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Muhammad Shakil Ahmad

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Muhammad Shakil Ahmad

Dr, Ph.D (Human Resource Management)

 https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2458-3082

Accepting PhD Students

Personal profile

Academic Biography

Dr. Muhammad Shakil Ahmad currently serves as a Senior Lecturer in Business at Teesside International Business School, Teesside University. He holds a PhD in Management, with research expertise spanning Human Resource Management and Project Management, and also earned a Master’s degree in Management.

As a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), he is committed to excellence in teaching, supervision, and academic leadership in higher education. His academic portfolio covers a broad range of subjects including Human Resource Management, Leadership, Research Methods, Organizational Behavior, Sustainability, and Business Strategy, underpinned by extensive interdisciplinary experience and pedagogical practice.

Research Interests and Scholarly Activity

Dr. Ahmad research contributions are published in reputable journals and focus on key contemporary themes including 

  • Green Human Resource Management
  • Transformational and Servant Leadership
  • Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
  • Knowledge Management and Workplace Behavior
  • Sustainable Business Practices, and
  • Tourism and Consumer Behavior.

He is committed to the Global and National Sustainable Development Goals, and his work contributes to SDG 4, SDG 5, SDG 8, and SDG 12 through research and teaching that support inclusive education, gender equality, decent work, and responsible consumption

Dr. Ahmad has extensive research experience. He has attended several domestic and international conferences and published consistently in ABS-ranked journals, including:

  • Personnel Review
  • Journal of Knowledge Management
  • Leadership & Organization Development
  • Journal of Intellectual Capital
  • European Journal of Innovation Management
  • Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research
  • Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management
  • Leisure Studies
  • Journal of Destination Marketing &Management
  • International Journal of Retail and Distribution Management
  • Management Decision

Dr. Ahmad has presented his research works at the following conferences:

  • New Zealand International Business Academy (ANZIBA), Australia - 2019
  • International Conference on Economic Development and Diversification, Oman – 2017
  • International Business Conference, New Jersey, USA – 2016
  • National Conference on Global Management, Islamabad – 2009
  • 10th International Business Research Conference, Dubai, UAE - 2009
  • 1st International Conference on Business and Technology, Islamabad - 2008

Awards

  • International Scholar, Kyung Hee University, 1-Hoegi-dong, Dongdaemun-gu, Seoul 130–701, Republic of Korea    2019-2020
  • Resource Person for Learning and Innovation Capacity Building Program (Higher Education Commission, Pakistan)     2017- 2019
  • Best Researcher Award at COMSATS University Islamabad 2013-21
  • Young Scholarship Workshop Award, American Society of Public Administration, USA   2015
  • PhD Merit Scholarship, COMSATS University Islamabad, Pakistan 2010-2013
  • Master Merit Scholarship, COMSATS University Islamabad, Pakistan   2005-2008

Enterprise Interest and Activities

Shakil has been actively engaged with local industry partners through guest speaker invitations and student projects. He has supervised projects in collaboration with organisations including the NHS, Harrogate District Foundation, Middlesbrough Environment City, and Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council’s Adult and Children’s Social Care Services. Previously, he worked as an action researcher with local government and partner organisations in a developing economy, delivering training sessions on community leadership development and fostering a sense of community ownership. He also completed a consultancy project examining community attitudes towards recycling behaviour with be’ah (Oman Environmental Services Holding Company).

RESEARCH FUNDING & GRANT ACTIVITY
 
Consultancy (Completed) – 2025
• Be’ah (Oman Environmental Services Holding Company) – Assessment of community attitudes towards recycling behavior towards waste in Oman
 
Grants Applied

• British Council (2025)- Needs Assessment to Support Inclusive Practices for Persons with Special Needs across HEIs in Sindh, Pakistan
• British Academy (2025)– Interdisciplinary and Responsible AI Driven Publishing to build research capacity of Jordanian Researchers
 
Grant Completed

• Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, Oman (2024) - Experiential HRM practices implications and challenges: A policy-driven frameworks for industry aligned with (PI)
• Ministry of Higher Education, Research and Innovation, Oman (2024) - Career Transformation: Policy Guidelines to Achieve Economic Vision 2040 for Omani Nationals Switching from Public to Private Sector Organizations in Oman (Co-PI)
• Higher Education Commission, Pakistan (2018) - Community Empowerment Initiative under Devolution Plan in Pakistan (PI)
• Higher Education Commission, Pakistan (2018) - Psycholinguistic analysis of the curriculum taught to the aphasics in Special Schools (PI)
• Ministry of Higher Education, Malaysia (2012) - Readiness among Village Grassroots Leaders for Sustainable Development: A Case of Vision Village Movement (Malaysia) (Research Fellow)
 
Dr. Shakil’s PhD research on community empowerment has been used as a model by the Malaysian Ministry of Tourism to address issues related to local community empowerment and leadership development in tourism. He has a strong interest in collaborating with entrepreneurial leaders to support the integration of sustainability as a core business strategy. He is also actively engaged in promoting and implementing the Athena Swan Charter at Teesside University. 

