Ahmad Bayiz Ahmad, PhD, SFHEA, CMBE

Introduction

I am an Assistant Professor Management Studies at the School of Management and Economics, the University of Kurdistan Hewler (UKH). My academic journey includes training from prestigious institutions such as Harvard University, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Tsinghua University, Beihang University, University of Canberra, University of South Australia, and UKH—I was among the first group of students who graduated from UKH in 2010.

From Oct 2022 to June 2025, I was the Director of Business, Management and Economics Programmes, where I oversaw the development, review, and validation/revalidation of six undergraduate 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. Prior to this role current role, I was the Acting Chair of Business and Management at UKH from January to October 2022 where I led the development of four new undergraduate business-related programmes, 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.

Before joining UKH in Sep 2021, I worked as a faculty member of Management Studies at the University of Raparin from October 2015 where I contributed to the establishment of Department of Business Management and also was a member of several committees at the University or College level. I also spent three years as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow in the School of International and Public Affairs, Shanghai Jiao Tong University in China.

I am a Senior Fellow of Advance HE, a Certified Management & Business Educator (CMBE) from UK’s Chartered Association of Business Schools, and a Certified HR OD Practitioner from Academy to Innovate HR, The Netherlands. In 2021 and 2022, I was invited as a Visiting Professor from the University College Landon’s School of Public Policy in the UK and Aalen University of Applied Sciences in Germany.

Education

• - Certificate in Crisis Leadership in Higher Education, Harvard University, 2025
• - Certified HR OD Practitioner, Academy to Innovate HR, The Netherlands, 2024
• - Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, 2021
• - Ph.D. in Management, Beihang University, 2018
• - Master of Public Administration, Tsinghua University, 2019
• - Master of Business Administration, University of Canberra, 2014
• - Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting, University of South Australia, 2012
• - BSc in Business Management (1st Class Honors), University of Kurdistan Hewler, 2010

Research

I am a highly published academic who possesses a considerable amount of experience research and supervision. My research focuses on the "people side" of management and organizations. I mainly study employee attitudes and behaviors in public & private organizations. I employ both quantitative (cross-sectional, multi-wave, multi-level and survey experiments) and qualitative methods in my studies. To further my expertise on employee attitudes and behaviors, I have developed collaborative research networks with scholars in various countries; including: Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Oman, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom & the United States of America. As of today, I have received financial support for my research that has resulted in 25 publications in some prestigious international peer reviewed journals such as Public Administration Review (ABS4*), International Public Management Journal (ABS3), Review of Public Personnel Administration, Journal of Knowledge Management, Personnel Review, and other international journals. I am also editorial board member or reviewer of over a dozen prestigious journals such as Public Administration Review (ABS4*), Public Management Review, and Journal of Change Management. I have also supervised/currently supervise 50 MA/MSc/EMBA/DBA/PhD dissertations and examined 50 theses. In recognition of my contributions to the field, I was honored as the Top Social Science Researcher of 2018 by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research in the Kurdistan Region.

Professional Membership

• Senior Fellow (SFHEA), Advance HE (Higher Education Academy), UK.
• Certified Management & Business Educator (CMBE), Chartered Association of Business Schools, UK.