCs). He also co-authored a major survey of the impact of COVID-19 on journalism and disaster reporting in Sierra Leone in 2021.
Third, Lee is also interested in improving disaster management in the Caribbean. Lee co-authored a major report for the World Bank in Caribbean disaster management in 2020 evaluating the preparedness of five island sovereign states. Before this, he also directed the sister PINPOINT project on single points of failure in the Caribbean (2017-19) that sought to improve the resilience of UK Overseas Territories (UK OTs) in the Caribbean using single points of failure techniques.
Fourth, Lee has also worked with academics from sports/event management to provide thought leadership advocating resilience awareness in sports/event management. Lee is a co-author of several major studies of crisis and disaster management in sports, including a book published by Routledge in 2021.
Professor Miles has completed over 20 major external research projects. He continues to be successful, attracting over £1 million of external funding supporting respective projects funded by UNDRR, World Bank, NATO, Nordic Council of Ministers, the European Union, national research councils, national governments and regional authorities. His thought leadership has been recognised by national and international media; e.g., he was the recipient of two international media awards for his expert commentary on Hurricanes Irma/Maria in 2018.
moreFavourites
- Baker-Beall, C., Miles, L., Leach, N. and Reed, E., 2024. From Prevent to Protect and Prepare: The Manchester Arena Attack and Shifting Priorities in the United Kingdom’s Counter-Terrorism Strategy (CONTEST). Studies in Conflict and Terrorism.
- Miles, L., Carew Sesay, I.J., Miles, J., Martin, J. and Travers, M., 2023. 'Improving Subnational Disaster Management in Sierra Leone' Evaluating Local Disaster Management in Sierra Leone (EVALDIS) Final Report 2023 No. 1. Bournemouth: Bournemouth University Disaster Management Centre (BUDMC). Available from: https://www.bournemouth.ac.uk/sites/default/files/asset/document/EVALDIS%20NDMA%20Final%20Report%20FINAL%20fixed.pdf.
- Reddin, K. and Miles, L., 2022. Science, policy and resilience: reflections on the role of scientific advice to government during pandemic crisis response. Continuity and Resilience Review.
- Bang, H., Baker-Beall, C., Miles, L. and Balgah, R., 2022. The political dynamics of disaster management research in Cameroon: Evidence from the ELIED-project. In: 13th Dealing with Disasters Conference 9-10 June 2022 Northumbria University.
- Bethune, E., Buhalis, D. and Miles, L., 2022. Real time response (RTR): Conceptualizing a smart systems approach to destination resilience. Journal of Destination Marketing and Management, 23.
- Bethune, E., Buhalis, D. and Miles, L., 2022. Real Time Response. Encyclopedia of Tourism Management and Marketing: Volume 1-4. 627-629.
- Miles, L., 2021. Targeting disaster management: New research evidence from Sierra Leone. The Conversation. Available from: https://theconversation.com/targeting-disaster-management-new-research-evidence-from-sierra-leone-169749.
- Miles, L., Bang, H. and Martin, J., 2021. 'Enhancing Disaster Management in Sierra Leone' Driving African Capacity-Building in Disaster Management (AFRICAB) Final Report 2021. Bournemouth: Bournemouth University Disaster Management Centre (BUDMC). Available from: https://www.budmc.uk/sierraleone.
- Reddin, K., Bang, H. and Miles, L., 2021. Evaluating simulations as preparation for health crises like CoVID-19: Insights on incorporating simulation exercises for effective response. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 59.
- Sreedharan, C., Thorsen, E., Miles, L., Matthews, J., Sunderland, M. and Baker-Beall, C., 2021. Impact of Covid-19 on journalism in Sierra Leone. Freetown: Sierra Leone Association of Journalists. Available from: https://slaj.sl/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Sierra-Leone-National-Survey-Report-English-with-APPENDIX.pdf.
- Miles, L., 2021. Storm Christoph: UK flood response improving, but lockdown confused the messaging. The Conversation. Available from: https://theconversation.com/storm-christoph-uk-flood-response-improving-but-lockdown-confused-the-messaging-153802.
- Shipway, R., Miles, L. and Gordon, R., 2021. Crisis and Disaster Management for Sport. London: Routledge.
- Miles, L. and Shipway, R., 2020. Exploring the COVID-19 Pandemic as a Catalyst for Stimulating Future Research Agendas for Managing Crises and Disasters at International Sport Events. Event Management: an international journal, 24 (4), 1-41.
- Miles, L., 2020. Sierra Leone faces coronavirus as rainy season hits – local disaster planning will be key. The Conversation. Available from: https://theconversation.com/sierra-leone-faces-coronavirus-as-rainy-season-hits-local-disaster-planning-will-be-key-139604.
