Advancing Ph.D. Research

By Corey Munoz ’06

Huseyn Abdulla, Ph.D. ’22 is the first Mays Ph.D. student to receive a Texas A&M Distinguished Graduate Student Award from Texas A&M’s Association of Former Students and the University’s Graduate and Professional School. The award is given to outstanding graduate students to recognize their exceptional achievements in the areas of research or teaching. This elite distinction is only given out to a dozen prominent graduate students across the university annually. The Association of Former Students presents a framed certificate of achievement and a custom gold watch to the honorees to commemorate their accomplishments.

Marked by Distinction

Abdulla—who received this significant award because of the quality of his scholarly research—has, to date, published three articles in top-tier, Class A academic journals. His pipeline of current projects suggests that additional publications in major journals are certainly to come. We visited with some of Huseyn’s advisors to gain a broader understanding of his achievements in terms of scholarly research.

The sheer volume of high-quality research that Abdulla engages in across multiple disciplines differentiates him from his Ph.D. student peers, particularly those earning their degree in a business discipline. Chair of the Mays’ Ph.D. coordinators Sean McGuire, Ph.D. states, “If a student in a non-scientific field has one “A” publication upon graduating, it is exceptional—so, for a Mays doctoral candidate to have authorship or co-authorship on three, before graduating, is hugely impressive.”

Huseyn is dedicated to achieving positive results from his own program of scholarly research and to helping others be productive scholars, too. In the highly competitive space of post-graduate studies, Abdulla helps his peers elevate the quality of their research initiatives. James Abbey, Ph.D., who serves as the Bob and Kelly Jordan Professor in Business as well as Huseyn’s Ph.D. advisor, elaborates, “Huseyn has been a driving force in pushing other Ph.D. students to excel, working closely to boost the proficiency and skills of his peers to see their research thrive. This is not a common trait of Ph.D. candidates.”

Research that Impacts Us All

Abdulla’s research addresses pressing challenges in global markets. Studying within the department of Information and Operations Management (INFO), he has had opportunities to focus his research on areas that currently have relevance for individuals, organizations, and societies. Three years ago, consumers may not have had an acute awareness of the impact supply chain management had on their daily lives. However, the pandemic created supply chain disruptions from inventory and coordination to production and design with resulting effects on businesses and consumers alike. “For his part, Huseyn is studying supply chain at this critical moment when it’s top-of-mind at the average dinner table, and his research is really applicable to everyone,” says McGuire.

Today, Abdulla’s research focuses on a notable pain point in the Information Systems space—consumer returns. “Even pre-pandemic, Huseyn was passionately tackling the issue of consumer returns, which have now nearly doubled from $350 billion to well over $600 billion (about $1,800 per person in the US) in the U.S. alone during Covid,” notes Abbey. Abdulla’s work adds to scholarly literature and managerial practice to address the significant global consequences that consumer returns cause, both fiscally and environmentally. From an environmental perspective, millions of tons of waste are expected to result from such an inordinate volume of returns. “Information systems are essential to helping monitor, analyze, and improve our reactions to ever-evolving global economic forces—this area of study is central to how we emerge and thrive in the post-pandemic landscape,” shares Abbey. “As such, our students play a pivotal role in informing how business will function moving forward. Huseyn and his breakthrough research are a standout example of the relevance and importance of this work.”

Leading in Prominence

Under the leadership and guidance of Department Chair, Richard Metters, Ph.D., the Texas A&M INFO department has moved from a top 50 ranking to a top 10 ranking in scholarly output over the last decade. Because of this, its draw for top Ph.D. student talent such as Abdulla continues to increase. Across its five academic domains, Mays Business School maintains a strong commitment to facilitating Ph.D. students’ efforts as they seek to become prominent academic scholars capable of both generating new knowledge and conveying that knowledge to further the advancement of research at the university.

Abdulla’s receiving of this award provides a powerful signal to current doctorate students and to those evaluating the possibility of completing their advanced degree at Mays Business School. As McGuire notes, “Abdulla’s recognition for excellence by the university says to the school’s Ph.D. students that there are no limitations on your success when you come to our Ph.D. program. From faculty and administrative support to other students and the Dean’s office, everything is in place for exceptionally bright and hard-working students to excel—the sky is the limit.”

“Dr. Metters and the INFO department’s faculty have fostered a culture of optimal support for Ph.D. scholars,” says Mays Business School’s former Interim Dean R. Duane Ireland, Ph.D. “This is evidenced by the prestigious honor awarded to Huseyn Abdulla.” “We couldn’t be prouder of Huseyn and this outstanding honor,” shared Associate Dean of Graduate Programs, Jerry Strawser, Ph.D. “In my 25-year tenure with the University, this is the first Mays Doctoral candidate I’ve been privileged to see receive such an award.”