Dr Shushu Chen lectures on Sport Policy and Management. Her principal research interests include sport policy analysis and evaluation and Olympic studies (particularly in the areas of Olympics legacy/ impact analysis, and sport development in China). 

Originally from a science background, with a BSc in bioengineering, Shushu joined the University of Birmingham in 2016 as a lecturer in Sport Policy and Management. Prior to that, she worked at Edge Hill University for two years, also as a lecturer in Sports Development and Management, having previously obtained her postgraduate qualifications from Loughborough University: an MSc in Sport Management and a PhD researching ‘The London 2012 Olympics legacy evaluation for a non-hosting region’. During her time at Loughborough, Shushu has worked with Professor Ian Henry for several projects, including the DCMS’ meta-evaluation of the London 2012 Olympic Games’ impacts and legacies and – together with Professor Holger Preuss (University of Mainz) – a commissioned evaluation study of bids to host the universal Expo of the BIE 2020.

In her ongoing quest for ways to develop sport and physical activity participation, Shushu seeks to inform and improve policymaking decisions with her work, particularly through her cross-cultural insights into China’s burgeoning sports scene. Her research involves collaborations in Asia as well as in Europe: She is currently working with Chinese colleagues on management and policy issues regarding university sport and elite sport as well as on a Chinese national project evaluating the 2022 Winter Olympics’ legacies.