Atalay Atasu
INSEAD
Circular Economy, Enthusiasm, Realism and Research
Monday, October 20, 2025 –05:15 – 06:30 PM (CEST)
This session will be held as a hybrid event. To join in person, you can come to room O 131 (i.e., room 131 on level 1 of the east wing of the castle). To join virtually, please register in advance using this link.
Seminar Abstract
In this seminar, we will introduce the broader idea of a circular economy, demonstrate why it is essential in the renewable energy transition, and try to shed light on its fundamental principles, misconceptions, and the research need for realism in the same space. We will leverage a series of academic papers on the topic for this purpose. Time permitting, we will also discuss how academia can help influence policy in the same space, and where opportunities for impactful research lie for interested academics.
Speaker Bio
Bianca and James Pitt Chair and Professor of Technology and Operations Management at INSEAD, Atalay Atasu (PhD INSEAD, 2007) focuses on sustainable operations management in his research. His publications appeared in Management Science, Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, Production and Operations Management and Journal of Industrial Ecology. He also publishes in practitioner outlets such as Harvard Business Review, Sloan Management Review and California Management Review. Atalay’s research has received a number of research awards, including the Wickham Skinner Best Paper Award (winner 2007, runner up 2014), Wickham Skinner Early Career Research Award (2012), Paul Kleindorfer Award in Sustainability (2013), MSOM Responsible Research Award (2019) and MSOM Best OM Paper Award (2021). His research on circularity has been recognized by Harvard Business Review as a McKinsey Best Article Award finalist in 2022. Atalay served as president of the Manufacturing and Service Operations Society and as Department Editor for POMS. He is currently an Associate/
Admission information
The seminar is open to the public. To receive invitations for upcoming seminar talks, please sign up for the mailing list via this form.