Welcome!

Thank you for taking the time to visit this webpage and to learn a little about me and what I do!


Profile

I am an Assistant Professor (Equivalent to Associate Professor in US/Europe) of Leadership and Management Studies at the School of Management and Economics, the University of Kurdistan Hewler (UKH) in Kurdistan Region of Iraq. I was previously the Director of Business, Management and Economics Programmes, where I oversaw the development, review, and validation/revalidation of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes. My portfolio included six undergraduate programmes and three postgraduate programmes: EMBA, MSc in Business Management and MSc in Accounting and Finance. Additionally, I played a key role in the design, validation and launch of three doctoral programmes at UKH: PhD in Business Management, PhD in Banking and Finance, and Iraq's first Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) programme.

Previously, I led curriculum development; module syllabus reviews; review and approval of exams and grades; as well as the recruitment of faculty and students. I was also responsible for budget preparation, and management, addressing disputes and complaints, and handling cases of misconduct as the first point of contact. 

I am a Certified Management & Business Educator (CMBE) accredited by the UK's Chartered Association of Business Schools; a Certified HR-OD Practitioner credentialed by The Academy to Innovate HR in the Netherlands; and a Senior Fellow of Advance HE (formerly HEA) in the UK. 

As a highly published scholar, I bring extensive expereince in teaching, research, leadership, and the supervision of PhD/DBA, MSc/MA/EMBA dissertations. My expertise includes coordinating and planning new programme evaluations, providing professional advisory support to colleagues, and managing complex administrative tasks in dynamic, high-pressure environments. Additionally, I am recognized as a collaborative team player with a proven ability to work proactively across diverse academic and professional contexts.  

Prior to my current role, I served as a Lecturer of Management Studies at the University of Raparin from October 2015 and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of International and Public Affairs, Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China from January 2019 to December 2022.

In 2021, 2022 and 2025, I was invited as a Visiting Professor from the University College Landon’s School of Public Policy in the UK,  Aalen University of Applied Sciences in Germany. I was also invited as a Visiting Scholar to Carleton University in Canada


Educational Background

I have had the privilege of studying and working at seven universities both internationally and within Kurdistan-Iraq. These include two universities in Australia, three universities in China, two universities in Kurdistan-Iraq and one university in the United States of America. I hold a PhD in Management from Beihang University, an MPA from Tsinghua University, an MBA (with Distinction) from University of Canberra, a Graduate Certificate from University of South Australia, a BSc in Business Management Science (with First Class Honors) from the University of Kurdistan Hewler, and an Executive Certificate from Harvard Kennedy School.


Research interests

My research centers mainly on the "people side" of management and organizations, with a particular emphasis on studying employee attitudes and behaviors in public and private organizations. I utilize a blend of quantitative methods (including cross-sectional, multi-wave, multi-level studies, and survey experiments) and qualitative approaches in my research. To deepen my expertise in this area, I have established collaborative networks with scholars from countries such as Australia, Canada, China, Germany, France, New Zealand, Qatar, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This collaboration has contributed to the publication of 28 articles in top-tier international journals.  

In 2018, I was honored as the No. 1 Social Science Researcher of the Year by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research  of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. To date, I have secured more than $17,000 for my research, resulting in publications in esteemed international peer reviewed journals such as Public Administration Review, Government Information Quarterly, Journal of Knowledge Management, International Public Management Journal, Personnel Review and other international journals.


Teaching and Supervision

I have taught a wide range of curses across undersgraduate, MSc, MA and EMBA programmes, including:


 - Organizational Behavior

   - Organizational Development

   - Advanced Organizational Development

   - Organizational Behavior and Development

   - Research Methods

   - Business Research Methods

   - Introduction to Statistics

I have also successfully supervised sixty (60) postgraduate dissertations and currently supervising four PhD and  DBA dissertations.


External Examiner Roles


Administrative Responsibilities


From October 2022 to May 2025, I served as the Director of Business, Management, and Economics Programmes at the University of Kurdistan Hewler (UKH). My portfolio covered programmes such as Business and Management, Marketing, HRM, Banking and Finance, Economics and Finance, Accounting and Finance, MSc in Business Management, and the Executive MBA (EMBA), PhD in Business Management, PhD in Banking and Finance, and Doctor of Business Administration (DBA).

Previously, I served as Acting Chair of the Business and Management Department at UKH from January to October 2022. I was an active member of several university-level committees, including the Academic Board, Teaching Quality and Standards Committee, and the Research and Research Degree Committee. Additionally, I chaired several key committees, such as the School Academic Committee and the School-Staff Committee.  


Editorial Board Membership

I am a reviewer or sit on editorial boards of over a dozen international journals, including Public Administration Review, Review of Public Personnel Administration, Journal of Change Management , International Journal of Public Administration and many more.

I am a first generation high school graduate in my family, and the first one in the whole tribe (3ashirat) to receive a PhD. I am the father of three young children.