Behrouz Arabi is a Research Fellow at Birmingham Business School, University of Birmingham, where he works on applied business analytics and frontier-based decision modelling for sustainability and policy-relevant challenges. His research focuses on the use of quantitative and non-parametric methods to support decision-making in complex systems, particularly across agrifood production, energy markets, and the circular economy.
His work is strongly interdisciplinary and policy-facing, combining methodological innovation with real-world institutional and stakeholder contexts. At Birmingham, he contributes to the development of scenario design models for improving the sustainability of agrifood systems, alongside work on data infrastructure, analytical frameworks, and research-led outputs aimed at informing both academic and policy communities.
Before joining Birmingham, Behrouz was a Research Fellow and part-time lecturer at the University of York, where he played a key role in interdisciplinary research on agrifood sustainability across the UK and EU. In this role, he led analytical workstreams, coordinated participatory workshops with stakeholders, and contributed to academic publications and policy reports. Alongside his research activities, he delivered undergraduate and postgraduate teaching in sustainable operations, supply chain management, and research methods.
Earlier, Behrouz worked as a Research Associate at Heriot-Watt University, contributing to several UKRI-funded projects on sustainable and zero-emission food cold chains and circular economy systems. His work in these projects involved the development of advanced decision-support models, stakeholder engagement, and scenario analysis, and led to publications in internationally recognised journals as well as policy-oriented outputs. He was also involved in the successful development of major interdisciplinary research proposals and centres.
Behrouz has held a post-doctoral research position at the University of Porto, where he contributed to theoretical developments in performance frontier analysis using clustering methods and Industry 4.0 data. In addition to his academic career, he has extensive senior-level experience in government and industry, particularly in electricity market regulation, energy policy design, and performance monitoring. In these roles, he led multidisciplinary teams, developed regulatory frameworks, and applied data-driven models to market oversight, investment evaluation, and policy reform.
He has over seven years of university teaching experience and is currently completing a recognised teaching qualification leading to Associate Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. His work reflects a strong commitment to research-led teaching, interdisciplinary collaboration, and the use of analytics to inform sustainable decision-making and public policy.
Alongside his academic career, Behrouz has extensive senior-level experience in government and industry, particularly in electricity market regulation, energy policy design, and performance monitoring. He has led multidisciplinary teams within national energy institutions, developed regulatory and market frameworks, and applied advanced analytical models to market oversight, investment appraisal, and policy reform. This experience strongly informs his current research, ensuring that his analytical work is grounded in institutional realities and delivers practical value for policymakers and industry stakeholders.