For some academics, such as Professor Thanos Papadopoulos, it’s his sixth consecutive year. A testament to the Kent Business School’s commitment to ground-breaking research.
The report highlights academics whose work is having a significant impact on their fields worldwide. Rankings are based on a composite citation score (with and without self-citations), reflecting the quality, reach and influence of academic research over time. Inclusion in the top 2% signifies consistent contributions to global knowledge, shaping both academic thinking and real-world practice.
This recognition highlights the world-class research environment at Kent Business School and its commitment to producing work that informs policy, advances theory, and drives innovation in business and management.
Professor Aydin Ozkan – Professor of Finance
Professor Ozkan’s research investigates issues in corporate finance, with particular focus on capital structure, corporate governance, and sustainable finance. His work investigates how firms manage financial risk, make financing decisions, and pursue long-term value creation within changing economic and institutional environments. Using theoretical and empirical analyses, his research contributes to ongoing academic and practitioner discussions on firm behaviour and financial resilience. His work has appeared in peer-reviewed journals including the British Journal of Management, Journal of Corporate Finance, and Journal of Banking and Finance, reflecting sustained engagement with internationally recognised scholarly outlets. Find out more about Professor Aydin Ozkan
Professor George Saridakis FAcSS FRSA PhD (Econ.) – Professor of Entrepreneurship and Small Business
Professor George Saridakis is an internationally recognised scholar whose applied research focuses on small firm dynamics, entrepreneurial behaviour, and business performance. His work informs both policy and practice, particularly in the areas of economic recovery, SME resilience and growth, and work-related attitudes in small and medium-sized enterprises. His research has been published in leading international journals in the field. He is the author of more than 100 academic articles, several edited volumes, numerous book chapters, and a wide range of policy-oriented reports. He has also authored several opinion blogs and newspaper articles addressing timely issues on the policy agenda. Professor Saridakis is a Fellow of both the Academy of Social Sciences and the Royal Society of Arts, and an Honorary Professor at the University of the West Indies. Find out more about Professor George Saridakis
Professor Shaomin Wu – Professor of Business/Applied Statistics
Professor Wu develops new machine learning algorithms and data-driven methods to improve decision-making under uncertainty, with applications in interpretable machine learning, maintenance, reliability, risk analysis, and sustainable operations. His interdisciplinary research appears in journals including European Journal of Operational Research and Reliability Engineering & System Safety. Find out more about Professor Wu
Professor Thanos Papadopoulos – Professor of Management (Information Systems/Operations Management) Deputy Head of School
Recognised for the sixth consecutive year, Thanos specialises in operations and information management. His research focuses on digital technologies transforming supply chains to boost resilience and sustainability. With over 150 publications in top journals like British Journal of Management, International Journal of Operations and Production Management and European Journal of Information Systems, he also serves as Associate Editor for several leading journals. Find out more about Professor Papadopoulos
Professor Said Salhi – Professor Operational Research /Management Science (FORS,FIMA,FCILT)
Professor Said has been among the top 2% Ranking of Scientists in the World for several years. He is currently Editor in Chief for the Journal of the Operational Research Society (January 2020-2029). Said has been an Emeritus Professor in Operational Research/Management Science at the Kent Business School (UK) since 2021 where he was full professor for 16 years prior to his retirement. His research covers heuristic optimisation with a focus on logistic areas such as routing and location.
He was Head of the Management Science Group in Kent for over 8 years (2008-May 2017), founder and designer of the MSc in Logistics & Supply Chain Management, and also founder of the Centre on Logistics and Heuristic Optimisation (CLHO) in 2008. He published over 140 papers in academic journals and edited several special issues including the edited OR Handbook ‘The Palgrave Handbook of Operations Research’ published in Summer 2022. Said is a fellow of the OR Society (FORS), the IMA (FIMA), and CILT (FCILT). Find out more about Professor Salhi.
Find out more about Kent Business School’s Research which s ongoing and innovative, impacting local and global businesses.