Our ‘Spotlight on’ series celebrates the work of our leading academics. Professor Atanu Chaudhuri pioneers research into sustainable operations and supply changes, both on Earth and in space.
Atanu is a professor in our world-leading Business School. His research focuses on the intersection between digital technology adoption, sustainability and supply chain resilience. He focuses particularly on the challenges, and solutions, for global manufacturing and healthcare industries.
Atanu is also Co-Director of the Durham University Space Research Centre (SPARC) – an innovative Centre exploring sustainable operations and circular economy principles in space satellite systems.
With a lifelong fascination in how products are made, Atanu first studied Mechanical Engineering before working in the automotive industry. It was here that he got an initial insight, and fascination for, the complexity of supply chain planning.
Consultancy work deepened Atanu’s understanding of global supply chains and sustainability challenges and inspired him to tackle real-world problems through academic research.
Atanu has worked in academia for over 15 years, having taught at the Indian Institute of Management, and at Aalborg University, Denmark.
He joined Durham University in 2019 – drawn by our global reputation, triple-accredited Business School and the natural beauty of North East England. The region’s vibrant culture and strong football heritage also attracted him!
One of Atanu’s proudest professional achievements is the establishment of the SPARC research centre.
A meeting with Professor James Osborn, from our Department of Physics, highlighted the need for research into the sustainability and circular economy of satellite operations in space and the idea for SPARC was ignited.
Working with colleagues from across all four University faculties, Atanu and James secured a University Strategic Research Fund grant to establish SPARC. The centre unites experts in Business, Physics, Computer Science, Law, and Governance to help shape a responsible, resilient and globally competitive space sector.
The initiative positions Durham as a leader in multi-disciplinary space research, tackling problems that will shape the future of satellite technology and resource management.
For Atanu, involvement in SPARC is shaping his future research. New projects are focused on space sustainability, building resilient supply chains and fostering a local ecosystem for space-related innovation.
His hope is to secure further research funding to elevate Durham as a global leader in supply chain research, and position SPARC as a hub for space sustainability research and education.
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