Some of the nation’s top researchers and scholars in supply chain management will share their knowledge with graduate students who hope to join their ranks during the 12^th Annual Logistics Doctoral Symposium February 23-25 at Auburn University’s Raymond J. Harbert College of Business.

The event, hosted by the Harbert College’s Department of Systems and Technology, enables supply chain management and logistics doctoral students to hear from leaders in the field about how to land and thrive in university faculty positions. The symposium offers panel discussions devoted to research, teaching, academic service, academic journal publication, and the tenure and promotion process.

“It is a pleasure to welcome so many outstanding supply chain management and logistics scholars to campus,” Harbert College Dean and Wells Fargo Professor Bill Hardgrave said. “Events like the Logistics Doctoral Symposium connect to the college’s ideals of engaged scholarship and thought leadership. The students attending the symposium will make important contributions to the academic and will also have an opportunity to impact industry practice through applied research.”

The symposium will enable 26 doctoral students to connect with 75 faculty members representing nearly 20 universities. “The annual Logistics Doctoral Symposium is the premier invitation-only research event in supply chain management and logistics,” said Glenn Richey, Harbert Eminent Scholar in Supply Chain Management. “It brings the top scholars and their students together in a dialogue that shapes the future of research in our field. It is a massive honor for Auburn University and the Harbert College of Business to host this event and it shows how strong our program has become. It also allows us to show off the academic quality and natural beauty of our university.”

The event will begin with a welcome reception Thursday, Feb. 23, at 7 p.m. at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center. The symposium will open Friday at 8 a.m. and will close Saturday at noon. Harbert College professors Brian Gibson, Cliff Defee, Rafay Ishfaq, Shashank Rao, and incoming Harbert College faculty member Beth Davis-Sramek will chair panel discussions.

Sessions will address the job search process for aspiring faculty members, expectations for early-career faculty, research methods and pedagogy, and the future of research. Doctoral candidates will also have an opportunity to learn more about what it takes to land a publication in a top supply chain management and logistics journal. The editors of the International Journal of Physical Distribution and Logistics Management, Journal of Supply Chain Management, International Journal of Logistics Management, Transportation Journal, Decision Sciences, and the Journal of Purchasing & Supply Chain Management will be featured in a “Get to Know the Gatekeepers” discussion.

Symposium attendees will also tour the Auburn University RFID Lab, which conducts research focusing on the business case and technical implementation of radio frequency identification technology.

The symposium is supported by the Harbert College Center for Supply Chain Innovation, the RFID Lab, the Alabama Supply Management Student Association, the Alabama Grocers Association, Buy Alabama’s Best, and Back Forty Beer.