Benny Tjahjono is Professor of Sustainability and Supply Chain Management and the co-leader of the Sustainable Production and Consumption cluster at the Centre for Business in Society (CBiS). His research track record has been demonstrated by winning several research grants from the Engineering & Physical Research Council (EPSRC), Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), Academy of Medical Sciences (ACMEDSCI), InnovateUK, European Union, overseas funding agencies and directly from the UK industry sectors. He was one of the Principal Investigators and a member of a consortium consisting of seven universities in Europe that recently awarded the Horizon2020 MSCA Innovative Training Network worth €3,995,643 in total, aiming to formulate the service-oriented business for the European Circular Economy.

Prof. Tjahjono has a vested interest in sustainability and environmental conservation. Over the last six years, he has focused his overarching research area on Sustainable Operations and Supply Chain Management, in particular, the exploration of Circular Economy principles in manufacturing processes. He is an engineer by education and has a strong background in contemporary simulation and modelling techniques, including discrete-event simulation, agent-based simulation, and system dynamics. He has applied these techniques, amongst others such as Life-Cycle Assessment/Analysis (LCA), in addressing sustainability issues in modern factories, by proposing an environmentally-conscious manufacturing systems design method, as an innovative way to achieve the triple bottom line objectives, ‘doing good for people, planet and profit’.

In addition to his research activities, Prof Tjahjono has also been actively involved in supporting the research-enriched learning initiatives within the Faculty of Business and Law (FBL), which include the creation of research-informed teaching cases, delivery of guest lectures, supervision of Masters students theses, and acting as a "research buddy" to module leaders at FBL. 

He has published over 120 papers in refereed academic journals, conference proceedings, books, practitioners’ journals and newspapers. He has completed the supervision of 16 PhD and over 100 MSc students and currently leads a team of eight doctoral researchers in many emerging areas related to supply chain and operations management. As part of his duty, he is also actively involved in nurturing early career researchers.

High-calibre PhD candidates are invited to join the dynamic research team at the Sustainable Production and Consumption cluster, to work on the following research topics:

Topic 1: Risk Management in Global Electric Vehicle Battery Supply Chains. This project aims to provide a comprehensive framework for analysing, managing, and mitigating risks in global EV battery supply chains, with the ultimate goal of enhancing resilience, sustainability, and competitiveness to meet the growing demand for electric vehicles.

Topic 2: Towards the New Circular Bio-plastics Economy. This project aims to answer a seemingly simple yet important research question: what are the impacts of bio-plastics on the environment, businesses, and society? The answers will transform the way in which plastics are consumed in daily life, provide a strong underpinning for the future development of sustainable bio-plastics, and ultimately address both upstream (sourcing) and downstream (consumption/end-of-life) supply chain concerns.

Topic 3: Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence Integration to Enhance Traceability and Transparency in Supply Chains. This research concerns the integration of blockchain technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to gain deeper insights into the movement of products and their associated data. This transparent and auditable record of every transaction and movement within the supply chain not only enables real-time visibility into the status and location of products but also facilitates rapid identification and resolution of issues such as product recalls or counterfeit products.

Topic 4: Cash your trash: A Reverse Logistics Network Design for Circular Supply Chains. This research concerns the design of a reverse logistics network of supply chains based on the principles of Circular Economy. The work involves the development of mathematical models combined with an investigation into practice to test the potential solutions in terms of economics and environmental impacts.

Topic 5: Strategic Sourcing in Reshoring Initiatives: Leveraging Circular Economy Principles to Enhance Supply Chain Resilience. Strategic sourcing in reshoring initiatives entails the deliberate and systematic approach of procuring products and services from suppliers with the aim of relocating production or sourcing activities back to the domestic or local market. This strategic decision often stems from a variety of factors, including rising labour costs offshore, geopolitical uncertainties, or the desire to improve supply chain agility and responsiveness. This research focuses on adopting strategies that promote sustainability, resource efficiency, and waste reduction throughout the supply chain lifecycle.

Topic 6: The Application of Reinforcement Learning in Supply Chain Management for Adaptive Decision-making. This project explores the role of reinforcement learning in enhancing adaptive decision-making in supply chain management. One of the key benefits of using reinforcement learning in supply chain management is its ability to handle uncertainty and non-linear relationships between variables. Supply chain environments are inherently stochastic, with demand patterns, supplier lead times, and production capacities subject to variability and disruptions.