Research clusters

• Organisations in Transition
• Sustainability & Circular Economy

Research interests

• Innovation in High-tech Industries
• Systems of Innovation in Emerging and Disruptive Technologies
• Tech Mining and Bibliometric Methods
• Inter-firm Collaborations and Technology Competencies

Prof Islam’s expertise lies in the interface between Management and Engineering and explores new knowledge in the areas of innovation and technology management. Broadly this involves: the external and internal complexities in inter-firm collaborative partnerships; the organisational capabilities and challenges face by firms to deploy emerging and discontinuous-based innovation; statistically and textually analyses patents and visualization of collaborative linkages among firms. In support of this work funding has been obtained from both private sponsorship and research council grants.

His research work focuses on the following themes:

• Innovation System for Emerging Technologies: The study seeks to understand the development and diffusion of micro and nano-scale technologies (MNTs) into the manufacturing sector and to find the gap of linkages among actors. The research also sets out to explore the components and structure of the emerging biomedical and clinical innovation system building around stem cell-based therapies and cancer immunotherapies. The innovation systems framework guides this research, and directs the study to look at the changing role of knowledge and technology transfer in adapting to the emerging potentially altered (radical) manufacturing landscape.
• Understanding the Organisational Capabilities and Challenges: To some extent MNTs could be seen as a means by which firms can strive to ensure economic sustainability and competitiveness in the decade ahead. This research examines the organisational capabilities and challenges face by firms to deploy MNTs and the role of government in structuring the business environment firms participate in fabricating structures at the nano-scale; products using nano-particles or more complex systems such as lab-on chips devices.
• Mechanism of Technology Adoption: Using patent database and tech mining software, this research carries out automating mining and clustering of technology terms occurring in patent descriptors. The use of specialist computer software helps to statistically and textually analyses patents, mapping and clustering of key technologies, visualising collaborative linkages among firms. The aim is to formulate the mechanism of technology knowledge creation, collaborations, and its deployment to industry sectors.

The prospective PhD students are welcomed to apply in any areas of innovation, technology and operations systems management.

Research projects

Research Grants/Fellowships Awarded

• 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 (led by N. Mustafee)
• Evolution of Cancer Immunotherapies in Health-care 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; Duration: September 2011 – August 2014; Amount: £45,000.00; Role: Principal Investigator and PhD Supervisor
• Staff Mobility Grants at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg, Germany; Funding Body: British Council Erasmus Grants; Duration: June 2013 – August 2013; Amount: £3,500.00; Role: Principal Investigator
• Learning and Teaching Fellowship (AULTF); Funding Body: Aberystwyth University; Duration: January 2013 – December 2013; Amount: £1,200.00; Role: Principal Applicant
• 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
• Impact of Organisational Culture on Lean Manufacturing; Funding body: Yarmouk University; Duration: Sep 2013 – Aug 2016; Amount: £79,170.00 (JOD 88,910.00); Role: Principal Investigator and PhD Supervisor 
• 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: April 2008 – October 2009; Amount: £50,000.00; Role: Lead for Work Module 5
• Socio-technical Analysis and Appraisal of Hydrogen Energy Technologies; Funding Body: EPSRC Research Fellowship (SUPERGEN XIV Consortium UK); Duration: November 2009 – August 2010; Amount: £35,000.00; Role: Lead for Work Package on hydrogen energy innovation
• Fluorous Nanoflow Systems and Nanotechnology Systems of Innovation; Funding Body: Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, Japan; Duration: April 2002 – March 2008; Amount: £6,80,000.00 (JPY126,000,000.00); Role: Principal Applicant

Key publications | Publications by category | Publications by year

Editorship of Journals

• Editor-in-Chief, International Journal of Technology Intelligence and Planning (ABS 1*)
• Associate Editor, Technological Forecasting and Social Change (ABS 3*)
• Special Issue Guest Editor, Technological Forecasting and Social Change (ABS 3*) – Developed two special issues on Discontinuous Innovation and on Block Chain Technology and Management
• Academic Editor, British Journal of Applied Science and Technology

Conference and Research Leadership

Awards and Honours

• Received the ‘Award of Excellence’ for outstanding service and distinctive contribution as Conference Chair to the Business and Applied Sciences Academy of North America (BAASANA), 2017
• Received the ‘Award of Excellence’ for distinctive contributions to BAASANA in 2018, 2017, 2016
• Winner of the ‘Brad Hosler Award for Outstanding Paper’, PICMET Conference 2015, Portland, Oregon, USA
• Winner of the ‘Pratt & Whitney Canada Best Paper Award’, R&D Management Conference 2008, Ottawa, Canada
• Awarded a certificate as Nominating Professor in recognition of outstanding PhD student mentoring, PICMET, 2015, Portland, Oregon, USA
• Outstanding Teacher Award: Aberystwyth University Learning and Teaching Fellowship, 2013
• Received the ‘Award of Excellence’ for valuable services as Member of Board of Directors to the BAASANA, 2015, Manhattan, NY, USA

External Recognition

• Invited Keynote Speaker and Panel Discussant at the International Conference on Innovation in Engineering and Technology (ICIET), Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 27-28, 2018
• Invited Keynote Speaker for Plenary Session at the Innovation and Technology Management Africa, Pretoria, South Africa, August 10-12, 2011
• Invited Guest Speaker at International Conferences held in University of Cambridge (Churchill College), UK, November 11-12, 2017; in Tokyo Institute of Technology, Tokyo, JAPAN, October 6-8, 2014; in National University of Singapore (NUS), Singapore, July 26, 2007
• Visiting Professor, Middlesex University London, 2011-2012, UK; North South University, 2012-2013, Bangladesh
• Editor Panellist for TEMSCON'18 Conference, June 28-July 2, 2018, Chicago, USA; PICMET'17 Conference, July 9-13, 2017, Portland, Oregon, USA; PICMET'16 Conference, Sept. 4-8, 2016, Hawaii, USA; PICMET'15 Conference, August 2-6, 2015, Portland, Oregon, USA
• Referee for Research Councils (EPSRC, ESRC) UK and for The Knowledge Foundation Sweden
• Peer Reviewer for 12 leading Journals including Research Policy; Technovation; Technological Forecasting and Social Change; International Journal of Production Economics; IEEE Transaction on Engineering Management; R&D Management; Technology Analysis and Strategic Management; Journal of Technology Transfer; Scientometrics; Technology in Society; International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management; International Journal of Production Research
• Book Reviewer for Book Publishers: Routledge (Taylor and Francis); Wiley; Earth Scan; IGI Global

Professional Memberships

• Professional Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA), UK
• IEEE TEM Society (USA)
• PICMET (USA)

Professor Islam has substantial experience of significant innovation in inclusive curriculum development and has engaged himself in launching a number of new innovation management and international supply chain management modules for undergraduate and postgraduate students including a new MSc programme. As a module leader he has taught a wide variety of courses across the range of teaching areas and levels, and has integrated his research into teaching of innovation management, operations management, and supply chain management.

Modules

2018/19

• BEMM114 - Managing Operations
• BUS3001 - Dissertation