About
Nezih Altay serves as Professor and Director of the MS in Supply Chain Management Program within the Department of Management & Entrepreneurship at DePaul University's Driehaus College of Business. He maintains international research affiliations as a Resilience Research Fellow at Delft University of Technology and research partner at Kühne Logistics University's Research Institute on Leadership and Operations in Humanitarian Aid, while continuing his relationship with Hanken School of Economics as a HumLog Institute Research Affiliate.
His academic credentials include:
- PhD in Operations Management, Texas A&M University (2001)
- MBA, University of Texas Pan American (1996)
- BS in Chemical Engineering, Bogazici University, Turkey (1993)
Altay's research centers on humanitarian supply chains, disruption management, and after-sale service operations, addressing critical challenges in disaster response systems and vulnerable population support. His work bridges theoretical operations management with practical humanitarian applications, emphasizing resilience building and ethical considerations in crisis contexts through frameworks like coping strategies and ambidextrous organization design.
Recent publications (2022-2025) show intensified focus on pandemic resilience, migrant flow logistics, and generative AI applications for social good, while maintaining core themes in disruption management and humanitarian innovation. His research increasingly integrates advanced analytics with field-based evidence from crises in Turkey, Greece, Kenya, and Ethiopia.
Major recognitions include:
- Academic/Research Accomplishment Award from American Logistics Aid Network (ALAN) (2019)
- Fulbright-Hanken Chair in Business and Economics (2021)
Altay has directed DePaul's MS in Supply Chain Management program while teaching executives, MBA, and undergraduate students since 1999. His Fulbright Grant enabled significant collaboration with HumLog Institute, and editorial leadership includes co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of Humanitarian Logistics & Supply Chain Management and senior editor of Production and Operations Management.
International research partnerships drive his work through Delft University's resilience initiatives, Kühne Logistics University's leadership institute, and Hanken's HumLog Institute, creating a global network for humanitarian operations research with field studies across multiple continents.
