Doctoral researcher receives Best Doctoral Proposal award

Nasreen Hasan Ashkanani, doctoral researcher within the Hunter Centre for Entrepreneurship, Strategy and Innovation, was recognised at the RENT (Research in Entrepreneurship and Small Business) Conference, held in November in The Netherlands and organised by the European Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (ECSB).

Nasreen (pictured centre) received the Award for Best Doctoral Proposal for "Exploring the Socio-cultural Dynamics of Women’s Entrepreneurship in a Non-Western Cultural Context" and was also nominated for the José María Veciana Best Paper Award for her paper entitled “Empowered by Technology, Constrained by Tradition: The Dual Impact of Digitalisation on Rural Saudi Women Entrepreneurs”. 

Nasreen said, "I was delighted to receive the award for best doctoral proposal and be nominated for another award - these honours feel like a testament to the women who opened up to me sharing their lived realities during my PhD research and gave meaning to my research."

Published: 14 January 2026