Zahra Shams Esfandabadi

Zahra is an Assistant Professor of Circular Economy, Operations, and System Dynamics in the ITEM group at the Department of Industrial Engineering and Innovation Sciences. Her main research interests fall within the intersection of the circular economy, the sharing economy, and the digital economy. Although her specific focus lies within the mobility and food sectors, she studies product-service systems and sharing platforms from a wider perspective considering innovation, circular economy strategies, and sustainable consumption initiatives to promote a sustainable circular ecosystem. In this vein, her approach is primarily rooted in systems thinking, aiming to provide a comprehensive understanding of the complex dynamics involved.

She is an associate editor in Journal of Public Affairs (Wiley), and has published several articles in well-known journals, such as Technovation, Journal of Cleaner Production, Sustainable Production and Consumption, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Science of the Total Environment, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, and Resources, Conservation and Recycling (Please see her published articles on Google Scholar). In 2023, she received an Honorable Mention for the “Dana Meadows Award” from the System Dynamics Society. Besides, in 2022, she received the “Best Young Paper” award from the MeRIT (Megaprojects Research Multi-disciplinary Team) conference and workshop in Italy, the “High-quality Publications Award” from the Georesources and Environment Association in Italy, and the “Outstanding Reviewer in the 2022 Emerald Literati Awards” from Emerald Publishing.

Due to her interdisciplinary approach, Zahra has a wide research collaboration network with researchers from different disciplines and domains. She is a member of the System Dynamics Society and is collaborating with the Market Formation Dynamics team based at EMLYON Business School, France. She is also a research director in Servitization community and a research manager in Circular program of the European Supply Chain Forum (ESCF).