Dr Marrisa’s passion for literature and books led her to a career in publishing after studying a BA (Hons) in English & Creative Writing and Music (Chichester), followed by an MA in International Publishing (Oxford Brookes). Dr Marrisa has worked in marketing in commercial and academic publishing, alongside sales roles in rights management. Dr Marrisa left publishing to pursue a PhD in Business & Management with an emphasis on Management & Organisational History at Queen Mary, University of London.
Dr Marrisa is Associate Professor of Organisation Studies and Business History at Henley Business School. She is a member of the Henley Centre for Economic and Business History and Co-Director of the Centre for Book Cultures and Publishing, a University Interdisciplinary Research Centre. Within the University of Reading, she serves on Senate and the University Research Ethics Committee, and externally sits on the Regulation and Compliance Committee of the Chartered Management Institute.
Dr Marrisa teaches across all levels of higher education, specialising in academic leadership and the management of media and creative industries organisations. Her research is grounded in business history, with a particular focus on the publishing industry and the organisation of creative industries. Drawing on professional experience in publishing, her work examines the development of business practices within the Victorian publishing industry, showing how socio-cultural forces shape strategic decision-making, organisational structures, and industry evolution.
She has edited and published influential works on publishing and book history, including The Edinburgh Companion to Women in Publishing, 1900–2020 (2024). Her sole-authored monograph, Victorian Literary Businesses (2019), has been widely reviewed, and she has published award-winning articles in leading academic journals.
A keen netball player Dr Marrisa plays at regional level, and is a qualified England Netball umpire. Her enjoyment for the game led her to being elected in 2007 as the first female Sports Federation President at the University of Chichester, managing the sports committee alongside being trustee and officer of the Students’ Union Executive Committee.
Dr Marrisa Joseph 