Rafig Aliyev was born in Baku, Azerbaijan, and raised in Famagusta, Northern Cyprus, where he completed his high school education at Eastern Mediterranean Doğa College. He pursued his higher education in the United Kingdom, earning a Bachelor of Arts in Business and Management from Durham University Business School in 2018 and a Master of Science in International Business from Warwick Business School, University of Warwick, in 2019. He subsequently transitioned directly into doctoral research, receiving his PhD in System Analysis, Management, and Information Processing from the Azerbaijan State Oil and Industry University (ASOIU) in 2022.
In his professional career, Aliyev served as the head of the Integration and Accreditation Sector at the Science and Education Analytical Center of ASOIU, where he was responsible for curriculum development and the implementation of contemporary teaching methodologies. He further expanded his leadership as the General Director of the dual degree programme in Renewable Energy between the University of Warwick (Warwick Manufacturing Group) and ASOIU. In this role, he managed the full project lifecycle from its initiation and due diligence, including strategic planning, financial oversight, and project control.
Aliyev’s research interests include internationalization, entry mode strategies, and advanced fuzzy logic. He has published in leading journals such as Information Sciences and Sustainability. His work primarily focuses on Z-numbers and optimization, with current research extending into bimodal information and Type-3 fuzzy sets. His academic and professional experience informs his teaching in Strategic Management, Regional Innovation, and International Trade.