Education 

Volunteer experience

Publications

Sathish, C. (2023). ‘Investigating UK academics’ professional social media use: a qualitative analysis using the lenses of digital literacy, UTAUT and the concept of boundary work’, PhD thesis Middlesex University. Available at: https://repository.mdx.ac.uk/item/10yzv4

Online White Papers

Harzing A.W. & Sathish, C. (2023). The art of academic writing. Available at https://christasathish.com/the-art-of-academic-writing/

Almada, P., Caroleo, L., De Amicis, C., Giorgi, G., Kristensen, L.M., Sathish, C. and Teigeler, L. (2022). ‘The SEO effect: The optimised, the under-optimised and the un-optimised web’, Digital Methods Initiative. Available at: https://www.digitalmethods.net/Dmi/SummerSchool2022TheSEOeffect

Teaching & Learning Guides: Material and resources that support your teaching and learning practice

Sathish, C. (2022). ‘Social Media for Teaching How-To Guide’, Christasathish.com, Available at: https://christasathish.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/SocialMediaGuideForTeaching_V_13062022.pdf

I developed this guide focusing on the practical integration of specific social media tools and emphasising their practical application.  The guide provides information about general features, main concerns, questions before you start, case studies, and useful links to various platform-specific resources.

Sathish, C. (2022). ‘Well-Being Activities for Teaching’, Christasathish.com, Available at: https://christasathish.com/teaching-experience/well-being-activities-for-teaching/

In this document, I present various well-being activities that I integrated into my teaching of undergraduate students. I aim to develop an awareness of societal issues as well as emphasising the need to take care of students’ physical and mental well-being.

Sathish, C. (2023).’A Guide To Interconnected Learning’, Christasathish.com, Available at: https://christasathish.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/InterconnectedLearningGuide_29102023-1.pdf

This guide is a collection of my teaching approaches based on my ethos and values which reflect our being in the interconnected world. I have been inspired by Boix Mansilla and Jackson (2013) whose early research addresses the importance of developing students’ global competencies and the need to redefine learning for an interconnected world.

Positive Academia Resource Bulletins: Material and resources that enable you to contribute with small acts to crafting and cultivating a more positive academia.

Sathish, C. & Harzing A.W. (2023).’Crafting & Cultivating Positive Academia – Happiness is a good flow of life, Zeno, Christasathish.com, Available at: https://christasathish.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Bulletin-Draft-1_06072023_Final_Version.pdf

Sathish, C. & Harzing A.W. (2023).’Crafting & Cultivating Positive Academia – We are all different, Christasathish.com, Available at: https://christasathish.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/PositiveAcademia_Bulletin_2.pdf

Sathish, C. & Harzing A.W. (2023).’Crafting & Cultivating Positive Academia – Creativity in academia, Christasathish.com, Available at: https://christasathish.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/Bulletin-3-Positive-Academia.pdf

Sathish, C. & Harzing A.W. (2023).’Crafting & Cultivating Positive Academia – PGR Support, Christasathish.com, Available at: https://christasathish.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/Bulletin-4-Supporting-PGRs-March-2024.pdf

I have been publishing blog posts (currently over 78 posts) as a tool for disseminating research, creating campaign awareness, reinforcing personal and professional development and supporting the engagement with broader audiences within and outside academia.

Leadership and Advocacy

For me, Positive Academia is a personal and professional mission that resonates deeply with my journey as a scientist and academic. Positive Aademia is a now a CIC (Comunity Interest Company) founded by Prof. Anne-Wil Harzing and myself. In December 2024 Anne-Wil and I celebrated three years of Positive Academia! Our collaboration has been a transformative, intertwined synergy of two academics at distinct stages of their careers, united by friendship, deep trust, and a shared vision of a kinder, more inclusive academic world. You can read the full story here:

Celebrating a Synergy of Passion: Reflecting on Three Years of (#)Positive Academia

Having navigated the challenges of scientific research and business studies in academia, I have experienced and witnessed the pressures that academics—i.e., researchers and teachers—face. I believe in fostering a supportive environment where the individual scholar comes first, allowing them to thrive personally and professionally.

My passion for crafting and cultivating a positive academic environment stems from my extensive experience working in high-pressure industry and academic settings. I have transitioned from scientific research and development for multinational companies to academia, engaging in change-making projects in both sectors for several years. We cannot deny that navigating our academic careers in highly competitive and often quite isolated neoliberal institutional environments is challenging. In these environments, we need to shift and reinforce collaboration and mutual support to nurture a culture where we all, individually and collectively, can flourish.

