Dr Micaela Mazzei is a Reader at the Yunus Centre for Social Business and Health at Glasgow Caledonian University. She holds a PhD in Human Geography from Durham University and an MA (Econ) in Applied Social Research from the University of Manchester.
Dr Mazzei is currently Co-Principal Investigator of Community Wealth Building Evaluation Learning Lessons from Scotland (CoWBELLS), a three-year, NIHR-funded collaborative research project assessing how Community Wealth Building influences the health and wellbeing of people living in Scotland.
She is also Co-Principal Investigator on ENGAGED Youth, a Horizon Europe project (2025–2028) led by the University of Bergen. This international consortium brings together partners in Norway, Romania, Spain, Portugal and the UK, and explores how young people engage politically and participate in society.
At the Yunus Centre, Dr Mazzei leads the Social Economy research theme. She serves as Chair of the Regional Studies Association (RSA) Scotland Section and sits on the Editorial Boards of VOLUNTAS, the Journal of Social Entrepreneurship, and the Social Enterprise Journal.
Her research interests within social innovation and the social economy span three interconnected areas:
- The contextual factors shaping social economy and social enterprise development
- The dynamics of local and regional economies, particularly through a diverse-economy lens
- The role of voluntary and community organisations in public service design and delivery.
Dr Mazzei led the MSc Social Innovation and MSc Social Innovation with Professional Practice programmes at Glasgow Caledonian University until June 2025. She has conducted extensive research on social economies and social exclusion across northern English city regions, including Greater Manchester and Tyne and Wear, working both as an academic and as a consultant with the Centre for Local Economic Strategies in Manchester.
Her experience also includes evaluating place-based regeneration programmes and contributing to the revision of the Indices of Multiple Deprivation (Wales) during her time at the Centre for Urban Policy Studies, University of Manchester.