Index
05 March 2010
The experience of a lifetime
Dr Hossein Zadeh on board the new Armidale Class Patrol Boats of the Royal Australian Navy.
Dr Hossein Zadeh, far right, on a panel presenting to Tanzanian government delegates. Other panel members include professionals from IBM, Stanford University and MIT.
Related stories
-
RMIT has sustainability covered 23/05/2012
-
RMIT news in brief 23/05/2012
-
RMIT partners with Qatar institute 22/05/2012
-
Homelessness conference draws top researchers 21/05/2012
-
Bee research might lead to artificial vision 21/05/2012
-
Vietnam Minister strengthens RMIT links 21/05/2012
That’s how Dr Hossein Zadeh describes his recent collaborative project with IBM in Silicon Valley, USA.
“It really was the experience of a lifetime. I am a different person as a result,” Dr Zadeh, Senior Lecturer, School of Business IT and Logistics, said.
“I saw highly successful, innovative, alternative ways of teaching, researching and collaborating with industry.”
Working with IBM professionals at their Almaden Research Centre, Dr Zadeh researched the interaction of the capabilities of service providers and service consumers.
His engineering background helped establish some fundamental theories in services science, and he gained invaluable experience on both the theoretical and the application sides of this new discipline area.
In addition, he set up a number of research projects with international collaborators, including from MIT and Stanford universities.
“I made some fantastic connections and met people who are world leaders in their fields. I would never have met them otherwise,” he said.
Dr Zadeh has been asked to be an associate editor of the proceedings of the prestigious International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS), the highest ranking conference in information systems.
“Before the industry placement, my best hope would be to have a paper published in it. I would never have even thought of being an associate editor.”
Students will also benefit from his work with IBM. Having observed some classes in action in the USA, Dr Zadeh will adopt proven innovative tools and approaches in his teaching.
In addition, IBM has provided access to a business modelling and simulation game that he will incorporate into his teaching this semester.
And the best part of the experience? “Everything was fantastic. I had the rare opportunity of stepping off the usual academic track, having amazing experiences, meeting exceptional people, and seeing alternative ways of doing things.
“This has given me a totally different perspective as I return to RMIT and my work as an academic.”
Other aspects of his time in Silicon Valley also impressed Dr Zadeh, especially the strong spirit of entrepreneurship among so many people and their willingness to share their good fortune.
He gives the example of the founders of Google who have funded free broadband internet access (WiFi) for the entire large suburb of Mountain View in Silicon Valley.
Dr Zadeh would like to thank Rosemary O’Connor, Professor Aaron Smith, Professor Brian Corbitt and Professor Ross Smith for their strong and continued support.
Dr Zadeh’s project was undertaken with assistance from an RMIT University College of Business program designed to give staff direct industry experience.
The Business Faculty in Industry Program (BFIP) is an important aspect of the College’s industry engagement strategy. It is open to all College staff who would like to work on collaborative projects with industry organisations.
Expressions of interest for the current round of applications close on Monday, 29 March. Details are available at the Enterprise Group website.
