The first Operations and Supply Chain Management Early Career Researcher (ECR) Conference was successfully held at the University of Liverpool Management School on Friday 12 June 2026, bringing together early career researchers, doctoral students and leading academics from across the globe.
Organised by the Operations and Supply Chain Management (OSCM) Group and the Centre for Supply Chain Research, the conference formed the final event of the 2026 OSCM PhD Summer School.
It provided a dedicated platform for emerging scholars to present their research, receive constructive feedback and build connections within the international OSCM research community.
The conference was led by Professor Andy Lyons, Head of the Department of OSCM, and Professor Hugo Lam, Director of Research for the Department, with support from the organising committee of Dr Shenghao Xie, Mr Ganapathy Muthuthandavam and Dr Xinjie (Daniel) Xing.
The day began with a Meet the Editors panel, where participants gained valuable insight into the academic publishing process from editors representing leading journals in the field.
The panel included Professor Tsan-Ming (Jason) Choi, Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management; Professor Hugo Lam, Co-Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Operations & Production Management; Professor Dongping Song, Associate Editor of Transportation Research Part E and Dr Bruce Tong, Guest Editor of the Journal of Operations Management.
Discussions explored how to develop impactful research, position papers for appropriate journals and respond effectively to editorial and reviewer feedback.
Doctoral students from the OSCM PhD Summer School then took part in a flash presentation competition, showcasing their research questions, methods and findings before an audience of peers and senior academics. Attendees also voted for the People's Choice Awards.
In the afternoon, 25 early career researchers presented their work across five parallel sessions chaired by senior academics, who provided developmental feedback and selected the best presentation from each session.
The parallel sessions were chaired by Dr Bruce Tong, Dr Cagatay Iris, Dr Daniel Xing, Dr Dong Li and Professor Zhaohui Wu, with co-chairs including Professor Andy Lyons, Professor Dongping Song, Professor Jason Choi, Professor Hugo Lam and Professor Zlatko Bodrožić.
Research topics reflected the breadth of contemporary operations and supply chain management, covering areas including artificial intelligence, digital platforms, omnichannel operations, maritime search and rescue, hydrogen supply chains, freight corridors, green bonds, geopolitical risk, healthcare supply chain resilience, circular economy practices, informal recycling chains and sustainability.
The conference concluded with a panel discussion on academic career development, where experienced researchers shared practical advice on building a research identity, developing collaborations and navigating the early stages of an academic career.
The event closed with an awards ceremony recognising outstanding presentations from both the PhD Presentation Competition and the Early Career Researcher Conference sessions.
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Bringing together 48 PhD Summer School participants, 25 early career researcher presenters and more than 30 additional delegates, the conference attracted attendees from over 51 universities across 19 countries.
Beyond showcasing innovative research, the event created a supportive environment for emerging scholars to exchange ideas, receive expert feedback and strengthen international research networks.
Participants highlighted the value of engaging directly with journal editors, presenting their work to experienced academics and connecting with fellow researchers from around the world.
One attendee commented: "The Meet the Editors session was one of my favourite parts of the conference. It gave me a much better understanding of the publication process," while another described the conference as "a great platform to discuss emerging OM research ideas and receive constructive feedback from both peers and senior scholars."
The success of the conference reflects the University of Liverpool Management School's ongoing commitment to supporting the next generation of operations and supply chain management researchers and fostering collaboration across the global research community.