HCAIS Summer 2026 Conference at Surrey
The HCAIS (Human-Centred AI Society) Summer 2026 Conference was held at the University of Surrey on 22 June 2026, with the theme of Digital Innovation, Operations Management, and Sustainability.
Bringing together leading scholars, journal editors, and researchers from multiple countries, the conference created a timely forum for examining how digital technologies and sustainability concerns are reshaping operations management. The conference was co-chaired by Professor Glenn Parry and Dr Senmao Xia at the University of Surrey.
The conference featured opening addresses, keynote speeches, a roundtable discussion, paper presentations and a journal editor session. Across the programme, speakers and participants exchanged ideas on the future of digital and sustainable operations, the role of AI in research and university spin outs, and the publication of high-quality scholarship in top international journals.
Opening session
The opening session, hosted by Dr Senmao Xia, commenced with welcome addresses from Professor Iis Tussyadiah, Dean of Surrey Business School; Professor Glenn Parry, Associate Dean of Faculty at the University of Surrey; Professor Sandun Perera, Executive Director of HCAIS & University of Nevada. Their remarks established the academic framework of the conference and highlighted the importance of international collaboration in addressing emerging challenges in digital innovation, operations management and sustainability.
Keynote speeches
The keynote session is jointly chaired by Professor Meng Li, Founding Director of the Human-Centered AI Institute at the University of Houston, and Professor Sandun Perera from the University of Nevada. Professor Rogelio Oliva from Texas A&M University, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Operations Management, delivered a speech on the academic mechanisms and research value of intervention-based research. Professor Xiaolan Fu (pictured), Founding Director of TMCD (now TIDE) at the University of Oxford and Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences, presented empirical evidence on the use of OxValue.AI machine learning models for the valuation of early-stage technology firms. Together, the keynote speeches offer participants new perspectives on how rigorous research can respond to real world organisational and technological change.
Roundtable on AI, academic research and university spin outs
Paper presentation session
The afternoon paper presentation session was chaired by Professor Stelvia Matos from the University of Surrey. The session brought together six papers, combining online and in person presentations.
Meeting journal editors
The 'Meeting Journal Editors' session was chaired by Professor Meng Li from the University of Houston. The session brought together leading editorial voices, including Professor Rogelio Oliva, Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Operations Management, Professor Sandun Perera, Senior Editor of Production and Operations Management and Department Editor of IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, and Professor Byung Gak Son, Managing Editor of the International Journal of Operations & Production Management.
The editors shared valuable insights into journal positioning, manuscript development, theoretical contribution, methodological rigour and the review process. The session generated lively discussion, offering practical guidance on publishing in leading international journals.
By bringing together scholars from leading institutions and editors from top academic journals, the conference strengthened Surrey Business School position as an active hub for global academic exchange, interdisciplinary collaboration and research on operations management. In addition, the conference contributed to the development of a more connected, rigorous and internationally engaged research community.
This conference thanks the volunteers from the University of Surrey for their great contributions, including (in alphabetical order): Jiangwei Hua, Ruoxi Yang, Yifan Yang, and Jinlong Xie.
This conference was attended by University of Surrey faculty members, including Professor James Aitken, Dr Ekaterina Murzacheva, Dr Aldo Stornelli, Dr Vahid Mirza Beiki, Dr Debajyoti Biswas, and others.
Related sustainable development goals
