Rate My Professor William Donald

William E. Donald is an Adjunct Professor of Sustainable Careers and Inclusive Practice in the Liverpool Business School at Liverpool John Moores University. He holds a Visiting Research Fellow position at the University of Southampton Business School, having previously served as Assistant Professor from 2020 to 2022 and Associate Professor from 2022 to 2025 voluntarily. Donald completed his PhD in Management with a focus on Organisational Behaviour and Human Resource Management at Southampton Business School (2014-2017), along with his undergraduate and master’s degrees from the same institution. Before entering academia, he worked in the finance sector in London. In 2022, he founded Donald Research & Consulting. Despite being housebound since 2019 due to health conditions including Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome, and Myalgic Encephalomyelitis, he continues his scholarly pursuits as serious leisure.

Donald’s research interests encompass sustainable careers, graduate employability, career ecosystems, neurodiversity, talent management, and inclusive HR practices. He has authored or co-authored over 132 publications, including more than 75 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters, and conference papers, garnering over 2,366 citations on ResearchGate. Notable works include the book Strategic Opportunities for Bridging the University-Employer Divide (IGI Global, 2024), which he authored, and the Handbook of Research on Sustainable Career Ecosystems for University Students and Graduates (IGI Global, 2023), which he edited. Key articles feature “Striving for sustainable graduate careers: Conceptualization via career ecosystems and the new psychological contract” (Career Development International, 2020) and “The undergraduate self-perception of employability: Human capital, careers advice and career ownership” (Studies in Higher Education, 2019). As Editor-in-Chief of Career Development International, he shapes the field significantly. His contributions earned him a place in the 2024 Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 list, recognizing his influence as a disabled academic advocate. Donald also holds fellowships such as Fellow of the Learning and Performance Institute and Lifetime Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.