I passed my viva many years ago, in 1993; however, this does not mean that I have forgotten how it was. I do recall it as it was just yesterday … After my viva, I was part of many Viva exams, of my students at bachelor, masters and PhD level as well as examination & viva committee member of many other students’ theses.

I started my research path as a young researcher at the University of Technology Vienna (Austria), where I obtained my PhD from and at University of Ljubljana (Slovenia). After finishing my PhD, I was working as a Researcher - free-lancer, when I was involved in several national and international interdisciplinary research projects working with research groups from different international universities and research institutions. My research career continued at the Austrian Academy of Science.

In 2003, I was appointed at University of Maribor, Slovenia as an Assistant Professor in the field of Quality Management and Environmental Protection Management, teaching at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In 2006, I was elected to Associate Professor and in 2014 to Full Professor.

From 2014 to 2021, I was engaged with the University of Wollongong in Dubai, Faculty of Business as an active researcher, with strong engagement in the development and support of the UOWD research platform, the Higher Degree by Research (PhD/DBA) program.

During all my university career time I was engaged in research and/or teaching which is evidenced in my publication record, which contains over 350 items, including journal publications, conference participations, teaching activities and other research and teaching related activities.

I hope I will be able to pass some of my experience to you and help you progressing faster in your PhD journey.

Valerie Lindsay is a Professor of Management, and Associate Dean for Graduate Programs (SBA) at AUS. She earned her PhD in International Strategy from the University of Warwick in the UK. Dr Lindsay moved to the UAE in 2012, and was appointed as Dean of Business at the University of Wollongong in Dubai. She joined AUS in 2015. Prior to this, she held several academic positons at the University of Auckland and Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand, as well as at the University of Warwick in the UK. Her administrative positions have included several years as Head of Department and as a business school Associate Dean and Dean.

Dr Lindsay's research interests lie in the areas of international strategy, strategic management and entrepreneurship, with a particular focus on SMEs, and business in Asia. More recently, Dr Lindsay has engaged in UAE-based research in areas such as Emiritization and women in leadership. Dr Lindsay specializes in qualitative research methodology, and has had considerable experience using computer-assisted quantitative analysis software, including NVivo and Atlas-ti. Her work has been published in leading journals, including Management International Review, Organizational Dynamics, Industrial Marketing Management, and Journal of World Business.

Before joining academia, Professor Lindsay was a research scientist in immunology and biochemistry, and then moved to the area of business. Among various roles in the latter, she was the New Zealand Marketing Manager for ICI Pharmaceuticals. Dr Lindsay also worked in two New Zealand government departments in the areas of trade and tertiary education. She has consulted widely in strategy and marketing in industry and in government over many years.