Lead supervisor:
Prof Aris Syntetos 
Other supervisor(s):
- Dr Thanos E Goltsos
Start date: October 2025 (Full time)
Award: Collaborative
Subject Pathway:
Management and Business
Thematic Cluster:
Economy, Enterprise, and Productivity Cluster
In partnership with:
Improving circular economic operations: characterisation, forecasting and management of circular flows
This work aims to advance CE operations by addressing uncertainties through forecasting and translating these insights into cost-effective and sustainable inventory and manufacturing decisions and practices. We benefit from close collaboration with the Welsh Government (Circular Economy, and Foundation Economy and Industrial Transformation Divisions), and two industrial partners (Brother Industries UK Ltd, and The Royal Mint) who will ensure the empirical grounding of this work, its practical relevance and the maximisation of its impact.
Biography
Ling is a PhD student in Management at Cardiff University, funded by the WGSSS Doctoral Training Partnership. His research focuses on enhancing circular economy operations by characterizing, forecasting, and managing reverse logistics flows in collaboration with industrial partners such as Brother Industries UK Ltd and The Royal Mint.
He specializes in data-driven optimization, forecasting, and applied analytics. Proficient in Python, R, MATLAB, SQL, Stata, Eviews, and SPSS, Ling applies advanced quantitative methods—including event studies and transformer-based sentiment analysis—to uncover actionable insights from complex data.
Before pursuing his PhD, Ling completed an MRes in Management Science with Distinction at Lancaster University, where he worked on revenue management and pricing optimization in car rental systems. His broader research interests include decision analytics, sustainable operations, and data applications that connect theory with real-world impact.