Sohns, Franziska

Sohns, Franziska is an Associate Professor in Economic Geography at Anglia Ruskin University (UK) and Deputy Director of the Centre of Inclusive Societies and Economies (CISE). She serves as Chair of the Global Network on Financial Geography (FinGeo) and is a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Finance and Space.

Her research focuses on entrepreneurship, regional development, and economic transformation. She examines how entrepreneurial ecosystems evolve, how firms adapt to structural shocks, and how innovation-driven growth shapes regional inequality. Her work spans contexts from entrepreneurial ecosystems in advanced economies to micro-entrepreneurship and rural diversification strategies in developing regions. A further strand of her research explores the relationship between entrepreneurship and financial innovation, including FinTech adoption in family businesses and risks of financial exploitation associated with digital financial services.

Franziska completed her PhD at the University of Cologne and previously worked at the University of Greenwich while holding an Honorary Research Associate position at the University of Oxford.