Dirk Inghels

Dirk Inghels is an Associate Professor of Operations Analytics at the School of Business and Economics, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (since 2016). He also serves as R&D Director at Aluminum Duffel BV, Belgium. His expertise spans sustainable supply chain management, waste valorization, and operations research integration. He holds a PhD in Operations Management from VU Amsterdam (2016), alongside advanced degrees in Industrial Engineering and Management (TU Eindhoven), Industrial Management (University of Ghent), and Electro-Mechanical Engineering (University of Antwerp).

Research focuses on sustainable supply chains, including municipal solid waste management and end-of-life vehicle recycling in Flanders. Key contributions include integrating life cycle assessment into supply chains and modeling circular economy transitions in aluminum production. Notable awards include the Aleris Chairman Award (2019, 2014) and the Business Excellence Award 2020.

His work aligns with UN Sustainable Development Goals, particularly environmental sustainability. Recent articles emphasize circularity in automotive supply chains and waste collection optimization via memetic algorithms. Teaching includes courses on sustainable business processes and operations management.