Professor Nazrul Islam
Professor
Professor of Business & Director of Research Degrees (PhD/MPhil) Associate Director, Centre of FinTech
Department of Business Entrepreneurship & Finance , Royal Docks School Of Business And Law
Professor Nazrul Islam is a distinguished academic and administrator in the Business School, recognised for his sustained excellence in research, leadership, and external engagement. As a senior academic leader, he has played a significant role in advancing groundbreaking research aligned with key business themes. His work focuses on technology and innovation management, digital innovation, and technological transformation, with a particular emphasis on how businesses—from SMEs to large enterprises—can leverage digitalisation for sustainable growth, business resilience, and entrepreneurship.
Prof Islam has consistently published in leading international journals, including CABS 4*/3* and FT-50 ranked journal outlets, and has successfully secured research grants from the UK, Europe, and Japan. His contributions have been recognised with prestigious awards, including the Brad Hosler Award for Outstanding Paper (USA) and the Pratt & Whitney Best Paper Award (Canada).
His research has had a significant impact beyond academia, earning recognition from The White House and being featured in President Biden’s 2024 Economic Report, where its influence on economic policy was highlighted (UEL Professor’s workforce AI research hailed in White House | University of East London). Additionally, he was nominated for the Vice-Chancellor & President's Excellence Award 2024 at the Royal Docks School of Business and Law, and received the RDSBL School Award 2024 for Impactful Research.
As a leading expert in innovation, Prof Islam currently serves as Associate Editor for Technological Forecasting and Social Change (CABS-3*), Department Editor for IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management (CABS-3*), and Editor-in-Chief for International Journal of Technology Intelligence and Planning (CABS-1*). Beyond academia, he actively contributes to the global research community through leadership roles, currently serving as President of the UK Chapter and a Member of the Board of Directors for the Business and Applied Sciences Academy of North America (USA).
Qualifications
- BSc
- MSc
- MEng
- PhD
Areas Of Interest
- Management of Technology and Innovation
- Technological Transformation
- Disruptive and Industry 4.0 Technologies
- Business Sustainability
OVERVIEW
Professor Nazrul Islam has over 25 years of experience in teaching, research, and academic administration at esteemed institutions worldwide. He has a proven record of sustained excellence in teaching, with a strong track record at the undergraduate, postgraduate, and executive levels, both online and in face-to-face settings. Additionally, he has substantial experience in developing innovative and inclusive curricula that improve student engagement and learning outcomes. In recognition of his contributions to teaching, he has been honoured with two 'Above and Beyond' Awards at the University of Exeter for Collaboration and Impact, as well as a prestigious ‘Teaching Excellence Award’ for his contributions to pedagogy.
With extensive experience in research leadership and postgraduate programme management, Prof Islam has successfully led doctoral candidates as Director of Research Degree Programmes at two universities, significantly expanding and improving the postgraduate researcher pool. Additionally, as Director of Research, he played a pivotal role in institutional leadership, serving as: UK Research Excellence Framework (REF) Panel Coordinator, Staff mentor, Faculty board representative, and Member of key school and university committees. His leadership spans both research and education, driving strategic initiatives, mentoring faculty, and fostering partnerships with top universities to advance academic excellence and institutional growth.
FUNDING
Research Grants Awarded
- Trade restrictions induced financial distress in supply chain management. Funding body: 3rd RDSBL Seed Funding 2023-24; Duration: February 2024 – July 2024; Amount: £3,000.00 (Awarded); Role: Principal Investigator
- The Role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Product Development – Is It Worth to Invest on AI? Funding body: UK Higher Education Innovation Funding (QR Research Funding); Duration: June 2023 – November 2023; Amount: £10,000.00 (Awarded); Role: Principal Investigator
- The Metaverse: Theoretical, Legal and Policy Perspectives, Funding body: UK Higher Education Innovation Funding (QR Research Funding); Duration: June 2023 – November 2023; Amount: £10,000.00 (Awarded); Role: Principal Investigator
- Macro, Meso and Micro-level Enablers and Barriers of Nanotechnology Commercialisation, with Faculty of Business and Law, the University of Newcastle, Australia; Duration: January 2021 - December 2025; Amount: AUD 100,000.00; Role: Co-Principal Investigator.
- Innovation ecosystem for Artificial Intelligence (AI) in aging society and smart city, with Rennes Business School, France; Duration: January 2020 - December 2020; Amount: Euro 7,500.00; Role: Principal Investigator.
