Rico_Merkert (3)

 

Professor Rico Merket – Summary Profile 

 

Professor Rico Merkert is Chair in Transport and Supply Chain Management and Deputy Director of the Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies at The University of Sydney, Australia. Rico graduated in Business Administration from Berlin University of Technology in 2002. Whilst being a Marie Curie Research Fellow at the Institute for Transport Studies (ITS) at the University of Leeds he undertook and received a PhD in rail transport economics. His PhD and also more recent studies were heavily influenced by a research visit at Hass Business School and various meetings with Nobel Prize winner Professor Oliver Williamson.

Rico has taught at the Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration, the University of Potsdam, the Leeds University Business School and also Cranfield University, where he was a Lecturer in Air Transport Economics and Management and Head of the Centre for Air Transport in Remoter Regions, before joining ITLS/The University of Sydney Business School in March 2012.

He has been involved in a number of projects on benchmarking, transport economics, policy and management (including strategy, organisation and finance) for a range of clients such as the European Commission, ORR, DFT and a number of major airlines. Rico has worked in the automotive industry, and has researched both the aviation and the rail transport sector for more than nine years (including short research fellowships in the USA and Sweden and two longer research stays in Australia).

Most of his recent projects focused on the efficient procurement of air transport in peripheral areas, the management of various elements of the transport value chain as well as benchmarking and productivity/cost efficiency analysis of airlines and airports, particularly in remote regions. In addition to his very active research and lecturing program, Rico is Deputy Chair of the ITLS Graduate Program Committee, Associate Editor of the Journal of Air Transport Management (JATM) and also a fellow of The Higher Education Academy (FHEA).

Areas of Competence

  • Aviation management
  • Procurement and management of transport in Remoter Regions
  • Aviation value chain analysis and logistics
  • Efficiency and productivity analysis
  • Benchmarking
  • Rail economics, regulation and management
  • Institutional Economics
  • Transaction Cost Economics
  • Mergers and Acquisitions
  • Applied econometric modeling (i.e. DEA)
  • Financial analysis
  • Industrial organization; contract analysis in transportation value chains
  • Project evaluation and cost-benefit analysis
  • Models of privatization
  • Organisation and financing of transportation infrastructure
  • Supply chain management

Education 

Jan 10 – Jan 2012                  Cranfield University PG Cert in Learning Teaching and Assessment in Higher Education (Part-time executive program)

Jan. 06 – May 2009               University of Leeds, Institute for Transport Studies (ITS) PhD in Transport Economics, supervisors Prof. Chris Nash & Dr Andrew Smith

Aug. 00 – June 2001              Norwegian School of Economics and Business Administration (NHH, Bergen) Exchange student within the NHH International MBA scheme

Oct. 96 – Aug. 2002               Berlin Institute of Technology (Universität Berlin, TU BerlinMSc in Business Administration (Dipl.-Kfm.)

Short-term Visiting Research Fellowships

May 2011 – July 2011           The University of Sydney Business School, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (ITLS) Visiting research fellow (invited by Prof. David Hensher)

April 2010 – July 2010         The University of Sydney Business School, Institute of Transport and Logistics Studies (ITLS) Visiting research fellow (invited by Prof. David Hensher)

June 2007                              University of California, Haas School of Business (Berkeley) Visiting research fellow (invited by Prof. Oliver Williamson)

May 2007                               Swedish National Road and Transport Research Institute, Department of Economics (VTI, Borlänge) Visiting research fellow (invited by Prof. Jan-Eric Nilsson)

May 04 – Nov. 2004              University of Leeds, Institute for Transport Studies (ITS) Short term Marie Curie Fellow (invited by Prof. Chris Nash)