- Bang, H.N., Miles, L.S. and Gordon, R.D., 2020. Challenges in managing technological disasters in Cameroon: Case study of Cameroon's worst train Crash—the Eséka train disaster. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 44.
- Shipway, R. and Miles, L., 2020. Bouncing back and jumping forward: Scoping the resilience landscape of international sports events and implications for events and festivals. Event Management, 24 (1), 185-196.
- Bang, H.N., Miles, L.S. and Gordon, R.D., 2019. Disaster Risk Reduction in Cameroon: Are Contemporary Disaster Management Frameworks Accommodating the Sendai Framework Agenda 2030? International Journal of Disaster Risk Science, 10 (4), 462-477.
- Bang, H., Miles, L. and Gordon, R., 2019. Hurricane Occurrence and Seasonal Activity: An Analysis of the 2017 Atlantic Hurricane Season. American Journal of Climate Change.
- Shipway, R. and Miles, L., 2019. Reputation and perceived resilience in developing countries bidding for major sports events. In: Walters, G. and Mair, J., eds. Reputation and Image Recovery for the Tourism Industry.. Oxford: Goodfellow Publishers, 148-164.
- Bang, H., Miles, L. and Gordon, R., 2019. Evaluating local vulnerability and organisational resilience to frequent flooding in Africa: the case of Northern Cameroon. Foresight, 21 (2), 266-284.
- Bang, H., Miles, L. and Gordon, R., 2018. Enhancing local livelihoods resilience and food security in the face of frequent flooding in Africa: A disaster management perspective. Journal of African Studies and Development, 10 (7), 85-100.
- Miles, L., Gordon, R. and Bang, H., 2018. Blaming Active Volcanoes or Active Volcanic Blame? Volcanic Crisis Communication and Blame Management in the Cameroon. Advances in Volcanology. 395-409.
- Walters, G., Shipway, R., Miles, L. and Aldrigui, M., 2017. Fandom and risk perceptions of Olympic tourists. Annals of Tourism Research, 66, 210-212.
- Bang, H., Miles, L. and Gordon, R., 2017. The Irony of Flood Risks in African Dryland Environments: Human Security in North Cameroon. World Journal of Engineering and Technology, 5, 109+-121.
- Holdo, G.M., Miles, L. and Hartwell, H., 2017. Disaster nursing: Looking to the future in NORWAY. International Journal of Safety and Security Engineering, 7 (3), 431-442.
- Miles, L., 2016. The five 'C's': Synergies in International Disaster Management and public health and a place for entrepreneurial resilience? Perspectives in Public Health, 136 (6), 323-325.
- Guderjan, M. and Miles, L., 2016. The fusion approach – applications for understanding local government and European integration. Journal of European Integration, 38 (6), 637-652.
- Miles, L., 2016. Entrepreneurial Resilience. Crisis Response Journal, 11 (4), 52-54.
- Bang, H. and Miles, L., 2016. Disaster risk perception in Cameroon and its implications for the rehabilitation of the Lake Nyos Disaster survivors. Proceedings of the 6th International Disaster and Risk Conference: Integrative Risk Management - Towards Resilient Cities, IDRC Davos 2016, 73-76.
- Entrepreneurship in the Polis Understanding Political Entrepreneurship. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.
- Miles, L. and Petridou, E., 2015. Entrepreneurial resilience role of policy entrepreneurship in the political perspective of crisis management. Organisational Resilience: Concepts, Integration, and Practice. 67-81.
- Miles, L., 2015. Political entrepreneurship as painful choices: An examination of Swedish (post)-neutrality security policy. Entrepreneurship in the Polis: Understanding Political Entrepreneurship. 133-150.
- Aflaki, I.N., Petridou, E. and Miles, L., 2015. Political entrepreneurship redux: Looking to the future. Entrepreneurship in the Polis: Understanding Political Entrepreneurship. 205-216.
- Miles, L. and Wivel, A., 2013. Denmark and the European Union.
- Lindh, M. and Miles, L., 2007. Becoming electronic parliamentarians? ICT usage in the Swedish Riksdag. Journal of Legislative Studies, 13 (3), 422-440.
- Miles, L., 2004. Editorial: The paradox of a popular europe. Journal of Common Market Studies, 42 (SPEC. ISS.), 1-8.
- Miles, L., 2003. Editorial: Moving towards a 'hub and spokes Europe'? Journal of Common Market Studies, 41 (SPEC. ISS.), 1-11.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person's work contributes towards the following SDGs:
Sustainable cities and communities
"Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable"
Peace, justice and strong institutions
"Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels"
Partnership for the Goals
"Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development"
