Jie Ma is an Assistant Professor in Operations Management and a Programme Leader at Newcastle Business School. He joined Newcastle Business School in 2014 and is an award-winning faculty member recognised for his excellence in teaching and research. His broad research interests include operations management, supply chain management, and operations excellence. His recent research particularly focuses on supply chain risk management, inclusive supply chains, and off-site construction. Jie has established a strong research track record and has published in high-impact, world-leading journals such as Transportation Research Part E, Information Technology & People, Journal of Business Research, Production Planning and Control, and many others.

Jie has a growing reputation and network in the field, both nationally and internationally. He has participated in editorial work for journals such as Cogent Business & Management and Frontiers in Organizational Psychology. Additionally, he has been invited to serve as a lead guest editor for special issues in Sustainability and Frontiers in Psychology. Jie has also held notable scholarly roles, including track chair and review committee member for EurOMA.

Jie has demonstrated a high success rate in securing research funding. In 2022, he secured multiple successful funding applications, including from the ESRC and contract research funds in collaboration with the local city council. He also secured several internal funding sources, including the RIS Seed Fund, the RDF PhD Studentship, and continuous RA funding.

Beyond research, Jie is actively involved in creating impact and facilitating knowledge exchange. He has delivered presentations to organisations such as the Productivity Institute and the North Tyneside Council. Jie has collaborated with colleagues to develop a research project with Egger (UK) Ltd, focusing on improving their recycling processes. The findings from this project were later published as a teaching case study. He has also been invited as a subject expert and keynote speaker at research seminars hosted by other universities.

Jie has made significant contributions in various leadership roles. At the faculty level, he serves as the International Partners Coordinator and Programme Leader for the NBS Dual Award programmes, roles that require extensive collaboration with international partners and support for incoming students. At the departmental level, he is the Academic Coordinator, overseeing HEA activities, and a Research Group Champion, supporting the Digital Supply Chain Excellence Centre. Jie has played a key role in the CPPR process, the renewal of AACSB accreditation, and served as the Subject Group Head, leading strategic planning initiatives. Additionally, he actively contributes to the University’s BAME network, providing support to international colleagues.

Jie’s teaching contributions extend beyond Newcastle Business School. He has taught at other universities in Europe and China through external invitations and Erasmus mobility. Furthermore, he has served as an external examiner for various universities in the UK and abroad and has been appointed as a PhD internal subject expert and external PhD examiner in his field.

Research interests:

• Inclusive Supply Chain
• Supply Chain Management
• Risk Management
• Lean and Agile, TPS, Shop floor management and Kaizen

 Current projects (funded):

1. investigating the risks of Covid-19 vaccine supply chain
2. factors affecting Airbnb reviews
3. the challenges and opportunities of Virtual Learning
4. the Development of an Inter-trading Tool for North Tyneside Business Forum
5. Technology Adoption for Productivity

External Examiner

• The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong
• Leeds Beckett University
• University of West London
• University of Suffolk (2021 – 2024)
• University of Huddersfield (2019 – 2024)

PhD Supervision

Ke Sun: The Drivers of Customer Value in the Sharing Economy and Their Impact on Customer Lifetime Value (2021 – 2024).

Current

• Mohammed Eljalil (Awarded RDF, 09/2024 – ) PhD: Reverse logistics and Inclusive growth in circular economy, are we ready yet?
• Alicia Roman Alonso (2019 – ) Part-time DBA: Understanding the factors that influence the adoption of big data by SMEs      

Subject expert

• Vince McSkimmings (2021 – ) PhD: Industry 4.0: The effects of real-time business intelligence on the socio-technical system.
• Mubarak Mana Saeed Ahmed Alotaiba (2022 – ) PhD: Developing a Sustainability Management Framework in the Context of the United Arab Emirates' Hydrocarbon Sector