Staff profile

Dr Shradha Kapoor is Deputy Director for Undergraduate Programmes and Career Development Fellow in Operations and Supply Chain Management at Durham University Business School. Her research focuses on supply chain resilience, risk management, shock absorption, digital transformation, sustainable operations, and decision-making under uncertainty. She holds a PhD in Management from Durham University, where her doctoral research examined how manufacturing supply chains absorb disruptions, recover from shocks, and build resilience through collaboration, adaptive capabilities, and stakeholder coordination.Shradha leads MSc-level modules in Project Management and Sustainable Supply Chain Management. Her teaching combines academic rigour with practice-based learning, using simulations, case studies, experiential activities, and digital tools to support inclusive and engaging student experiences. She has developed a supply chain game, Logisticus, and integrates approaches such as LEGO Serious Play and MIT-style beer game simulations to help students understand systems thinking, bullwhip effects, stakeholder coordination, and real-world supply chain complexity. She has also contributed to executive education and MBA-level learning in areas such as quality management, forecasting, S&OP, transport and distribution planning, and strategic risk management.Her research is strongly practice-oriented and industry-engaged. She is Principal Investigator on a British Academy/Leverhulme Small Research Grant examining sustainable and resilient supply systems under systemic disruption, with implications for public sector and healthcare procurement resilience. Her current work examines zero-waste manufacturing, AI and supply chain automation, e-procurement adoption among SMEs, tariff volatility, buyer bankruptcy, and the impact of political turbulence on supply chain decisions.Alongside her academic work, Shradha brings practical experience from the apparel manufacturing and export sector, where she has managed end-to-end operations, logistics, compliance, and risk mitigation for international fashion supply chains. This industry experience informs her research and teaching, supporting her broader commitment to bridging theory and practice to build more resilient, sustainable, and digitally enabled operations.

Mini Biography

I specialise in Operations and Supply Chain Management and my research has focused into critical aspects of risk and resillient supply chains. In parallel to my research pursuits, I have also dedicated myself to teaching and mentorship for modules on Project Management, Sustainable Supply Chain Management, Research Methods and modules under the realm of Management. Guiding students through these courses, I have been able to share my passion for Operations Management and provide them with the necessary tools and knowledge to excel in these areas. 

     

Research Interests

• Supply chain resilience, disruption response, and shock absorption
• Risk management, operational recovery, and supply chain viability
• Stakeholder collaboration and coordination in disrupted supply networks
• Digital transformation, AI-driven decision-making, and automation in operations
• E-procurement, technology adoption, and resilience among SMEs
• Sustainable, circular, and zero-waste manufacturing systems
• Operations planning, flexibility, and decision-making under uncertainty
• Supply chain visibility, predictive risk sensing, and real-time data integration
• Practice-oriented and industry-engaged operations research

Conference Paper

• Risk Absorption and Resilience Building: A Study of SMEs in Disruptive Supply Chains
  
  Kapoor, S. (in press). Risk Absorption and Resilience Building: A Study of SMEs in Disruptive Supply Chains. Presented at EurOMA Conference 2024, Barcelona, Spain.
• Navigating Troubled Waters: The Role of Stakeholders in Building Organisational Resilience
  
  Kapoor, S. (in press). Navigating Troubled Waters: The Role of Stakeholders in Building Organisational Resilience [Conference abstract]. Presented at Euroma 2025, Milan, Italy.
• From Shock to Structure: Intra-Organisational Reconfiguration under Persistent Tariff Volatility
  
  Kapoor, S. (in press). From Shock to Structure: Intra-Organisational Reconfiguration under Persistent Tariff Volatility [Conference abstract]. Presented at Euroma 2026, Vienna, Austria.