Adam Cross

Adam R. Cross is a Professor of International Business and serves as Associate Vice-President for Education (AVP-E) and Director of the Graduate School at Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University (XJTLU).

Since joining XJTLU in 2013, Professor Cross has served in multiple roles. For more than four years he was Associate Dean for Learning and Teaching at International Business School Suzhou (IBSS), during which time IBSS became the youngest business school in the world to receive accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB) as well as by EQUIS. In 2018, Professor Cross joined the School of Humanities and Social Sciences (HSS) as inaugural Head of the Department of International Relations (now the Department of International Studies), and in 2020 he became the Associate Dean for Learning and Teaching in the School. Before joining XJTLU, Professor Cross worked for 17 years at the Centre for International Business at the University of Leeds (CIBUL), UK, and at Manchester Metropolitan University, UK, for a number of years. Prior to starting his academic career, Professor Cross worked in industry as a commodities trader.

Across his thirty four-year career in Higher Education, Professor Cross has co-edited five books (including one with Oxford University Press), and has published more than 35 peer-reviewed articles in leading international journals in their field, including the Journal of International Business Studies, Journal of World Business, International Business Review, Asian Business Management, and Management International Review. Professor Cross has also contributed to 29 book chapters, supervised 14 PhD and 7 Masters of Research students to completion, acquired over one million GBP of research grant income, and led the design and launch of more than ten undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. The MA in International Business and Global Affairs that Professor Cross initiated and devised with colleagues in the Department of International Studies has become one of the most popular Master's programmes at XJTLU.

Professor Cross's contributions to research have been recognized externally in a number of ways. In 2017, Professor Cross's 2007 article co-authored with colleagues at CIBUL and titled "The determinants of Chinese outward foreign direct investment" was chosen for the prestigious Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS) Paper of the Decade Award. This award, sponsored by Palgrave Macmillan, is designed to recognise the most influential paper published in JIBS ten years previously. JIBS is the top ranked journal in the field of international business, is a FT50 (Financial Times top 50 journal), and is ranked as a 4* 'World Elite' journal in the Association of Business Schools' Academic Journal Guide 2018. More recently, Professor Cross was named as a Highly Cited Chinese Researcher in 2021, 2022, 2023, and again in 2024 by Elsevier for his contributions to the field of applied economics. His award in 2021 was the first time that any scholar from XJTLU had received this accolade since Elsevier began to publish this list in 2015, and he is the only scholar at XJTLU to have received this recognition four times. In 2025, Professor Cross's 2019 paper entitled "The distinctiveness and diversity of entrepreneurial ecosystems in China, Japan, and South Korea: an exploratory analysis" (co-authored with Prof. Martin Hemmert, Dr Ying Cheng, Dr J-J Kim, Prof. Florian Kohlbacher, Prof. Masa Kotosaka, Prof. Franz Waldenberger, and Dr. Leven Zheng), was chosen as one of the ten top papers published by Asian Business & Management (ABM) over the past 25 years, based on quality, impact, and contextualisation. By October 2025, Professor Cross's research had been cited more than 6,800 times according to Google Scholar.

Professor Cross's research focuses on the internationalisation of Asian multinational firms, entrepreneurship and new technology-based firms, and start-up ecosystems in East Asia.

Education/Academic Qualification

• Cambridgeshire College of Arts and Technology (now Anglia Ruskin University), Cambridge: BSc (Hons) Science, Class II(i) (CNAA), specialising in Geology with Biology, 1982.
• MSc University of Manchester, Management Sciences, 1991.

Experience

• Professor of International Business, XJTLU (2014 to present)
• Associate Vice-President for Education (AVP-E), XJTLU (2023 to present)
• Academic Director of the Graduate School, XJTLU (2023 to present)
• Associate Dean for Learning and Teaching, School of Humanities and Social Sciences (2020 to 2023)
• Inaugural Head of the Department of International Studies (2018 to 2020)
• Associate Dean for Learning and Teaching, International Business School Suzhou (IBSS), Xi'an Jiaotong Liverpool University (XJTLU), Suzhou, China, 2014-18
• Senior Lecturer in International Business, Centre for International Business (CIBUL), Leeds University Business School, University of Leeds, UK (2001 - 2013), Leeds, United Kingdom
• Lecturer in International Business, Centre for International Business (CIBUL), Leeds University Business School, University of Leeds, UK (1996 - 2001), Leeds, United Kingdom
• Research Assistant, Manchester School of Management, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) (1993 - 1994), Manchester, United Kingdom
• Research Assistant, Manchester School of Management, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology (UMIST) (1991 - 1993), Manchester, United Kingdom

Jianghang Chen

Dr. Jianghang CHEN is an associate professor of IBSS, XJTLU. Dr. CHENs researches focus on the mathematical modeling for complex systems such as supply chain, logistics transportation, and manufacturing etc., the development of intelligent decision-support tools, and the application of optimization and simulation techniques. The Goolge scholar link for Dr. CHEN is: https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=enuser=o2dF9tMAAAAJ

Education/Academic qualification

• Ph.D., the department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, National University of Singapore, 2012
• B.Eng., the department of Civil Engineering, Tsinghua University, 2007

Experience

• Associate Professor, International Business School Suzhou, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, China ,2019- present
• Assistant Professor, Sino-US Global Logistics Institute, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China, 2014-2019
• Postdoc, Laboratory of Transport and Mobility (TRANSP-OR), Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, Switzerland, 2012-2014
• Research Engineer, The Logistics Institute - Asia Pacific, National University of Singapore, Singapore, 2011-2012

Xiangyun Lu

Xiangyun, an Associate Professor with expertise in Computer Science and Accounting, joined IBSS in October 2016.

Passionate about providing engaging learning experiences, she has skilfully incorporated modern technologies and innovative methodologies into her lessons. Xiangyun teaches Python-related modules to both undergraduates and postgraduates in IBSS and also provides voluntary Python workshops via the University Library for all students. She has introduced a ChatGPT-based QA robot and an auto-marking robot to enhance student engagement and streamline the marking process. Additionally, she has developed software programs to assist colleagues in administrative tasks, allowing them to focus on delivering high-quality teaching. Xiangyun utilizes the game-based learning platform Kahoot to create a stimulating and interactive learning environment. As a recipient of the Teaching Development Fund (TDF), she is working on integrating Python and Machine Learning into the business curriculum, addressing the digital skills gap, and preparing students for the dynamic job market. Her primary research interests lie in applying AI algorithms, such as machine learning, deep learning, and NLP/Text Mining, to Accounting and Finance research, exploring topics like Fraud Detection, Industry Classification, Analyst Forecasts, and etc.

Education/Academic qualification

• PhD , the University of Southampton - 2017
• MPhil , Durham University Business School, Durham University - 2013
• MSc in Accounting and Finance , Durham University Business School, Durham University - 2009
• BEng in Computer Science, Beijing Forestry University - 2005

Experience

• Assistant Professor in Accounting, International Business School Suzhou, XJTLU - 2017 to Present
• Teaching Fellow in Accounting and Finance, International Business School Suzhou, XJTLU - 2016 to 2017
• Research Assistant for UK Mutual Fund Managerial Database Setup, Southampton Business School, University of Southampton - 2015 to 2015
• Research Assistant for Data Resources Expenditure Proposal, Southampton Business School, University of Southampton - 2014 to 2014
• Part Time Lecturer, University of Southampton,Southampton Business School - 2014 to 2015
• Accountant, GE China Co Ltd - 2005 to 2007