- Development of International Partnership with University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and University of New Mexico, USA; Funding body: Outward Mobility Academic Fellowships, University of Exeter IIB (Innovation, Impact and Business); Duration: January 2018 - July 2018; Amount: £5,000.00; Role: Principal Investigator.
- Modelling for Discontinuous Innovation and Its Impact on Social Change (with University of Surrey); Funding body: Sustainability and Circular Economy Research Cluster; Duration: August 2017 - July 2018; Amount: £5,500.00; Role: Co-Investigator.
- Evolution of Cancer Immunotherapies in Healthcare Innovation Systems (with Kyoto University); Funding body: The Organisations in Transition Research Cluster; Duration: August 2016 - July 2017; Amount: £5,000.00; Role: Principal Investigator.
- Understanding innovation process in the digital publishing sector - A comparative study (with ITS India); Funding body: The Organisations in Transition Research Cluster; Duration: August 2016 - July 2017; Amount: £5,000.00; Role: Principal Investigator.
- Collaboration Structure in Nanotechnology Innovation System; Funding body: Glyn Rowland’s Research Grants, Wales, UK; Duration: September 2011 - August 2014; Amount: £45,000.00; Role: Principal Investigator and Mentor.
- Learning and Teaching Fellowship (AULTF); Funding Body: Aberystwyth University; Duration: January 2013 - December 2013; Amount: £1,200.00; Role: Principal Investigator.
- Exploration of the UK industry takes up of nanotech and to encourage its use; Funding Body: Aberystwyth University Research Funds (URF); Duration: Sep 2011 - Aug 2013; Amount: £6,000.00; Role: Principal Investigator.
- Staff Mobility Grants at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Germany; Funding Body: British Council Erasmus Grants, UK; Duration: June 2013 – August 2013; Amount: £3,500.00; Role: Principal Investigator.
- Technological Forecasting: Establishing a Management Decision Support System to Forecast the Interchange Ability, Trajectory and Limits of Emerging and Disruptive Technologies; Funding Body: EPSRC Research Fellowship; Duration: Apr 2008 - Oct 2009; Amount: £50,000.00; Role: Lead for Work Package 5.
- Socio-technical Analysis and Appraisal of Hydrogen Energy Technologies; Funding Body: EPSRC Research Fellowship (SUPERGEN XIV Consortium UK); Duration: Nov 2009 - Aug 2010; Amount: £35,000.00; Role: Work Package Lead for sustainable hydrogen energy innovation.
- Fluorous Nanoflow Systems and Nanotechnology Systems of Innovation; Funding Body: Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Japan; Duration: Apr 2002 - Mar 2008; Amount: £6,80,000.00 (JPY126,000,000.00); Role: Recipient of the grant.
EXTERNAL ROLES
External examining
- External Examiner for BSc Management & Development, Coventry University, UK, 2024-2027
- External Advisor for BSc (Hons) Business Management Periodic Course review, Canterbury Christ Church University, UK, 2024-2027
- External Examiner for PhD, Essex Business School, University of Essex, UK, 2023
- External Examiner for PhD, Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ranchi, India, 2022-23
- External Examiner for PhD, RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia, 2021-22
- External Examiner for PhD, University of Manchester, UK, 2021
- External Examiner for PhD, Plymouth University, UK, 2019
- External Examiner for PhD, Bangor University, UK, 2019
- External Examiner for PhD, Cardiff Metropolitan University, UK, 2017-2018
- External Examiner for PhD, University of Bradford, UK, 2017, 2019
- External Examiner for DBA, University of the West of Scotland, UK, 2018-2021
- External Examiner for MSc and MBA, Suffolk Business School, University of Suffolk, UK, 2016-2019
Editorship of journals
- Department Editor, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management
- Associate Editor (Lead Bureau Editor for Emerging Technologies), Technological Forecasting and Social Change
- Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Technology Intelligence and Planning
- Managing Guest Editor for Special Issues: IEEE Transaction on Engineering Management; Technovation; Technological Forecasting and Social Change; Journal of Business Research
Leadership roles
- 2023 – present Chair, Research Degrees Committee, Royal Docks School of Business and Law, University of East London, UK
