Manoj Chari

Manoj Chari is a Clinical Associate Professor of Operations at the Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He previously held roles as Director of the Center for Organizational Analytics at Elon University and Director of Data Science at Otis Elevator Company. His expertise spans data science, business analytics, operations research, and IoT-driven predictive analytics. Chari has extensive industry experience, including 16 years at SAS Institute Inc., where he led a 50-member team in advanced analytics and product development. He holds a PhD in Operations Research from UNC and a B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology.

• Education:
• PhD in Operations Research, University of North Carolina
• B.Tech in Mechanical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology

His research focuses on applying operations research and machine learning to optimize business processes across industries like finance, retail, healthcare, and manufacturing. He has led IoT-based projects for elevator health prediction and restructured SAS’s operations research software products. Chari is active in INFORMS, serving on editorial boards, conference committees, and receiving its highest honor, the INFORMS Fellowship, for career contributions to analytics practice.

• Awards:
• INFORMS Fellow (2020)
• SAS CEO Award of Excellence (2008)
• Alexander Von Humboldt Research Fellowship

Chari’s leadership extends to academic and professional networks, including chairing INFORMS conferences and representing SAS on its Roundtable of industry leaders. His work bridges academia and industry, emphasizing practical applications of analytics through consulting, product development, and educational initiatives.