People

Lecturer in Innovation Management

Email: saad.ahmed@TUDublin.ie

Dr. Saad Ahmed is an accomplished educator and researcher in the fields of innovation management, project management, and digital systems. He holds a PhD in Innovation Management, an MSc in Project Management, an MSc in Advanced Digital Systems, and a BE in Electronics. With over 10 years of teaching experience at both postgraduate and undergraduate levels, Dr. Ahmed is dedicated to delivering high-quality education through the Outcome Based Education (OBE) system. 

Dr. Ahmed teaches a variety of modules across different NFQ levels: 

• Level 6: Disciplined Innovation Process, Agile Project Management
• Level 8: Innovation, Creativity and Enterprise, Entrepreneurial Studies, Project Management
• Level 9: Innovation Management, Project Management, Innovation and Technology Management, 

Placement and Process, Service Delivery Strategy, Innovation and Creativity, Agile Project Management, Innovation and Commercialization.

Research Interests 

• Innovation-Driven Entrepreneurial Ventures
• Early Stage Startups
• Agile Delivery of Innovation Projects 

Industry Engagement: Dr. Ahmed actively engages with industry through various initiatives: 

1. Certificate in Creating Successful Products: Collaborating with Workday to design and deliver this certificate, tailored to meet strategic company requirements. He will be delivering the Innovation and Design module. 

2. PhD Project: Jointly funded by TU Dublin and Corning Inc. USA, focusing on the development of the Disciplined Innovation Process Support (DIPS) Framework for incubation support. 

3. Supervision of Industry Consultancy Projects: Supervised projects for TU MSc Innovation and Technology Management and MSc Global Business Services programmes, as well as the Executive MBA Live Project.

Selected Publications 

• Ahmed, S., Buckley, A., & Behan, F. (2019). Evaluating the role and contribution of State-Funded Disciplined Innovation Processes (DIPs) in entrepreneurial success. Triple Helix Congress on Responsible Innovation & Entrepreneurship (ETHAC2019), Thessaloniki, Greece. 

• Ahmed, S., & Buckley, A. (2021). Using Mixed Methods to Evaluate the Role and Contribution of Disciplined Innovation Processes (DIPs) for Start-Up Growth and Development. 20th ECRM - European Conference on Research Methodology for Business and Management Studies, Aveiro, Portugal. 

Professional Contributions 

• Played an active role in organizing the 6th edition of the International Digital Marketing Week (Feb 2024), involving over 220 participants from three universities. 

• Delivered a workshop titled “Unleash your inner child and be innovative using LEGO Serious Play” during the event. 

• Member of the newly approved Centre for Entrepreneurial Behavior, Inclusion and Innovation (CEBII) at TU Dublin. 

• Successfully delivered two iterations of the “Climate Entrepreneurship Camp” to transition year students at TU Dublin Blanchardstown Campus, focusing on solving community-based green problems aligned with UN Sustainable Development Goals. 

• Attended “train the trainer” session at The Instructor Academy, I-Corps South at the Enterprise Innovation Institute’s Venture Lab, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA. 

• Delivered the “Disciplined Innovation Process” module during the 2nd Edition of International Week at ESDES School of Business and Management, Catholic University of Lyon. 

Dr. Saad Ahmed continues to advance the field of innovation management through his research, teaching, and industry collaborations, fostering the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs.