Niraj Kumar

Professor Niraj Kumar is Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management at Essex Business School, University of Essex, where he also serves as Head of the Strategy, Operations and Entrepreneurship (SOE) group and Associate Director of Research. He directs the Centre for Research on Entrepreneurship, Innovation Management and Internationalisation (REIMI).

Education & Career Path:

• Previous posts held at University of Liverpool Management School, Sheffield University Management School, Hull University Business School, University of Bath School of Management, and University of Hong Kong.

Research Interests:
Professor Kumar’s research focuses on sustainable operations and supply chain management, food supply chains, supply chain innovation, and big-data-driven practices in logistics. He is particularly interested in circular agri-food systems, resilient food-bank supply chains, and the integration of global and local agri-food networks for sustainable food security.

Research Funding & Impact:
He has led or contributed to projects funded by the European Commission (Horizon 2020), British Academy, Newton Fund, British Council, UKIERI, Innovate UK, ESRC IAA, and multiple industrial partners across aerospace, automotive, retail, construction, food, IT, and waste-management sectors.

Scientific Awards & Recognition:

• Top-20 most cited author, International Journal of Production Research (2020)
• Top-25 most cited author, Transportation Research Part E (2019)
• Excellent paper presentation award, 10th ICSI Conference, Liverpool (2019)
• The Bath Award, University of Bath (2009)
• Conference co-chair/chair roles at Sheffield (2014) and Bath (2009)

Doctoral Supervision & Grants:
Currently supervising seven PhD candidates in Business Administration, Management Studies, and Business Analytics. He welcomes prospective doctoral researchers with innovative ideas in operations and supply chain management.

Laboratories & Centres:
Professor Kumar directs the Centre for Research on Entrepreneurship, Innovation Management and Internationalisation (REIMI) and leads the Strategy, Operations and Entrepreneurship research group at Essex Business School.