Dr. Kalra's research, advisory, teaching, and industrial experience has been at the intersection of strategic supply chain management, service operations management, and technology strategy. He joined Newcastle University Business School as a Lecturer (Assistant Professor) in Supply Chain Management in 2021. He is also an Honorary Assistant Professor in Supply Chain Management at University College London. 

Prior to this, Dr. Kalra worked as a Supply Chain Management Researcher at University College London, University of Bath School of Management, and Alliance Manchester Business School. Before joining academia, Dr. Kalra has worked with manufacturing and service firms in a range of Business Analysis, Process Improvement, Supply Chain Management, and Software Project Management roles.

Research interests:

Dr. Kalra's current research broadly focuses on the issue of the procurement and management of complex performance. He is specifically interested in how the interactions and relationships between individuals and organisations influence the performance of complex, inter-organisational operations. He pursues this research agenda across three inter-related areas: (1) Contractual and relational governance of buyer-supplier relationships and networks, (2) Professional service operations, and (3) Technology strategy.

Primarily a qualitative researcher, he employs a range of methodological approaches such as case studies, process studies, and engaged scholarship in his work.

Teaching expertise:

Dr. Kalra has extensive teaching experience, having taught Operations Management, Strategic Supply Chain Management, Project Management, and Advanced Qualitative Research Methods at Undergraduate, MSc, and MBA levels. Furthermore, he has written and delivered well-received teaching cases from his research. Dr. Kalra was awarded the 'Case Writing Scholarship' by the Case Centre for his cases on Hinkley Point C.

Awards and Honours

Dr. Kalra currently serves on the Editorial Review Board of and as Social Media Editor for International Journal of Operations & Production Management (IJOPM). He regularly reviews for IJOPM, Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management, and Human Relations. For his reviewing work, Dr. Kalra has been bestowed 'Best Reviewer Award' by IJOPM (2021), and Academy of Management- Operations & Supply Chain Management Division (2021, 2019). Additionally, he is serving as a Visiting Fellow and Early Career Researcher Community Representative at ESRC-funded Project X.

Other appointments:

• Chair of Board of Examiners, Undergraduate programmes
• Admissions Selector (NN52 BSc Marketing & Management)

Research interests:

• Strategic Supply Chain Management: Supplier relationship management, contracts and contracting, and inter-organisational coordination.
• Professional Service Operations: Professional service quality, service failure and recovery, service delivery models, client-professional relationships, services procurement/outsourcing, and service innovation.
• Technology Strategy: Platforms and ecosystems, Digital transformation of operations, supply chains, and projects. 

Postgraduate supervisions:

Dr. Kalra regularly supervises and mentors MSc and PhD students. He is particularly interested in supervising doctoral research in the above-mentioned areas.

Dr. Kalra has taught Strategic Supply Chain Management, Operations Management, Project Management, and Advanced Qualitative Research Methods at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. In addition to the University of Manchester, the University of Bath, and University College London, he has been invited to deliver guest lectures at Bayes Business School (Formerly, Cass Business School), Tilburg University, and the University of San Diego.

He is currently leading following modules:

NBS8234: Project Management

NBS8325: e-Logistics for Supply Chain Competitive Advantage

BUS2032: Service Operations Strategy and Management

Additionally, he is also co-teaching on Operations Management and International Logistics modules.

• Roehrich JK, Tyler BB, Kalra J, Squire B. The Decision Process of Contracting in Supply Chain Management. In: Choi, TY; Li, JJ; Rogers, DS; Schoenherr, T; Wagner, SM, ed. The Oxford Handbook of Supply Chain Management. Oxford University Press, 2021.
• Kalra J, Lewis MA, Roehrich JK. The manifestation of coordination failures in service triads. Supply Chain Management 2021, 26(3), 341-358.
• Roehrich JK, Selviaridis K, Kalra K, Van der Valk W, Fang F. Inter-organizational governance: a review, conceptualisation and extension. Production Planning & Control 2020, 31(6), 453-469.
• Kalra J, Mills G, Papadonikolaki E. Building data analytics capability to increase information processing capacity: The case of a professional service firm. In: European Operations Management Conference. 2021, Virtual: EurOMA.
• Kalra J, Cousins PD. The microfoundations of relational governance capability: A social capital perspective. In: 81st Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management. 2021, Virtual: Academy of Management.
• Kalra J, Sarafan M, Msulwa R, Harrison J, Lewis M, Yardley G, Roehrich JK. Responding to and recovering from supply chain disruptions such as COVID-19. Bath, UK: University of Bath, 2020. Available at: https://blogs.bath.ac.uk/iprblog/2020/04/28/responding-to-and-recovering-from-supply-chain-disruptions-such-as-covid-19/.
• Tyler BB, Kalra J, Roehrich JK. Solving Contracting Problems: How an MNC Adapted Contracting Knowledge to Local Requirements. In: 80th Annual Meeting of the Academy of Management. 2020, Vancouver, Canada: Academy of Management.
• Kalra J, Roehrich JK, Squire B, Davies AC. Orchestrating Inter-Organizational Networks to Deliver Megaprojects. In: Academy of Management Proceedings. 2019, Boston, USA: Academy of Management.
• Kortantamer D, Kalra J, Vine R. Rethinking capabilities: lessons for policy, scholarship and practice. Princes Risborough, Buckinghamshire: Association for Project Management, 2021.
• Kalra J, Roehrich JK. Three things that could help save Christmas 2021 from shortages. The Conversation, 2021. Available at: https://theconversation.com/three-things-that-could-help-save-christmas-2021-from-shortages-167072.