What drives me is the belief that #EveryLittleActionCounts. Whether it is supporting PGRs or ECRs, promoting well-being in the classroom, or encouraging positive social media practices among scholars, I have dedicated my work to building a space where academics feel valued and empowered. All these little actions are about embracing diversity, fostering meaningful collaborations, and ensuring that our contributions are recognized. Since co-founding Positive Academia with Anne-Wil Harzing, I have been actively engaged in research, teaching, and community-building efforts aimed at creating a more positive academic environment. My work includes guides on well-being activities, social media use, and interconnected learning in teaching, as well as various events and talks that bring together diverse voices to share insights and support one another.

Ultimately, Positive Academia matters to me because it aligns with my vision of what the academic world should be: a place of innovation, kindness, and meaningful, shared individual and collective contributions. To me, it is about leaving a legacy that future academics can build upon, fostering spaces where everyone’s contributions are recognized, no matter how big or small, and celebrated. Our journey is not just about transforming academia for today, but ensuring that the values of positivity, collaboration, and well-being are embedded in the academic cultures of tomorrow.

I created the #EveryLittleActionCounts campaign as a cornerstone of Positive Academia because I believe that transformative change begins with small, intentional steps. Academia often feels like a place of immense pressure, competition, and isolation, but I see it as an opportunity to foster a more inclusive, supportive, and empowering environment. This campaign is my way of reimagining what academia can be—a space where every voice matters, every action has value, and every individual feels seen and heard.

The idea behind #EveryLittleAction is simple but profound: small actions, when multiplied, create a ripple effect that can change the culture of academia. Whether it’s offering a kind word, sharing resources, mentoring a student, or simply showing gratitude, these acts collectively build a more positive and compassionate academic community.

This matters deeply to me because I’ve experienced firsthand the impact of small gestures—both given and received—that have lifted me during challenging times and inspired me to keep striving for more. I want to pay that forward and encourage others to do the same.

Positive Academia is more than a philosophy; it’s a movement to cultivate inclusion, collaboration, and kindness in all corners of academia. Through #EveryLittleAction, we hope to inspire others to take meaningful steps toward this vision, showing that together, we can create an academia that thrives on shared humanity and collective growth.

Building Positive Academia through a feminist lens

In academia, we often encounter environments shaped by competition, exclusion, and hierarchy that can hinder the flourishing of collaboration and care, inclusion, and networks. It’s time to challenge these norms and reimagine academia as a space that uplifts, nurtures, and empowers. Christa Sathish, a passionate advocate for feminist perspectives in her research and teaching, has created and launched this campaign to drive this transformation.

Through #FeministAcademia – a complement to the #EveryLittleActionCounts initiative (launched by Christa Sathish) and the #PositiveAcademia initiative (launched by Anne-Wil Harzing) – we enhance the development and nurturing of Positive Academia as a transformative vision for academia. This vision emphasises intersectionality, gender equality, collective action, empowerment and autonomy, and social justice. Feminism teaches us that power is not finite, success is not individual, and the stories of those on the margins hold profound wisdom to help us shaping a better future.

This campaign uses weekly fables to reimagine academia as a zoo – a place where structures, hierarchies, and behaviours can be critiqued and reshaped. I would like to take this opportunity to highlight two of my dear CYGNA sisters, Axèle Giroud and Martyna Śliwa. I had a wonderful discussion with them about the academic zoo and safari during our Cumberland Lodge event in 2024, which inspired me to walk the talk.

Our weekly allegories explore and promote feminist practices such as:

• Collaboration over competition: building networks of mutual support and dismantling hierarchies that privilege the few.
• Care as a core value: prioritising well-being and challenging the myth of endless productivity.
• Equity in opportunity: addressing systemic barriers to ensure every voice can grow and thrive.
• Reimagining power: moving toward collective, inclusive decision-making that empowers all.

Our campaign is not just about telling stories – it is a call to action. Each fable challenges us to reflect on the structures we inhabit and inspires us to imagine and build new ones. #FeministAcademia envisions an academic world where every contribution is valued, no one is excluded, and the future is shaped collectively.

Join us on this transformative journey. Together, we can weave a new web for academia – one strong enough to hold us all!

Presentations & Talks

The PhD Day 2025 hosted by the IMISCOE Network addresses various challenges (such as stress, anxiety, and hyper-performance culture) in academia, while exploring what brings joy and fulfilment to academic journeys. Together with speakers Dounia Bourbain and Zakia Essanhaji, Anne-Wil Harzing and I from Positive Academia will share our experiences of finding meaning, purpose, and happiness in academia. The workshop aims to inspire participants to recognise and cultivate positive moments, emphasising collegiality, intellectual reforms, teaching, and the joy of learning, ultimately promoting a more balanced and rewarding academic experience.