- 2023 – present Executive Member of University of East London Research Degrees Committee, UK
- 2022 – present Director of Research Degrees (PhD/MPhil), Royal Docks School of Business and Law, University of East London, UK
- 2022 – present Associate Director for UEL Centre of FinTech, Royal Docks School of Business and Law, University of East London, UK
- 2017 – 2022 Interdisciplinary Pathway Lead for ESRC’s South West England Doctoral Training Partnership (SWDTP), University of Exeter, UK
- 2021 – 2023 Director of Research (virtual role), Global Scaling Institute, University of New Mexico, USA
- 2016 – present President, Business and Applied Sciences Academy of North America (BAASANA) UK Chapter
- 2014 – present Member of the Board of Directors, BAASANA, USA
- 2017, 2019 Conference Chair, BAASANA International Conference UK – Organised by BAASANA-UK Chapter
- 2017 – present Fellow Board Member, Cambridge International Academics, UK
- 2015 – 2016 Director and Chair of PhD Colloquium, PICMET Annual Conference, USA
- 2018 – 2022 Director of Doctoral Studies (part-time), University of the West of Scotland, London, UK
- 2016 – 2018 Deputy Director of Education, University of Exeter Business School, UK
- 2010 – 2014 Director of Postgraduate Research (DPGR), Aberystwyth Business School, Aberystwyth University, UK
- 2012 – 2014 Chair for Postgraduate Examination Board, Aberystwyth Business School, Aberystwyth University, UK
Awards and honours
- The research study entitled, ‘Worker and Workplace AI Coexistence’ has been recognised by The White House (2024 Economic Report of the President)
- Winner of the UEL Chancellor’s Award for Impactful Research and Nominated for Vice-chancellor & President Excellence Award 2024
- Received the ‘Award of Excellence’ for distinctive contributions to BAASANA in 2017, 2019, 2024
- Received the ‘Award of Excellence’ for outstanding service and distinctive contribution as Conference Chair to BAASANA
- Awarded the Certificate of Nominating Professor by PICMET in recognition of outstanding PhD student mentoring, 2015, Portland, Oregon, USA
- Received the ‘Award of Excellence’ for valuable services as Member of the Board of Directors to BAASANA, 2015, Manhattan, NY, USA
- Winner of the ‘Pratt & Whitney Canada Best Paper Award’, R&D Management Conference 2008, Ottawa, Canada
- Winner of the ‘Brad Hosler Award for Outstanding Paper’, PICMET Conference 2015, Portland, Oregon, USA
- Outstanding Teacher Award: Aberystwyth University Learning and Teaching Fellowship, 2013
External recognition
- Featured Guest Speaker – talk title "Workplace AI and Industry Collaborations", for BAASANA International Conference 2024, 7-9 August 2024, Manhattan, New York, USA
- Keynote Speaker – talk title "Workers and Workplace Artificial Intelligence (AI) Coexistence", for International Conference on Accounting, Economics, Finance, and Management 2024 (ICAEFM), 30-31 August 2024, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
- Keynote Speaker – talk title "Industry Partnerships in Emerging Technology Systems of Innovation", for IEEE International Conference on Technology Management, Operations and Decisions, 22-24 November 2023, Rabat, Morocco
- Keynote Speaker for The Tenth China Forum of Future-oriented Technology Analysis, 29 -30 July 2019, Beijing University of Technology, Beijing, China
- Invited Guest Speaker for an International Conference held in University of Cambridge (Churchill College), UK, November 11-12, 2017
- Keynote Speaker and Panel Discussant at International Conference on Innovation in Engineering and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 27-28, 2018
- Keynote Speaker for Plenary Session at the Innovation and Technology Management Africa, Pretoria, South Africa, August 10-12, 2011
- Invited Guest Speaker at an International Conference held in Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, JAPAN, October 6-8, 2014
- Invited Guest Speaker at International Conferences held in National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore, July 26, 2007
- Editor Panellist for IAMOT Annual Conference, PICMET Annual Conference, TEMSCON'18 Conference
- Referee for Research Councils UK (EPSRC, ESRC), and for The Knowledge Foundation, Sweden
Professional memberships
- Professional Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA), UK
- IEEE TEM Society (USA)
- PICMET (USA)
Publications
Browse past publications by year.
