Dr Ali Esfahbodi

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
• Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (PGCHE)
• PhD in Management
• MSc in Engineering Management
• BSc in Mechanical Engineering

Dr Ali Esfahbodi is a Lecturer in Operations Management at the Birmingham Business School. He holds a PhD in Management from the Birmingham Business School and an MSc in Engineering Management from the University of Birmingham. Dr Esfahbodi also holds a BSc (Honours) in Mechanical Engineering from Azad University Science and Research Branch, Tehran. Ali has a strong engineering and manufacturing background and at the same time has further developed his social sciences expertise, combining core management concepts with engineering vision and manufacturing systems. He possesses strong quantitative research skills along with rigorous data analysis expertise in multivariate statistics including structural equation modelling, path analysis, hierarchical moderated regression, confirmatory/exploratory factor analysis, and other methodologies.

His research interests lie at the intersection of sustainable development, organisational theory and operations and supply chain management, with a primary focus on implementing sustainable supply chain initiatives, performance measurement and supply chain innovation capabilities. His PhD thesis empirically analysed the organisational performance of UK manufacturing firms within a sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) context, investigating whether the implementation of SSCM initiatives can be both environmentally beneficial and commercially viable. He received a number of awards and achievements throughout his PhD such as the ‘Best Paper Award’ at the 9^th International Symposium on Global Manufacturing and China (2014) and the ‘Best Presentation Award’ at the Midland Regional Doctoral Colloquium Conference - University of Birmingham (2013). He welcomes strong PhD candidates who are interested in engaging with the operations and supply chain management research cluster.

Ali was involved in the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Union on Europe-China High Value Engineering Network (EC-HVEN) project, contributing to the development of the industrial sustainability research stream through establishing and promoting international collaboration on sustainable manufacturing and engineering technologies between Europe and China. He has also worked as a consultant and advisor to the Iranian Commissioner General of Expo Milano on the development on green and renewable energy initiatives theme, which was awarded the Silver prize for ‘Sustainable Design’. Ali has gained extensive experience in supply chain ecosystem development and sustainable supply network design from several overseas industrial consulting projects and would be keen to further develop industrial links. Having undertaken a PhD in Management as well as completing an MSc in Engineering Management and a BSc in Mechanical Engineering has made Ali highly determined to strive to tackle the great challenges of our day, breaking new ground and making important things happen.

Undergraduate

• Introduction to Business Strategy and Supply Chain Management (Year 1)

Postgraduate

• Operations Management (GDBA)
• Strategic Purchasing and Supply Management (GDBA)
• Value Chains, Outsourcing and Procurement (MSc Management)
• Value Chains, Outsourcing and Procurement (MSc IB Singapore)
• Organisational and Operations Management (MSc AEM) 

Dr Ali Esfahbodi is interested in supervising postgraduate and doctoral students in the following areas:

• Operations and supply chain management
• Sustainable supply chain management
• Sustainable manufacturing and performance management
• Supply chain innovation capabilities
• Green ICT and supply chain
• Competitive advantage and sustainable supply chain: resource-based view (RBV) perspective

Research interests

• Sustainable supply chain management
• Supply chain analytics - big data
• New technologies in operations and supply chain - Industry 4.0; Web 2.0; Data-driven information technologies; Smart factories; Intelligent manufacturing technology systems
• Manufacturing firms and industrial sustainability
• Conceptual framework and structural modelling
• Performance measurement and management
• Leagile manufacturing strategies and operations

Dr Esfahbodi has been a reviewer for the International Journal of Production Economics (IJPE) and the International Journal of Innovation and Sustainable Development (IJISD) since 2015, and recently for the Scientia Iranica International Journal of Science and Technology. He is also a member of the European Operations Management Association (EUROMA) and the Council of Supply Chain Management Professionals (CSCMP).