Role
Brian is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Marketing at Nottingham Business School.
Career overview
Brian has taught at various Higher Education (HE) institutions within the UK (University of Reading, De Montfort University) and within the Republic of Ireland (University of Limerick, The National College of Ireland). He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and has served as External Examiner for Postgraduate Marketing programmes at Bournemouth University (2020–2024). Brian is committed to best pedagogical practice and has been recognised for both his research-informed approach to teaching (De Montfort University Oscar Award for Research-Informed Teaching) and his pedagogical research (Nottingham Trent University Module Enhancement Project funding award, De Montfort University Teaching Innovation Fund Grant Award). In 2025, Brian was awarded an Academy of Marketing Pedagogic Research Grant to investigate the potential of Generative AI in shaping pedagogic practice within marketing. Brian is currently the Coordinator of the Scholarship Group within the Marketing Department at NTU. Prior to entering academia, Brian worked within industry as a market researcher.
Research areas
Brian’s research interests lie broadly within the fields of consumer behaviour, consumer psychology, persuasion and behavioural science. His research investigates how consumers can live happier, healthier, more sustainable lives through adaptive approaches to the marketplace. Brian is a member of the Marketing and Consumer Studies Research Centre and welcomes PhD applications that relate to consumer behaviour themes.
Publications
Mbah, M.F., Harman, B., Molthan-Hill, P. (2025). Conceptual Premises for Climate Change Adaptation Education in African Universities. In: Mbah, M.F., Molthan-Hill, P., Molua, E.L. (eds) Practices, Perceptions and Prospects for Climate Change Education in Africa. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-84081-4_4
Harman, B. Dessart, G., Puke, L. & Antonini Philippe, R. (2022). Coping and Resilience among Endurance Athletes during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Frontiers in Psychology. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.811499.
Harman, B. (2020). [Review of the book “Routledge International Handbook of Consumer Psychology”, by Cathrine V. Jansson-Boyd & Magdalena J. Zawisza], Qualitative Market Research, 23 (2), 329-332. doi.org/10.1108/QMR-04-2020-193.
Dekel-Dachs, O. & Harman, B. (2020). Keeping it Real in Cosplay World. Association of Consumer Research Conference, 1 - 4 October, 2020.
Harman, B., Kosirnik, C. & Antonini Philippe, R. (2019). From Social Interactions to Interpersonal Relationships: Influences on Ultra-runners’ race experience. PLoS ONE 14(12): e0225195. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0225195.
Harman, B. & Bosak, J. (2019). Five rules from psychology to keep your new year’s
resolutions. The Conversation. 31 Dec 2019. Available: https://theconversation.com/five-rules-from-psychology-to-help-keep-your-new-years-resolutions-128816.
Harman, B., & Bosak, J. (2018). How to avoid overspending: uncover the psychology behind why people buy. The Conversation, 18 Dec 2018. https://theconversation.com/how-to-avoid-overspending-uncover-the-psychology-behind-why-people-buy-108680
Harman, B., & Murphy, M. (2008). The application of social marketing in reducing road traffic accidents among young male drivers: An investigation using physical fear threat appeals. International Journal of Business and Management, 3, (7), 129-139.
Harman, B., & Murphy, M. (2008). Reducing road traffic accidents among young male drivers: An investigation using social marketing”, Irish Business Journal. 4, (1), 68-79.