Dr Smita Tripathi is a lecturer in Leadership and Human Resource Studies. Her teaching on undergraduate and postgraduate programmes focuses on approaches to managing and developing people, as well as critical issues in leadership, governance, human resource management, organisational change and performance. Her most recent research in collaboration with Faculty of Health aimed to investigate ‘the perceived role of AHP leaders and future leaders around more sustainable healthcare practices’ She has previously collaborated on research projects exploring partnership working and the leadership and governance of Higher Education delivery in Further Education Colleges. She has conducted research on leadership, local strategic partnerships, enterprise and innovation and has been associated with the governance of numerous charities in the South West including Plymouth and District Racial Equality Council, Plymouth Multilingual Families Group, local Parent, Teachers and Friends Associations and the South Asian Society of Devon and Cornwall. 

Smita invites PhD proposals on leadership and new modes of working, flexibility and wellbeing issues, change and performance, sustainability, crisis management and stakeholder engagement and collaborative leadership in Health and Social Care. She is equally committed to teaching and research and strongly believes in the synergies between the two and how that can contribute to the transformative impact of education on learners and make a contribution in society through research that makes a difference. This drives her priorities of research informed teaching and enhancing the student experience.

In the past her roles have included:

Civil Servant (Department of Customs and Central Excise, India) 1994-2002

Research Fellow (2004-05), University of Plymouth

Project Manager (ESF funded AcHE Project (2004-2008), HEFCE funded SLP Project (2008))

Associate Lecturer (Plymouth University, 2003-15)

Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, UK.

Trustee and Secretary of the South Asian Society.

Member of the PTFA at DHSB. 

Editor of the e-newsletter for the South Asian Society. 

Smita is Lecturer in Human Resource Studies/ Leadership and specialises in teaching Leadership (varied theories, aspects and pedagogies), Human Resource Management including flexible working, diversity and inclusion, blended learning, wellbeing and coaching, Organisational Change and Performance Management, Public Sector Management, Leadership, Governance and sustainability including SDGs, collaboration, partnerships and leadership in Health and Social Care. 

She specializes in teaching Leadership at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, to diverse cohorts of full-time, part-time, home and international learners and as part of executive and professional education. 

She is currently module leader for the post-graduate modules: HRL7005 Leading Managing and Developing People (which is also taught as part of TNE at Venlo as well as in Hong Kong), HRL6009 Leadership Practice (also taught at Hong Kong, Malaysia and teaching on the new Strategy and Leadership Module (STO6003) with colleagues - taught internationally at Hong Kong and Geneva. 

She is Programme Leader of the Master of Business Administration (3070) which is a distinctive ‘Top-up’ programme designed specifically for students already holding 120 level 7 credits in business or management, allowing them to fast-track their studies to gain a full MBA award. The Programme allows great flexibility and may be studied through distance learning from any location in the UK or worldwide, with no necessity to travel to Plymouth. Support is provided through specially developed online resources and regular online supervisory meetings. It offers September, January and April start dates. Students can acquire subject specialism named pathways by submitting dissertations in a range of subject areas.

As lecturer in Human Resource Studies and Leadership,Smita's teaching is concentrated in the broad arena of leadership, ethical and contemporary issues in leadership and management, both at undergraduate and post graduate levels including the MA (HRM), MBA/MBM and the MSc in International Business.

From 2012 to 2020, she taught and was module leader on the largest third year elective (Level 6) undergradute module titled HRL300 Organisational Leadership and on HRL306 - Leadership in Practice. 

Executive Education Experience: Lead role in the strategic development of executive leadership courses at the Business School including the development, validation and delivery on the post graduate programme in i) Organisational Leadership in partnership with National Health Service (NHS) South West (SW) Leadership Academy specifically developed for cohort consisting of practicing Senior Managers and Medical professionals within the NHS SW; ii) Leadership Practice modules for the Level 7/Masters Enterprise Leadership Programme in partnership with Plymouth City Council.

In the academic year September 2011-September 2012, Smita was Module leader and lecturer on the 3rd Year BSc in Public Services specifically the GPS 3002 titled Human Resource Management Strategy and Planning in the Public Sector and GPS 3004 Managing Change and Performance in the Public Services.

Since joining the University in 2003, Smita has contributed extensively to the teaching of undergraduate and post graduate modules in the broad area of Strategy and International Business, Communication and Managing Cultural Diversity, Study Skills and Public Sector Management focusing on Leadership, Strategic Human Resource Management, Performance and Change Management

Smita has designed and developed open education resources (OERs) to support learning in the workplace for a HEFCE-funded project based at the University of Plymouth named Learning from WOeRK. These are teaching and learning resources that are freely available online for everyone to use, whether a tutor, or student as part of flexible continuing professional development (CPD) degree framework. The topic covered was Introduction to leading and managing at the workplace worth 10 credits at level 4 and consists of e-presentations (e.g. PowerPoint presentations), digital audio and video tutorials, optimised for viewing on computers and mobile devices.

In 2009-10, she was module leader of Human Resource Management Strategy and Planning in the Public Sector (GPS 3002) and Managing Change and Performance in Public Organisations (GPS 3004). Besides teaching, she have supervised dissertations and research projects, undertaken programme management including planning and designing the module and lectures and facilitating Subject Assessment Panels.

In 2008-09, Smita taught on the MSc/Postgraduate Diploma Public Management Stage 1 on the following modules: GPS 5001 (Strategic Human Resource Management), GPS 5002 (Resource Management in the Public Sector), GPS 5003 (Managing Change and Performance in Public Organisations) with Professor Kerry E. Howell, Dr Adrian Barton and Dr Mark Hyde. The students were practitioners working in local government and doing part-time studies.