I cherish seeing my students grow into responsible and successful future leaders, entrepreneurs, and researchers. I have supervised more than three dozen undergraduate and graduate students. And I take pride in contributing to their development during their university education. One of the ways I do so is by encouraging and supervising undergraduate research projects, whereby the students interact more with me as their supervisor. I guide them in grasping the fundamentals of research design and execution and developing self-confidence and an appetite for more advanced graduate studies. For my entrepreneurial students, this opportunity also enables the fruition of creative, innovative ideas into commercial products. For example, my earlier student Calvin Cooper was nationally recognized for his research under my supervision on social security systems in the US. In 2012, Calvin's research was one of the few among more than 800 entries nationwide, and he presented his research to the most influential policy-makers on Capitol Hill, Washington, D.C. I am proud of Calvin! He has gone places; he turned his entrepreneurial spirit into concrete VC-funded projects, such as turning renters into homeowners using FinTech. Embodying his passion and dream, Calvin has helped improve the quality of life and hopes for a sustainable future, especially for those who need it most. I enjoy going above and beyond and being a lifelong mentor for my students. Witnessing my students thrive and reach their potential and knowing that I have impacted their lives is the best reward and motivation for what I do as a researcher and educator.

One learns by doing! I advise all young educators and researchers to keep abreast: Constantly learn and focus on research relevant to sustainability in your field of inquiry. As an educator, you have an excellent opportunity to impact the lives of emerging generations—apply yourself, show your enthusiasm, and support young minds to reach their full potential. Students learn best when given opportunities to apply what they learn in the classroom; be their inspiration by example. My transformational leadership style is evidenced by how I believe in and act with persistence. As almost all of the business world runs on supply chains, and as the world marketplace is changing at an ever-faster pace, I strive to keep my teaching materials and research current persistently. Being a lifelong learner, I keep my entrepreneurial spirit up and delve into new challenging projects, industrial collaborations, and creative activities. To my younger colleagues, I say: Enjoy every bit of time you spend with your students, inspire their minds, make collegiality your compass, be inclusive, and use your energy and curiosity for research to advance science, society, and sustainable development.

The climate crisis and social instabilities are ahead of us. United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, governmental regulations, and voluntary and socially pressed imperatives probe the business as usual and shape how markets should operate. Therefore, in my ongoing and future projects, I keep my teaching materials fresh and distinct by instilling sustainability aspects of managerial decisions and business education. My current research projects relate to greening city logistics via decarbonized freight deliveries, sustainable humanitarian supply chain models, marketing and sustainable consumption, financing resilient supply chains in emerging economies, and the design and execution of circular supply chains. To elaborate on the last research topic, a CSC requires a broader comprehension of circular economy and more sophisticated, large-scale analytical decision models to end waste by valorizing material flows in shortened loops and slowing consumption. A CSC calls for systems thinking and compliance with a “quadruple bottom-line” approach (cultural, economic, environmental, and societal long-term well-being). Currently, my research group at CRSSCA and I are studying, among others, the development of mathematical programming of circular supply chain input-output models, optimal shipment consolidation policies for green urban logistics, and the integration of intelligent technologies such as blockchain, internet-of-things and artificial intelligence for sustainable production and consumption in a circular economy for food, clothing, and electronic products.