Associate Professor Ayon Chakraborty
Associate Professor, Industrial and Systems Engineering
Campus
Biography
Ayon Chakraborty is an Associate Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Federation University in Australia. He also serves as Stream Leader of Circular Economy in the Future Regions Research Centre (FFRC), a research institute and consulting practice at Federation University Australia.
Throughout his career, Ayon has received numerous honours and awards, including Lean Six Sigma Black Belt Certification, Post-Doctoral Fellowship and a research scholarship for his PhD. He received his PhD from the National University of Singapore in the area of Industrial and Systems Engineering. He has more than 14 years of experience in research, teaching and consulting in various institutes at national and international levels.
Fields of research
- Quality management
- Other engineering not elsewhere classified
- Environmental management not elsewhere classified
More about Ayon
Qualifications
- Doctor of Philosophy in Industrial and Systems Engineering, National University of Singapore
- Master of Engineering, Manufacturing Systems, Birla Institute of Technology and Science (India)
- Bachelor of Engineering, Production and Industrial, University of Rajasthan (India)
Areas of interest
- Circular economy
- Quality management/engineering
- Supply chain management
- Manufacturing and service, small and medium enterprises
Areas of expertise
Ayon’s main research interests are in the areas of sustainable development and circular economy; specifically in Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) and Operational Excellence, such as Lean, Six Sigma, TQM, and other data-driven tools and techniques. He has also received multiple major research grants for projects related to circular economy adoption in SMEs, social wellbeing and mental health of employees and enhancing SMEs’ competitiveness. He has published numerous articles in journals such as the Journal of Business Research, Journal of Cleaner Production, Production Planning and Control, and International Journal of Production Research.
Grants
- CHRDRP Resilient Agriculture Project (Co-Investigator) 'Resilient Agriculture Report', 2025–26 (A$60,000)
- Sustainability Victoria, Australia (Co-Investigator) 'Gippsland Circular Futures Initiative – Round 2', 2025–26 ($55,000)
- Sustainability Victoria, Australia (Co-Investigator) 'Gippsland Circular Futures Initiative – Round 1', 2024–25 ($60,000)
- Council Funded – City of Casey, Victoria, Australia (Co-Investigator) 'Circular economy for businesses in Casey', 2024–25 ($20,798)
- SEITPS Research Grant Scheme – Federation University, Australia (Principal Investigator) 'Circular economy adoption in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Australia', 2021–22 ($6,000)
- Erasmus Plus Funding – (Co-Investigator) 'Enhancing small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) competitiveness through sustainability, equality and wellbeing', collaborative work with Aston University, UK, 2020–21 (£10,000≈$18,000)
- Global Challenges Research Funding (GCRF) – (Co-Investigator) 'Social wellbeing and mental health challenges of employees of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging economies', collaborative work with Aston University, UK, 2019–20 (£10,000≈$18,000)
- Research Funding from Kauvery Hospital, India – (Principal Investigator) 'Focus on cost optimisation, patient delight, and business development', 2019–20 (₹6,78,500≈$12,000)
- Australian Technology Network (ATN) – German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) Research Grant (Co-Investigator), 'Operational control of financial service processes – Applying principles of manufacturing resource planning', 2012–13 ($18,750)
Awards
- 2024–2025: Library Open Access Award 2025 (Federation University)
- 2024–2025: Best Paper Award (Science & Technology of Ironmaking and Steelmaking Conference)
- 2024–2025: Emerald Literati Award (Outstanding Reviewer - IJLSS)
- 2023–2024: Letter of Commendation for Student Evaluation of Learning and Teaching (Federation University)
- 2023–2024: Excellence in Implementing Minimum Co-Operative Standards (MICS) (Federation University)
- 2022–2023: Emerald Literati Award (Outstanding Reviewer - IJQRM)
- 2019–2020: Best Paper Award (23rd SOM International Conference)
- 2019–2020: Commendable Paper Award (Emerald Literati Awards)
- 2017–2018: Commendable Paper Award (11th ISDSI International Conference)
Current
- PhD student, Federation University, 'Seeing the value where others see waste. An exploration of commercial reuse of end-of-use resources in Australian goods production', supervisor.
- PhD student, Federation University, 'AI-enabled digital twin framework for predictive maintenance and optimisation of urban water infrastructure', supervisor.
- PhD student, Federation University, 'Supply chain resilience and its impacting factors in Australian small and medium enterprises', co-supervisor.
- PhD student, Federation University, 'Inclusive food system models for the meat sector: socio-economic impacts and opportunities for livestock farmers', co-supervisor.
- PhD student, Federation University, 'Examining social determinants of health: advancing a co-design approach to strengthening health education within migrant and refugee communities', co-supervisor.
- PhD student, Victoria University, 'Green hydrogen production from treated municipal wastewater using electrolysis: advancing circular economy pathways for sustainable energy', co-supervisor.
- PhD student, Victoria University, 'Quantifying environmental footprints of MSME-based finished steel manufacturing in India: developing an assessment framework for carbon, energy, and water footprints', co-supervisor.
- PhD student, The University of Fiji, 'Decarbonising road transport in Fiji using hydrogen fuel cell vehicles: a life cycle analysis and policy roadmaps', co-supervisor.
Past
- Masters by Research, Federation University, 'Role of municipal waste to create value through local processing', co-supervisor.
- PhD student, Indian Institute of Management Tiruchirappalli, India, 'Integrated management system implementation in Indian SMEs', supervisor.
- Manufacturing engineering and management
- Sustainable engineering and circular economy
- Process improvement (lean manufacturing, six sigma, kaizen, etc.) and innovation
- Project management
Specialist roles
- Course Coordinator, Maintenance and Reliability Courses
- Circular Economy Stream Co-Leader – Future Regions Research Centre, Federation University, Ballarat, Australia: July 2023 onwards
- Circular Economy – Education Stream Co-Leader – CERN-APac (Circular Economy Research Network Asia Pacific)
- Member, Environment and Circular Economy Advisory Committee, City of Greater Geelong, Victoria, Australia: 2026–2030
Professional association memberships
- Associate Editor for the Journal titled International Journal of Lean Six Sigma (IJLSS) published by Emerald Group Publishing Inc, UK
- Editorial Board Member for the Journal titled International Journal of Energy Sector Management (IJESM) published by Emerald Group Publishing Inc, UK
- Editorial Board Member for the Journal titled International Journal of Supply Chain Management (IJSCM) published by Excelling Tech, UK
- Editorial Board Member of Amity Journal of Operations Management, published by Amity University, India
Teaching case
- Malhotra, S., Kaul, A., Agarwal, V., Chakraborty, A. and Kaur, T. (2024). 'RampMyCity: Making India Accessible', Product Number: W37367, IVEY Publishing.
Refereed white paper or working paper
- Taylor, A., Taylor, M., McSweeney, A. and Chakraborty, A. (2012). 'Humanistic and functionalist production systems: Reflections on working in a Lean automotive manufacturing environment', Working Paper Series, Bradford University School of Management.
- Stewart, G. and Chakraborty, A. (2011). 'Prioritizations of service processes', CRC White Paper, (www.smartservicescrc.com.au/Outcomes.html).
- Publications
Risk perceptions and management strategies of beef producers in the United States and France
- Journals
- DOI reference: 10.1007/s43621-026-02605-2
Environmental, social and governance impacts of beef production systems: an integrated literature review
- Journals
- DOI reference: 10.1007/s44498-026-00011-5
Exploring beef producers' perceptions of cultivated beef: challenges and opportunities
- Journals
- DOI reference: 10.1016/j.fufo.2026.101016