Centre for Information Management

Centre Members and Associates

Professor Crispin Coombs BA, UW Aberystwyth; MA, Manchester; MSc, De Montfort, PhD, Loughborough, FHEA

Photo of Professor Crispin Coombs

Associate Dean for Research and Innovation

Professor of Information Systems

Benefits realisation management; Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics; the success and failure of information systems in organisations; empowerment and control through technology

Dr Coombs is an experienced and successful leader within the Business School environment, undertaking senior management roles including Head of the Information Management Group, Deputy Director of the Information Management research centre (CIM), and programme leadership. His research expertise is located in the Information Systems domain and concerns the effective management of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics to deliver business benefits. He is a member of the Business and Management Studies sub-panel for the assessment phase of the Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021.

Dr Coombs has published over 85 outputs including 36 refereed journal papers (including three at ABS 4*) 39 conference papers, and ten official reports and book chapters. Dr Coombs is a Senior Editor for the European Journal of Information Systems, one of the AIS Basket of Eight top Information Systems journals. He is also a Senior Editor at the journal, Information Technology and People. He is an Editorial Board member of the International Journal of Information Management and the International Journal of Project Management.

Dr Coombs was elected to the Board of the UK Academy of Information Systems (UKAIS) in 2015 and served as Vice-President of UKAIS between 2018-2020. Dr Coombs has served on 31 international conference committees. In 2017 Dr Coombs was appointed as a Visiting Professor at the University of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

Dr Coombs is committed to generating research income and has secured over £0.5 million from funding bodies including STFC, CIPD, British Academy, EPSRC, ESRC, NIHR SDO Programme, Department of Health and Department of Business Innovation and Skills.

Dr Coombs is an experienced teacher and facilitator, teaching on undergraduate, postgraduate and MBA programmes. He has been a Fellow of the HEA since 2007 and is a member of the Association of Information Systems, and UK Academy of Information Systems. Dr Coombs holds external examining positions at the University of Leeds and University of Sheffield and is a regular external PhD examiner.

Crispin Coombs' research expertise is located in the Information Systems domain and concerns the effective management of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics to deliver business benefits. His research is based on three complementary strands: the success and failure of information systems in organisations; IT-enabled benefits realisation management and empowerment and control through technology. Recent, UKRI and British Academy funded research projects include:

Dr Coombs has delivered several international keynote speeches on his research, including EnANPAD 2018 Benefits of Artificial Intelligence & Robotics: Hype or Reality? (2nd largest Business Administration event in the world) and CONTECSI 2018 Impacts of Intelligent Machines on Work and Employment (largest IS conference in Latin America).

Dr Coombs has authored over 85 articles in academic and professional journals and conferences including Journal of Strategic Information Systems, European Journal of Information Systems; Information & Management; Information Technology & People, International Journal of Information Management, Journal of Global Information Management; Journal of Organizational Behavior; Journal of Vocational Behavior; Management Learning; International Journal of Human Resource Management; International Conference on Information Systems (ICIS), European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS), Academy of Management (AoM), UK Association of Information Systems (UKAIS), European Conference on Knowledge Management (ECKM), European Conference on Information Management and Evaluation (ECIME) and ten official reports and book chapters.

Dr Coombs was nominated for the prestigious Claudio Ciborra award for most innovative research paper at European Conference on Information Systems in 2013. Dr Coombs is committed to the supervision and development of research students and has supervised eight students to successful completion. He is a regular external PhD examiner with recent appointments including Aston University, Univerity of Agder, DeMontfort University, University of Salford, University of Sydney and the University of Canberra.

