Frederik von Briel, PhD

Associate Professor & Program Leader @ UQ Business School

As a researcher and teacher, I empower individuals and organizations to identify, understand, and seize business opportunities. My work has a strong focus on broadscale changes to the macro-environment that can transform entire industries and unlock unprecedented potentials. Illustrative examples include megatrends such as the ongoing digitalization and societal crises such as the Covid-19 pandemic.

I have a track record of successfully working with a diverse range of industry partners, from digital hardware start-ups and manufacturing firms to business accelerators, fin-tech unicorns, not-for-profits, and some of the world’s largest retailers.

Due to the demonstrable impact of my research, I was entrusted with more than $1 million in research funding to initiate and execute novel research projects around business opportunities. This funding encompasses over $400k for my own research initiatives focused on digital technology advances and societal crises, including a highly competitive ARC Discovery Grant. It also encompasses over $600k in industry research funding that I was entrusted with to initiate and conduct projects targeting specific challenges faced by industry partners.

In my teaching, I aim to empower students to identify and seize opportunities by equipping them with the latest approaches to innovation and entrepreneurship and letting them apply these approaches alongside their disciplinary knowledge to real-world industry challenges. This way they are primed to succeed in their future careers independent of whether they start their own companies or drive innovation in existing ones.

Before my academic career, I worked as a consultant for Hewlett-Packard and IBM where I helped clients across various industries implement evidence-based decision-making processes.

My academic credentials include a PhD from City University of Hong Kong, an MBE from Steinbeis University Berlin, and a BSc in Business Information Systems from Hochschule Furtwangen University.

Outside of work, I am a husband, dad to two girls and a dog, wellness aficionado, enjoy cooking, and love to explore nature and new places in general.