Midya Yousefi, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership at Wenzhou-Kean University. Her teaching, research, and service focus on educational leadership and management, higher education transformation, digital leadership, e-leadership, technology integration, faculty development, and institutional innovation. Her work is closely connected to the realities of universities undergoing organizational, technological, and cultural change, particularly in cross-border and internationalized higher education contexts. At WKU, Dr. Yousefi teaches and supports graduate education in educational leadership in the K-12 context and higher education leadership. Since 2019, she has supervised and examined doctoral research across Ed.D., Ph.D., and DBA programs, contributing to the preparation of emerging scholars and education professionals in internationalized and digitally transforming higher education contexts.

Beyond her university role, Dr. Yousefi contributes to educational development through professional service and institutional advising. She serves as an educational advisor and training expert for local schools in Wenzhou, supporting teacher professional development, curriculum redesign, and educational improvement initiatives. She also advises London Global Education on higher education leadership, global education strategy, institutional development, and digital transformation. Through these roles, she connects academic research with practical leadership, school improvement, and international education development.

Dr. Yousefi is also engaged in wider professional dialogue on transnational education and higher education leadership. Through her contribution to TNE Institute 2026, she supports knowledge exchange on global education, leadership development, and institutional transformation in internationalized higher education settings.

Media highlight: Dr. Yousefi was featured in The Korea Times for her contribution to the QS Higher Ed Summit: Asia Pacific panel “Transformational Leadership in Challenging Times,” where she discussed Wenzhou-Kean University’s role in preparing future leaders through cross-cultural collaboration, experiential learning, innovation, and digital transformation in higher education.

Digital transformation

E-leadership

Digital leadership

AI readiness

Technology integration

Technological agility

Higher education innovation

Cross-border higher education

QS Higher Ed Summit: Asia Pacific

Speaker on transformational leadership in challenging times; featured in The Korea Times for commentary on leadership, innovation, cross-cultural collaboration, and digital transformation in higher education.

QS Reimagine Education Awards

Judge for Smart Omnichannel Campus and Smart Education & Digitalization Campus categories, connecting institutional leadership with technology-enabled educational improvement.

QS China higher education forum

Moderator of the panel “Driving Technology for Educational Advancement in Chinese Universities.”

Academy of Management(AMO)

Global Ambassador and Board Member, Education Management and Development Division(MED).

• Principal Investigator: Modeling Sustainability in the Digital Era: A Cross-National Predictive Analysis, President’s Global-Local Anchor Institution Research Grant Program, Kean University, 2025-2027.

• Team members: A Triadic Interaction Analysis of School Leadership Behavior and Teacher Practice in Zhejiang Province under the Perspective of Inclusive Education, Zhejiang Provincial Philosophy and Social Sciences Planning Project, 2025-2028.

• Principal Investigator: The Effect of Collaborative Leadership Awareness on Faculty Innovation in Higher Education, IRSP, Wenzhou-Kean University, 2023-2027.

• Principal Investigator: The Impact of Faculty Stressors on Work Engagement: Stress-Buffering Relationship of Social Supports among Vocational Colleges in China, SPF, Wenzhou-Kean University, 2023-202.

• Co-PI: A Model to Enhance Sustainability in Malaysia, Ministry of Higher Education of Malaysia, 2019-2021.

Artificial intelligence readiness and curriculum leadership among higher vocational college faculty.

Transformational leadership and faculty technology integration in higher vocational colleges.

E-leadership and teachers’ voice behavior during digital education reform.

Digital leadership, job crafting, and organizational innovation climate among faculty in Chinese normal universities.

Entrepreneurial leadership, faculty performance, and technological agility in vocational colleges.

Leadership practices and teacher technology integration in Chinese higher education institutions.

• Leadership and Management in Higher Education

• Personnel Administration and Negotiation

• Public School Administration and School Business Management

• Quantitative Research Methods, Basic Statistics, and Advanced Statistics

• Literature of Higher Education

• Technology & Leadership 

Yousefi, M., Zhang, J., Mullick, J., & Jiang, Z. (2026). Play to Plan: Integrating Gamification into the Entrepreneurship Curriculum to Predict and Enhance Students’ Intentions. The Curriculum Journal.

Yousefi, M., Wang, Q., & Mullick, J. (2025). Confidence in Connection: Teacher Collaboration as the Strongest Predictor of Inclusive Practices in Chinese Schools. SAGE Open.

Yousefi, M., Zhang, J., & Jiang, Z. (2025). Bolstering Teaching Performance in Chinese Universities through Transformational Leadership and Perceived Organizational Support. International Journal of Chinese Education.

Yousefi, M., Zhang, J., Mullick, J., & Jiang, Z. (2025, May). Advancing the University Entrepreneurship Model: the Synergistic Impact of Gamification and EdTech on Business College Students at Comprehensive Universities in Zhejiang, China. In 2025 5th International Conference on Artificial Intelligence and Education (ICAIE) (pp. 584-588). IEEE.

Al-Khayari, N. M., Yousefi, M., & Aigbogun, O. (2024). A predictive model for collaborative leadership in digital transformation: Does it make a difference in Oman’s e-government performance? foresight, 26(5), 775-792.

Mullick, J., Wang, Q., & Yousefi, M. (2023). Outlining the distributed leadership practice structure of Chinese schools in Wenzhou: a social network analysis. School Leadership & Management, 43(5), 473-496.

Yousefi, M., Sorayyaei Azar, A., Anderson, C., & Gray, S. (Eds.). (2025). Cultivating Inclusive Educational Leadership Ecosystems: Women Trailblazers and the Path Forward: Women Trailblazers and the Path Forward. (Book)

Yousefi, M., Mullick, J., & Wang, Q. (2024). Preparing teachers and students for the challenges of society 5.0: integration of cognitive computing, learning analytics, and gamification of learning. Preconceptions of Policies, Strategies, and Challenges in Education 5.0, 75-99.