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Zahir Irani

Professor of Sustainable Operations Management and Founding Dean of College, Brunel University London

Zahir is Professor of Operations and Information Management in the Brunel Business School, which he joined in August 2006 as the Head of School. Prior to this, he was the Head of the Department of Information Systems and Computing (now, Department of Computer Science). He completed a BEng (Hons) at Salford University before then accepting a research position where he completed a MPhil. His has a PhD from Brunel University in the area of investment evaluation before undertaking his leadership development at the Harvard Business School.

During 2014, Professor Irani enjoyed a full time secondment to the Cabinet Office, where he was a Senior Policy advisor. He currently maintains strong links across several Government departments and often advises on matter.

Zahir’s research interests are multidisciplinary in nature, and developed from early work on the area of evaluating investments in Manufacturing Information Systems through to more recent works in Transformational Government. He has received significant levels of funding from across the world as Principal Investigator, including from the UK Research Councils (EPSRC, ESRC), European Commission, Qatar Foundation, Australian Research Council and QinetiQ. He also publishes in leading scholarly journals. Zahir manages to find time to write press and thought leadership pieces on higher education and graduate employability that have appeared in The Guardian, The Independent, The Wall Street Journal, Financial Times (FT), Thomson Reuters, University Business, Research Foresight and Times Higher Education (THE).

Under his leadership, Brunel Business School received the 2013/14 Times Higher Award – Business School of the Year.

The Middle East needs help with its long game: education and jobs for the young

Aug 09, 2016 09:14 am UTC| Insights & Views Life

The future for many young people across the Middle East and North Africa looks bleak. The World Bank records that 54% of the working age population in the Middle East and North Africa is unemployed with little prospect of...

Economy

US Eyes Refinery Boost as Trump Seeks Relief From High Gas Prices

U.S. Energy Secretary Chris Wright said Washington is preparing measures to help refiners increase fuel production as the Trump administration looks for ways to bring down gasoline prices following the U.S.-Israeli war on...

Canada Faces 50% U.S. Tariffs as Trade Tensions Threaten USMCA Talks

Canada is bracing for a new wave of 50% U.S. tariffs this week, raising concerns over job losses, weaker investment and fresh uncertainty surrounding the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). U.S. President Donald Trump...

Wall Street Falls as Oil Prices Rise, Fed Minutes and Retail Earnings in Focus

Wall Street closed lower Monday as investors stepped back following a record-setting week, while rising oil prices and persistent Middle East tensions weighed on market sentiment. The SP 500 fell 0.5% to 7,748.14, the...

Citadel Warns High Treasury Yields Pose Broader Market Risks

The Federal Reserves monetary policy strategy following the recent inflation surge is helping keep long-term US Treasury yields near multiyear highs, potentially creating wider risks across financial markets, according to...

Oil Prices Rise as U.S.-Iran Tensions Grip Strait of Hormuz

Oil prices extended their gains Monday as escalating U.S.-Iran tensions over the Strait of Hormuz fueled concerns about global energy supplies and shipping disruptions. Brent crude futures for October delivery rose 2.5% to...

Politics

Trump Says Kim Jong Un Responded to Outreach After US Scales Back South Korea Military Drills

U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has responded to his recent outreach, signaling renewed communication between the two leaders as Washington moves to reduce joint military...

Trump Says Iran Should Surrender as Nuclear Deal Talks Stall

U.S. President Donald Trump said Monday that Iran is unlikely to accept the agreement he considers necessary to end the war with the United States, insisting Tehran must surrender and abandon any path toward developing a...

Gérald Darmanin Backs Édouard Philippe for 2027 French Presidential Election

French Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin has thrown his support behind former Prime Minister Édouard Philippe for Frances 2027 presidential election, ruling out a potential bid of his own as the countrys...

Russia-Ukraine Drone Attacks Escalate as Strikes Hit Moscow, Kyiv and Romania

Russia and Ukraine exchanged major missile and drone attacks overnight, leaving several people dead and damaging industrial and commercial facilities as the war continues to intensify. Russian forces struck ArcelorMittal...

US CENTCOM Chief Praises USS Abraham Lincoln Crew Amid Mental Health Concerns

U.S. Central Command chief Admiral Brad Cooper praised the crew of the USS Abraham Lincoln following a recent visit to the aircraft carrier, describing their performance and resilience as awe-inspiring amid growing...

Science

Blue Origin New Glenn Explosion Could Delay Launch Operations Until 2028

Blue Origin is facing a significant setback after a dramatic explosion involving its New Glenn rocket severely damaged a launch pad at Cape Canaveral, Florida. According to NASA Administrator Jared Isaacman, repairs to the...

Blue Origin New Glenn Rocket Explodes During Launch Pad Test, Delaying Space Ambitions

Blue Origin suffered a major setback after its uncrewed New Glenn rocket exploded during a launch pad test in Florida on Thursday, raising new challenges for Jeff Bezos space company as it competes with Elon Musks SpaceX...

SpaceX Delays Starship V3 Launch Ahead of Potential Record IPO

SpaceX on Thursday postponed the highly anticipated launch of its 12th Starship rocket test from Texas after technical issues interrupted the final countdown. The company now plans to attempt the Starship V3 launch again...

Trump Administration Releases New UFO Files and Apollo Mission Records

The U.S. Defense Department has released dozens of previously classified UFO-related files following an order from President Donald Trump, sparking renewed debate over unidentified anomalous phenomena (UAP) and government...

China vs. NASA: The New Moon Race and What's at Stake by 2030

The space race is back and this time, its a direct competition between the United States and China for dominance on the lunar surface. NASAs Artemis II mission recently made history when four astronauts flew farther into...

Technology

BofA Sees Micron EPS Topping $230 by 2030, Backs Major Stock Upside

Bank of America expects Micron Technology (NASDAQ: MU) to deliver more than $230 in earnings per share by fiscal 2030, significantly above Wall Streets current peak estimates, as artificial intelligence demand reshapes the...

Anthropic Revenue Run Rate Hits $65 Billion as IPO Plans Accelerate

Anthropics annual revenue run rate surpassed $65 billion by the end of July, highlighting the artificial intelligence startups rapid expansion as it prepares for a potential initial public offering later this year. The...

Google to Buy Spirit Airlines Business Data for $10 Million to Train AI

Google, a subsidiary of Alphabet, has agreed to acquire internal business data from bankrupt Spirit Airlines for $10 million, with plans to use the information for product development and artificial intelligence training....

Alphabet Eyes First Australian Dollar Bond as AI Spending Drives Funding Push

Alphabet, the parent company of Google, is preparing for its first-ever Australian dollar bond issuance as the U.S. technology giant explores new funding sources amid rapidly rising artificial intelligence investment. The...

Alibaba Sells Lingxi Games for Over $1.5 Billion Amid AI Push

Alibaba Group is reportedly selling its gaming subsidiary Lingxi Games in a transaction that could value the Chinese video game studio at more than $1.5 billion, as the technology giant redirects resources toward...