Dr Vahid Mirzabeiki
About
Biography
Dr. Vahid Mirzabeiki is a Senior Lecturer in Operations Management and Director of the MSc Operations & Supply Chain Management programme at Surrey Business School. His research focuses on digital transformation, technology adoption and innovation in operations and supply chains, with a particular interest in addressing real-world challenges through collaboration with industry.
His research has been published in leading international journals, including the International Journal of Operations & Production Management, International Journal of Production Research, International Journal of Production Economics, Journal of Business Research, and Production Planning & Control. He is a member of the Editorial Review Boards of the International Journal of Operations & Production Management and the Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, and regularly reviews for leading journals in operations and supply chain management. He has secured research funding as Principal Investigator, including funding from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), and has received consulting and research funding from GS1 UK.
Vahid's research has informed industry and policy. He has worked with organisations including DHL, Volvo, Nestlé, Pladis, GS1 UK and the Swedish Transport Administration, and has led research projects addressing emerging challenges in digital supply chains and finance. He has presented his work on Central Bank Digital Currencies and asset tokenisation for SMEs and supply chains to the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Digital Money and Digital Markets at the House of Parliament.
He is a recipient of the Surrey Business School Mid-Career Researcher of the Year Award (2021/22) and has served on the Harry Boer Best Paper Award Committee of EurOMA since 2025. He has also organised and chaired sessions at major international conferences, including EurOMA, POMS and DSI, and has been invited to speak at universities including the University of Bristol and the University of Lyon.
Before joining Surrey, Vahid was a Senior Research Fellow and Lecturer in Supply Chain Management at Cranfield University (2013–2018), followed by a Senior Lecturer position at Coventry University Business School (2018–2020), where he also served as Director of the Executive MBA Apprenticeship Programme.
Vahid holds an MSc and PhD in Supply Chain Management from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, and a Postgraduate Certificate in Academic Practice from Cranfield University. He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (SFHEA) and a Member of the Chartered Management Institute (MCMI). He is also a Visiting Faculty member at Bayes Business School, City St George's, University of London.
My qualifications
Affiliations and memberships
ResearchResearch interests
The central theme of Vahid's research is Inter-Organisational Technology Adoption in Supply Chains, which provides a unifying theme across his research projects and publications. His work examines the adoption and use of digital technologies in inter-firm supply chains, including digital technologies for omni-channel integration, supply chain intelligence, RFID-enabled tracking and traceability, blockchain, and Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) for supply chain finance. A particular focus of his research is understanding not only the potential benefits of technology adoption, but also the barriers, unintended consequences and “dark sides” that can emerge in inter-organisational contexts. His research combines theoretical development with practical relevance, often in collaboration with industry partners.
Currently, Vahid leads several research projects in these areas.
As Principal Investigator, he leads the project Retail Central Bank Digital Currency for Businesses and Households: Opportunities and Challenges, funded through the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Impact Acceleration Account.
He has also served as project lead and co-investigator on research and consulting projects funded by industry and public-sector organisations. Selected projects include:
- Co-opetition in the UK Logistics Industry (2016–2017), funded by Cranfield University School of Management (Project Lead).
- GS1 Standards for Managing the Cost to Serve in Apparel Supply Chains (2016), funded by GS1 UK (Project Lead).
- Project Step Change in Agri-Food Logistics Ecosystems (SCALE) (2013–2015), funded by Interreg NWE, European Union, in collaboration with DHL Supply Chain.
- Intelligent Industrial Goods and ERP Systems (2008–2010), funded by the Swedish Transport Administration. Vahid's PhD research was primarily funded through this project.
- Intelligent Excavation (2017–2018), funded by Highways England (Co-Investigator).
Research interests
The central theme of Vahid's research is Inter-Organisational Technology Adoption in Supply Chains, which provides a unifying theme across his research projects and publications. His work examines the adoption and use of digital technologies in inter-firm supply chains, including digital technologies for omni-channel integration, supply chain intelligence, RFID-enabled tracking and traceability, blockchain, and Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) for supply chain finance. A particular focus of his research is understanding not only the potential benefits of technology adoption, but also the barriers, unintended consequences and “dark sides” that can emerge in inter-organisational contexts. His research combines theoretical development with practical relevance, often in collaboration with industry partners.
Currently, Vahid leads several research projects in these areas.
As Principal Investigator, he leads the project Retail Central Bank Digital Currency for Businesses and Households: Opportunities and Challenges, funded through the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) Impact Acceleration Account.
He has also served as project lead and co-investigator on research and consulting projects funded by industry and public-sector organisations. Selected projects include:
- Co-opetition in the UK Logistics Industry (2016–2017), funded by Cranfield University School of Management (Project Lead).
- GS1 Standards for Managing the Cost to Serve in Apparel Supply Chains (2016), funded by GS1 UK (Project Lead).
- Project Step Change in Agri-Food Logistics Ecosystems (SCALE) (2013–2015), funded by Interreg NWE, European Union, in collaboration with DHL Supply Chain.
- Intelligent Industrial Goods and ERP Systems (2008–2010), funded by the Swedish Transport Administration. Vahid's PhD research was primarily funded through this project.
- Intelligent Excavation (2017–2018), funded by Highways England (Co-Investigator).
Supervision
Postgraduate research supervision
- Dr Nikolai Kazantsev, postdoctoral Research Fellow on the 'Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC) for small and medium-sized businesses and supply chains project' funded by ESRC IAA (2024-2025)
- Yiwen Bao, PhD student (2025-)
Teaching
- Supply Chain Design, Planning and Analysis (MANM532) (module leader)
- Supply Chain Management (MAN3101)
- Executive Convenience Leadership Programme
- Operations Management (MAN1059)
Publications
10.1080/09537287.2024.2321290