Staff Profile

Over a number of decades, Russell has built up a body of publication in applied aspects of disciplines involving mathematics and statistics, and in student learning, developing quantitative models and applying statistics to estimate them. This latter interest means Russell has been heavily involved in development of learning tools to facilitate student-centred learning in face-to-face and distance-learning modes in both the northern and southern hemispheres. Since being awarded a grant to research student performance and progression, he devised and tested a retention model; used it to assess the effects of decisions students make about study and rest-of-life demands; applied the model internationally; used it to compare outcomes for students in business schools and other disciplines; compared outcomes for men and women in a longitudinal study; wrote a resource to assist students in deciding on appropriate study regimes given their personal circumstances (Duffy & Rimmer 2008; 2009; Duffy, et al., 2014; Duffy, Jost & Rimmer, 2018); studied the role of school mathematics in university outcomes (Houston & Rimmer 2005; Houston et al 2005; Houston et al 2007; Donnelly et al 2007; Houston & Rimmer 2008; Reeves & Rimmer, 2008); researched transformative learning among hospitality students (Jost & Rimmer, 2013, 2016); and investigated admissions to medical education (Houston, Osborne & Rimmer, 2015).

Of recent times, Russell has been involved in the establishment of Tutoric AG, an online learning platform, registered in Vienna, and aimed at those seeking graduate education in Eastern Europe and Russia. His teaching materials (Campan and Rimmer, 2021) and academic blogs (for example, Rimmer, 2022a, b, c) are widely appreciated.

In his discipline-specific research, Russell has resolved questions arising from the work of Poincare near the turn of the 20th century (Rimmer, 1983). His research (Rimmer, 1993) on income distribution was described by a reviewer as the most important contribution since David Ricardo. Applied work (Rimmer & Rimmer, 1993; 1997) involving a country wide representative survey and statistical analysis of Australian women’s careers was hailed as ‘ground breaking’. Work on Australian youth involved longitudinal analyses early in the exploitation of the relevant data source (Bell et al., 1990; 1994). With collaborators (Hunter et al., 2002), Russell built a mathematical model of organisational processes that produced complexity and chaos (rather than drawing on the sciences to borrow complexity as a metaphor). In the middle of the first decade of the 21^st century, he worked on client perceptions of quality of police services (Donnelly et al., 2006; 2009). Over the past few years, his work has centred on hospitality, festivals and events within the broader tourism discipline. This work has contributed to understanding career development within the industry, matching Russell’s pedagogic work in Switzerland and Scotland. Another notable contribution is introducing spiritual dimensions into quantitative studies of festivals and events that rely on factor analyses of motivations and attitudes (Hrankai & Rimmer, 2019; Tinsley, Rimmer & Matheson, 2019, 2016; Matheson, Rimmer & Tinsley, 2014).

 Since moving to the Northern Hemisphere, Russell has held the following positions:

• Professor and Head of Department of Strategic and Human Resource Management, Paisley Business School, University of the West of Scotland.
• Director, Executive MBA programme, Ayrshire Management Centre, University of the West of Scotland.
• Associate Dean for Learning and Teaching, School of Business, Enterprise and Management, Queen Margaret University.
• Emeritus Professor, School of Arts, Social Sciences and Management, Queen Margaret University.
• Professor of Research Development, Hotel and Tourism Management Institute, Sörenberg, Switzerland.
• Co-founder, Tutoric AG, Vienna, Austria.

Selected Publications: 

Duffy, T., Jost, M. and Rimmer, R. (2018) Evolving learning patterns among international hospitality students. International Hospitality and Tourism Student Journal,

Houston, M. , Osborne, M. and Rimmer, R. (2015) Private schooling and entry to medicine: a case study using matched samples and causal mediation analysis. BMC Medical Education, 15, 136. (doi: 10.1186/s12909-015-0415-1)

Matheson, C. M., Rimmer, R. and Tinsley, R. (2014) Spiritual attitudes and visitor motivations at the Beltane Fire Festival, Edinburgh. Tourism Management, 44, pp. 16-33.(doi: 10.1016/j.tourman.2014.01.023)

Duffy, T., McCaig, M., McGrandles, A., Rimmer, R. and Martin, C. R. (2014) Review of the integrity of a Self Administered Motivational Instrument. Nurse Education Today, 34(4), pp. 625-630. (doi: 10.1016/j.nedt.2013.05.015) (PMID:23790748)