Saffron Barnes

Saffron Barnes is a PhD student at Surrey Business School, researching how video games foster key entrepreneurial skills such as opportunity recognition, creativity, proactiveness, innovativeness, and risk-taking. 

Alongside her research, Saffron has experience in AI, EdTech, consulting, and esports management. She is currently a Business Development Executive at Cambridge Certify, developing AI course curricula and coordinating projects between academics and industry. Previously, at KEATH.ai, she organised major industry events, including a company launch at the House of Lords and an AI in Education Forum at the University of Surrey. She has also contributed to research collaborations, including a project at the University of Southampton.

Academically, Saffron holds an MSc in Management from the University of Surrey, graduating with Distinction and receiving the Surrey Business School Prize for the highest overall average in her class. She also holds a First Class Honours BSc in Business Management from the University of Surrey, where she mentored students providing academic support programme and presented at the ALDHe Conference for Higher Education Development.

Her research examines how video games act as a platform for entrepreneurial skill development, focusing on how players develop opportunity recognition, strategic risk-taking, and problem-solving abilities. Her work contributes to broader discussions on gamification in education and business, offering valuable insights into how digital environments can cultivate real-world entrepreneurial competencies.

She has received multiple awards, including the Surrey Business School Prize for Management, the Jacky Olivier Award for perseverance, and the Jack Petchey Achievement Award.

Her research interests include entrepreneurial skill development through gaming, gamification in education and learning, digital entrepreneurship and skill transferability, mixed-methods research in business and management, and the intersection of AI, gaming, and entrepreneurship.

Saffron is available for collaboration, speaking engagements, and academic inquiries related to her research. She can be contacted via email at s.barnes@surrey.ac.uk