STEM Faculty

Professional biography

Dr Rupesh Shah is a Senior Lecturer and Staff Tutor in Engineering and Innovation at the Open University, managing teaching on postgraduate modules in Systems Thinking in Practice and undergraduate modules in environment

Rupesh has supported learning about systems thinking at the OU for over 20 years; initially as a research fellow on the PersSyst Project  and then as an Associate Lecturer on an undergraduate and postgraduate modules in systems thinking. He has been a staff tutor with the OU since 2018. 

Rupesh recieved his BSc (Hons) from the University of Bath in Business Administration in 1997. He gained his PhD from the University of Bath in the Centre for Action Research in Professional Practice in the School of Management.  Rupesh has worked as a participatory development practitioner and community educator, in a range of interrnational and local settings in the UK, India, Argentina and Nigeria.  

Research interests

Curret research interests include developing capability in systems thinking in practice, practice-based inquiry in management practice, and making systems thinking accessible as a practice for those situated on the margins.

He is currently working on a Guide to Key Theories for Systems Thinking in Practice for Elgar Publishers. 

Previous research includes work on 

• NGO-business collaboration and sustainable development
• inter-organisational learning and development for climate adaptation
• the challenges of corporate responsibility movement
• late diagnosis of cancer in East London
• community engagement for genetics and health studies

Teaching interests

In his role as a staff tutor, Rupesh manages teams Associate Lecturers in Environment and in Systems Thinking.  He chaired production of and co-authored TBX873, Co-designing Interventions with Systems Thinking in Practice and has worked as an author and critical reviewer for several modules in Systems Thinking. He leads the OU’s delivery of Commonwealth Scholarships in Environmental Management in Kenya

Rupesh is actively involved in supporting professional development in the AL community. He is lead for STEM-ByALs-ForALs, an online professional development community for over 500 tutors across the STEM faculty.