Mrs Marjan Olfati
PhD Student

Summary

Marjan Olfati is a Doctoral Candidate in Management Studies at Brunel University of London, Brunel Business School, working under the supervision of Professor Afshin Mansouri. Her research, titled "Making the Fashion Industry Circular through Reverse Logistics and Policy Interventions," investigates the post-consumption fashion industry, focusing on advancing circular economy practices through reverse logistics and policy measures. Using field studies and empirical data, she is developing a mathematical model that addresses logistical challenges and barriers, evaluates the effectiveness of policy tools, and provides actionable insights for both industry practitioners and policymakers. She actively engages in academic and industry events, contributing to discussions on sustainability, supply chain innovation, and the future of circular fashion. Marjan has participated in leading international conferences, including EURO, INFORMS, and the OR Society, and her work has been recognised with Brunel University’s Vice-Chancellor’s Prize for Postgraduate Research. She has also been awarded a PhD Studentship from Brunel University of London (2023–2026).

Alongside her research, Marjan serves as a Graduate Teaching Assistant at Brunel University London, contributing to postgraduate teaching in Operations Management. She has also held academic roles as a Visiting Lecturer at Bayes Business School and Teaching Assistant at UCL School of Management, delivering modules in Operations and Technology, Operations and Supply Chain Management. These experiences reflect her passion for bridging theory and practice and for inspiring students to apply academic frameworks to real-world operational challenges.

Marjan holds a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from the Iran University of Science and Technology, where she graduated with First-Class Honours. Her master’s thesis, "Designing and Solving a Reverse Logistics Network for Polyethylene Terephthalate Bottles," explored advanced methods in Operations Research, Supply Chain Network Design, and Logistics Management, with a particular emphasis on optimisation modelling and decision-making techniques. This academic foundation provides the methodological and analytical expertise that informs her current doctoral research in sustainable and resilient supply chains, supported by publications in peer-reviewed journals such as Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Journal of Cleaner Production, and RAIRO – Operations Research.

This academic foundation has provided the methodological and analytical expertise that informs her current doctoral research in sustainable and circular supply chains, enabling her to develop rigorous models, analyse complex logistical systems, and assess the impact of policy interventions on circular fashion practices.

Publications

Paydar, M.M. and Olfati, M., 2018. Designing and solving a reverse logistics network for polyethylene terephthalate bottles. Journal of cleaner production, 195, pp.605-617.

Olfati, M. and Javadian, N., 2020. A bi-objective multi-period closed-loop supply chain network under uncertain demand. International Journal of Applied Decision Sciences, 13(3), pp.363-385.

Paydar, M.M., Olfati, M. and Triki, C., 2021. Designing a clothing supply chain network considering pricing and demand sensitivity to discounts and advertisement. RAIRO-Operations Research, 55, pp.S2509-S2541.

Olfati, M. and Paydar, M.M., 2023. Towards a responsive-sustainable-resilient tea supply chain network design under uncertainty using big data. Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, p.101646.

Research Group

• Operations and Information Systems Management (OISM)