Dr Atif Sarwar PhD, MSc, BSc, FHEA

Personal Statement

Dr Atif Sarwar joined the Department of Operations and Supply Chain Management (OSCM) as a lecturer in Technology Management in April 2024. His main research area of interest is the intersection of technology, work, organising and society, exploring the relationship between advanced technologies and social, societal and organisational change.

Previously, he has worked as a Lecturer in Management at Liverpool Hope Business School and has held several postdoc positions at Lancaster University Management School, Manchester Metropolitan University Business School, Faculty of Health and Social Care at Anglia Ruskin University and Essex Business School, University of Essex, on projects funded by external bodies such as UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Heath Education England (HEE), Greater Manchester Local Industrial Strategy, Leverhulme Trust and Provide UK.

In these positions, he researched Digital Religion, the introduction of Artificial Intelligence in Professional Service Firms (PSFs), AI-led organisational and work transformation, Blame and Work bringing together the fields of moral philosophy and management studies, the challenges for the Adult Social Care in Greater Manchester, Health and Social Care Integration, and IT and Children’s Services.

He is particularly interested in studying the relationship between technology and work and how technology use shapes the nature of work and organisational transformation. Recently, he has been studying the introduction of intelligent technologies such as AI in professional service firms, its impact on the work of professionals and the organisation of PSFs, key enablers and challenges in the workplace during this digital transformation. The research primarily focuses on non-technical human factors such as management, organisational structures, professional and organisational culture, professional and organisational values, and business models.

He has published papers in top journals such as the Journal of Operations Management, Journal of Management Studies, Organisation Studies, the Journal of Social Work, and the Business and Professional Ethics Journal. He has also written professional reports highlighting the challenges faced by Adult Social Care in the UK and the potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and related new technologies in the accountancy and law professions, providing evidence of progress in its adoption.

He has presented at various international conferences such as BAM (British Academy of Management), EurOMA (European Operations Management Association), EGOS (European Group for Organizational Studies), SASE (Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics), JMS (Journal of Management Studies Conference), EBEN (European Business Ethics Network), Nordic Academy of Management, ICIC (International Conference on Integrated Care), and ECIS (European Conference on Information Systems).

He also serves as an ad-hoc reviewer for various journals such as the Journal of Operations Management, Annals of Operational Research, British Journal of Social Work, Frontiers in Sociology, Discover Artificial Intelligence, Pacific Asia Conference on Information Systems (PACIS), European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS), and Academy of Management (2012-2022).

Atif holds a PhD in Management Studies (Essex Business School - 2014), an MSc in IT, Management & Organisational Change (Lancaster University Management School - 2008), and a BSc in Computer Science (FAST-NUCES, Islamabad, Pakistan - 2006).