معرفی
Karen Spens is Professor of Supply Chain Management and Corporate Geography at Hanken School of Economics. She served as Rector of Hanken from 2015 to 2020 and previously as Dean of Education from 2010 to 2015. During her tenure as Dean, she led the development of the Assurance of Learning process to improve student learning outcomes.
Dr. Spens earned her Doctor of Science in Economics and Business Administration with a focus on Business Economics from Svenska handelshögskolan (Hanken School of Economics) in Finland in 2001.
Professor Spens's research primarily focuses on humanitarian logistics, where she has made significant contributions to the field. She has published extensively on supply chain management in disaster contexts, co-founded the Journal of Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Management, and established the Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Research Institute (HUMLOG Institute). Her work bridges the gap between theoretical research and practical applications in crisis response and disaster management.
Her research spans social and economic geography, humanitarian logistics, and supply chain management, with particular emphasis on how supply chains function in disaster relief and development contexts. She has explored topics including disaster classification frameworks, innovation in humanitarian supply chains, and the ethical dimensions of research in this field, with publications showing strong citation impact (2949 citations, h-index of 19).
- HUMANITARIAN LOGISTICS: DEVELOPMENT OF AN IMPROVED DISASTER CLASSIFICATION FRAMEWORK (2013)
Professor Spens has supervised numerous students and been actively involved in PhD examinations. She has led and participated in multiple research projects totaling 15 projects, including 'Resilience in Disaster Relief and Development Supply Chains' and 'Food Security and Development Project Nepal.' Her work has received significant attention, with 2949 citations and an h-index of 19.
She co-founded the Humanitarian Logistics and Supply Chain Research Institute (HUMLOG Institute), which serves as a hub for research, collaboration, and knowledge sharing in humanitarian logistics. The institute brings together academics, practitioners, and policymakers to address challenges in disaster response and development across multiple countries and contexts.