May 2020 – Jan 2021 EPSRC/Aston University

 

Enabling the Circular Economy in Aerospace Manufacturing through Industrial Digital Technologies (CEiA)

£20,000

May 2020 – Mar 2021 STFC/FSA

21st Century Meat Inspector

£76,844

June 2019 – Sept 2020 British Academy

Adept at Adaptation: Disability, AI, and Voice Technologies in Social Care Services

Awarded third place in the Loughborough University, Calibre Awards 2020

£9,980

Sept 2016-17 Newton Mobility Grant

Understanding Organisational Agility: The Role of Information Technology (IT) Capability

£6,917

June 2017 – September 2017, EPSRC

Big Data Analytics in the Curriculum'

£2,300

October 2016 – March 2017, EPSRC

The Impact of the Internet of Things on Managing Work

£20,645

October 2016 – February 2017 CIPD

Rapid Review of the Research Literature on the Impact of Artificial Intelligence, Robotics and Automation Technologies on Knowledge & Service work, Professions and Society

£9,756

Mar 2015, School of Business and Economics

The Autonomy-Control Duality in Mobile Information Technology Projects

£54,420

Dec 2013, Guidance Navigation Ltd

SME Information Management Benefits Framework (1)

£31,600

Dec 2013, School of Business and Economics

SME Information Management Benefits Framework (2)

£20,420

Mar 2013, School of Business and Economics

Measuring and Monitoring Benefits Realised from IT-Enabled Change

£52,020

June 2011, School of Business and Economics

An Investigation of the Relationships between Critical Success Factors (CSF) in Warehouse Management System (WMS) Projects

£3,000

May 2010, NIHR HS&DR

The Role of Unlearning in Healthcare Managers' Decision Making

£161,028

  • 2020 Panel Member Sub-panel 17: Business and Management Studies Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021
  • 2020 Senior Editor European Journal of Information Systems ABDC A*; ABS 3* AIS Basket of Eight Premier IS journal
  • 2020 Information Systems Stream Organising Chair, Operational Research Society Conference OR62, Warwick
  • 2020 Programme Committee member, UK Academy for Information Systems Conference, Oxford
  • 2020 Associate Editor, IS in the Workplace and the Future of Work, International Conference on Information Systems, Hyderabad, India
  • 2019 Distinguished Editorial Board Member, International Journal of Information Management ABDC A; ABS 2*
  • 2019 Associate Editor, Information Systems Research Methods, Theorizing and Philosophy of Science, International Conference on Information Systems, Munich, Germany
  • 2019 Associate Editor, Rethinking IS Strategy and Governance in the Digital Age Track, European Conference on Information Systems, Stockholm-Uppsala, Sweden
  • 2019 Programme Committee member, UK Academy for Information Systems Conference, Oxford
  • 2019 Doctoral Consortium Facilitator, UK Academy for Information Systems Conference, Oxford
  • 2018 Organising Chair, New Technologies, Organisations and Work workshop, European Conference on Information Systems, Portsmouth
  • 2018 – 2020 Vice President UK Academy for Information Systems (2018 – 2020 present)
  • 2018 – present, Member of Operational Research Society Awards Panel for Stafford Beer Medal, (best paper award), European Journal of Information Systems
  • 2018 Chair of Information Systems stream for the Operational Research Society (OR60) Conference
  • 2017 -2019 Member of Operational Research Society Awards Panel for Griffiths Medal, (best paper award), Health Systems journal
  • 2017 – present, Visiting Professor, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil
  • 2017 Invited contributor to ESRC and US NSF collaborative workshop on Changing Work, Changing Lives in the New Technological World. October
  • 2017 Chair of Information Systems stream for the Operational Research Society (OR59) Conference
  • 2016 – present, Senior Editor, Information Technology and People, ABDC A; ABS 3*
  • 2016 – present, Editorial Board Member, International Journal of Project Management ABDC A; ABS 2*
  • 2016 Invited contributor to IBM Data Science workshop at IBM World of Watson conference, October
  • 2016 Invited contributor to ESRC and DSTL workshop on Automation of Future Roles, November
  • 2015 – present, Conference committee for UK Academy for Information Systems
  • 2015 Elected to Board UK Academy for Information Systems
  • 2012 - 2017 Guest judge, SAP UK and Ireland Quality Awards
  • 2013 – 2015 External advisor, LIBA Consulting and Advisory Services Limited