Full publications list
Visit the research repository to view a full list of publications
- Digital Transformation in Large Established Organizations: Four Restructuring Dilemmas based on Dynamic Capabilities International Journal of Management Reviews. p. In press
- Aligning Risk and Value Creation: A Process Model of Supply Chain Risk Management in Geopolitical Disruptions International Journal of Operations and Production Management. p. In press
- Paving the way to environmental sustainability: A systematic review to integrate big data analytics into high-stake decision forecasting Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 214 (Art. 124060). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2025.124060
- Antecedents and consequences of social robots adoption for SMEs - Reimaging emerging technologies in the context of the new normal Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 210 (Art. 123887). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123887
- Empowering Firms with AI-Generated Content: Strategic Approaches to R&D and Advertising in the Era of Generative AI IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. p. In press
- Product Attribute and Heterogeneous Sentiment Analysis-Based Evaluation to Support Online Personalized Consumption Decisions IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. 71, pp. 11198-11211. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2024.3413999
- Does Fintech Adoption Improve Sustainable Supply Chain Management? An Innovation-Intensive Environment Perspective IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. 72, pp. 210-226. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2024.3515471
- Resilience and agility in sustainable supply chains: A relational and dynamic capabilities view Journal of Business Research. 183 (Art. 114855). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2024.114855
- Unpacking the effects of R&D strategy proximity on inter-firm knowledge flow: evidence from the global 3D printing industry Technology Analysis & Strategic Management. In Press. https://doi.org/10.1080/09537325.2024.2358429
- Barriers and Enablers for Industry 4.0 in SMEs: A Combined Integration Framework IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. In Press. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2024.3365771
- Circular Economy, Open Innovation, and Green Innovation: Empirical Evidence From Prefecture-Level Cities in China IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. 71, pp. 5706-5719. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2024.3357350
- How Does Supply Chain Transparency Influence Idiosyncratic Risk in Newly Public Firms: The Moderating Role of Firm Digitalization International Journal of Operations and Production Management. 44 (9), pp. 1649-1675. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJOPM-08-2023-0689
- Demystifying the Impact of Service Recovery Strategies: Evidence From Healthcare and Telecom Sectors IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. 71, pp. 6649-6661. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2023.3285152
- What keeps me engaging? A study of consumers' continuous social media brand engagement practices Information Technology and People. 36 (6), pp. 2440-2468. https://doi.org/10.1108/ITP-11-2021-0850
- Emotions and food waste behavior: Do habit and facilitating conditions matter? Journal of Business Research. 155 (Art. 113356). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.113356
- Is BlockChain Mining Profitable in the Long Run? IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. 70 (2), pp. 386-399. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2020.3045774
- Mobile Health Interventions for Cancer Care and Support: The Next Level of Digitalization in Healthcare IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. 71, pp. 6173-6189. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2023.3243724
- Different strokes for different folks: Comparative analysis of 3D printing in large, medium and small firms Technovation. 125 (Art. 102792). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2023.102792
- Investigating visibility affordance, knowledge transfer and employee agility performance. A study of enterprise social media Technovation. 128 (Art.), p. 102874. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2023.102874
- Does digital transformation matter for operational risk exposure? Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 197 (Art. 122919). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2023.122919
- Emergency medical supplies scheduling during public health emergencies: algorithm design based on AI techniques International Journal of Production Research. 63 (2), pp. 628-650. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2023.2267680
- Enablers or Inhibitors? Unpacking the Emotional Power Behind In-Vehicle AI Anthropomorphic Interaction: A Dual Factor Approach by Text Mining IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. 71, pp. 13149-13165. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2023.3327500
- Applying artificial intelligence in healthcare: lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic International Journal of Production Research. 63 (2), pp. 594-627. https://doi.org/10.1080/00207543.2023.2263102
- Personality and travel intentions during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: An artificial neural network (ANN) approach Journal of Business Research. 142, pp. 400-411. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.12.002
- Gamification and e-learning for young learners: A systematic literature review, bibliometric analysis, and future research agenda Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 176 (Art. 121445). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121445
- The dark side of phubbing in the workplace: Investigating the role of intrinsic motivation and the use of enterprise social media (ESM) in a cross-cultural setting Journal of Business Research. 143, pp. 81-93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.01.043
- Way off the mark? Open innovation failures: Decoding what really matters to chart the future course of action Journal of Business Research. 142, pp. 1010-1025. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2021.12.062
- Developing a mental health index using a machine learning approach: Assessing the impact of mobility and lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic Technological Forecasting and Social Change. 178 (Art. 121560). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.121560
- The effect of the valence of forgiveness to service recovery strategies and service outcomes in food delivery apps Journal of Business Research. 147, pp. 142-157. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.04.020
- Influence of blockchain technology in SME internationalization: Evidence from high-tech SMEs in India Technovation. 115 (Art. 102518). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2022.102518
- What drives me there? The interplay of socio-psychological gratification and consumer values in social media brand engagement Journal of Business Research. 146, pp. 288-307. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.03.057
- Why Do Retail Customers Adopt Artificial Intelligence (AI) Based Autonomous Decision-Making Systems? IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management. 71, pp. 1846-1861. https://doi.org/10.1109/TEM.2022.3157976
- RFID-integrated blockchain-driven circular supply chain management: A system architecture for B2B tea industry Industrial Marketing Management. 101, pp. 238-257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2021.12.003