Learning and Teaching Interests and Activities

Module Leader:

  • Critical Issues in Policy, Organisation and Management Research (DBA)
  • Action Research for Professional Doctorate Students (DBA)
  • Global Economics and Business Operations (PG/UG)
  • Research in Business (UG)
  • Undergraduate Business Project (UG)

Personal Tutor Lead: Facilitates and supports academic staff in delivering effective academic and pastoral support, enhancing student learning experience and ensuring a successful student journey.

Module/Content Design: Responsible Leadership; Mixed-Methods and Action Research (DBA); HRM and resilience-focused modules aligned with sustainable and responsible organisations.

Modules Taught

Doctorate (DBA / PhD):

  • Critical Issues in Policy, Organisation and Management Research (Module Leader)
  • Action Research for Professional Doctorate Students (Module Leader)
  • Research Methods (previously, Module Leader – COMSATS University)

Postgraduate (PG):

  • Managing in a Challenging Environment 
  • Postgraduate Business Research Methods 
  • Dissertation – Human Resource Management
  • MBA Dissertation 
  • Critical Business Inquiry 
  • Human Resource Planning 
  • Talent Management
  • Change Management
  • Advanced Project Management
  • Advanced Research Methods (Ph.D.)
  • Strategic Management
  • Emerging Issues in Leadership and Motivation
  • Conflict and Crisis Management

Undergraduate (UG):

  • Global Economics & Business Operations 
  • Research Methods for Business
  • Human Resource Management
  • Operations Management

PhD and Research Opportunities

Dr Shakil welcomes enquiries from prospective doctoral researchers interested in human resource management, responsible leadership, sustainability, and organisational resilience. He has successfully supervised doctoral and postgraduate dissertations across a range of areas, with current supervision including PhD and DBA projects focused on governance, corporate social responsibility, and organisational outcomes.

His research centres on how organisations develop human and social capabilities to enhance sustainability, innovation, and long-term performance. In particular, his work explores the role of leadership, HRM practices, and organisational systems in fostering resilient, responsible, and high-performing organisations across diverse institutional contexts.

Potential PhD topics under his supervision may include:

  • Responsible leadership and employee outcomes (e.g., innovation, knowledge sharing, well-being)
  • Strategic human resource management and organisational resilience
  • Sustainability-oriented HRM and green innovation
  • Community empowerment and social sustainability
  • Leadership, governance, and corporate social responsibility in emerging and developed economies
  • Digital transformation and its implications for employee behaviour and organisational performance

Dr Shakil is particularly interested in research that integrates rigorous theoretical frameworks with real-world organisational challenges, including collaborations with industry and public sector organisations. His work has strong international relevance, with research and consultancy experience spanning the UK, Middle East, and Asia.

Doctoral research in these areas aligns closely with key priorities in the UK research landscape, including themes supported by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), particularly in relation to sustainable development, workforce transformation, and inclusive economic growth.

Prospective applicants with backgrounds in human resource management, organisational behaviour, leadership, sustainability, or related business disciplines are encouraged to get in touch to discuss potential research ideas and opportunities for collaboration. 

External Roles and Professional Activities

Dr Shakil is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA) and an active member of the British Academy of Management (BAM) and the American Society for Public Administration (ASPA), both leading international bodies promoting excellence in management research and scholarship. Currently, Dr Shakil serves as an Academic Governor at Outwood Alternative Provision Eston, UK, contributing to educational governance, strategic oversight, and the enhancement of student outcomes within a diverse learning environment.

Previously, Dr Shakil held a number of key academic leadership and governance roles at COMSATS University Islamabad, Pakistan. He served as a Member of the Academic Council (2019–2021) and as a Member of the Board of Advanced Studies (2020–2021), contributing to institutional decision-making, academic policy development, and research governance. He also served as In-charge of the Office of Research, Innovation and Commercialization (ORIC) from 2014 to 2021, where he led strategic research initiatives, fostered collaborations, and supported capacity building among early-career researchers. Beyond these roles, Dr Shakil has contributed to global mentoring initiatives, serving as a mentor with the WEDU Mentorship Programme, supporting the development and empowerment of emerging leaders.

 Academic Journal Reviewer

Dr Ahmad serves as a reviewer for a number of leading international journals, including:
  • European Management Journal
  • Journal of Affective Disorders
  • Personnel Review
  • Kybernetes
  • Journal of Cleaner Production
  • Social Indicators Research
  • Cities and Society, and
  • Tourism Management Perspectives.

External Examiner

Dr Ahmad serves as an External Examiner for several international institutions, including Melbourne Institute of Technology (Australia), University of Wollongong (Australia), London Metropolitan University (UK), Greater Manchester Business School (UK), and Plymouth University (UK), where he contributes to the assessment of postgraduate and doctoral research.

Education/Academic qualification

Master, Postgraduate Certificate of Learning and Teaching in Higher Education, Teesside University

Award Date: 1 Jul 2025

PhD, Community Empowerment and Leadership for the Sustainability of Community Driven Projects, Universiti Technologi Malaysia

1 Sept 2010 → 9 Apr 2013

Award Date: 13 Apr 2013

Master, Master in Management, COMSATS University Islamabad, Abotabad Campus

1 Sept 2005 → 1 Jan 2008

Award Date: 5 Feb 2008

Bachelor, Information Technology and Management

1 Sept 2001 → 1 Jan 2005

Award Date: 3 Jan 2005

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