Suchithra Rajendran

Suchithra Rajendran is an Assistant Professor with a joint appointment in the Marketing Department at the Robert J. Trulaske Sr. College of Business and the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department at the University of Missouri. Her research bridges engineering and business disciplines with industry collaborations including Case New Holland and Schneider Electric.

Her educational background includes:

• PhD in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from The Pennsylvania State University
• MS in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research from The Pennsylvania State University
• BE in Industrial Engineering from Anna University

Dr. Rajendran's research integrates healthcare delivery systems, supply chain optimization, and marketing data analytics through multiple criteria decision making frameworks. Her work emphasizes quality assurance applications in industrial settings and leverages her Lean Six Sigma Black Belt certification for process improvement. The interdisciplinary nature of her research connects engineering methodologies with business analytics to solve complex real-world problems.

She has received numerous awards and fellowships, including:

• Richard Wallace Faculty Incentive Grant
• Bob Bloss Faculty Enhancement Grant
• Winemiller Excellence Award in Data Analytics
• Honorable Mention, Winemiller Excellence Award
• 1907 Women in Engineering Faculty Award
• Service Enterprise Engineering (SEE) Fellowship
• Nominated and Finalist, Gilbreth Memorial Fellowship
• Best paper award, International Symposium held in Honor of Prof. Ravindran
• Center for Integrated Healthcare Delivery Systems Scholarship
• German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD-WISE) Fellowship
• Penn State National Science Foundation Center for Health Organization Transformation (NSF CHOT) scholar

Dr. Rajendran has secured significant research funding through faculty grants and international fellowships. Her DAAD-WISE Fellowship in Germany and NSF CHOT scholarship demonstrate global research recognition. Industry partnerships with major corporations provide practical validation of her work in supply chain and healthcare systems optimization. As a Lean Six Sigma Black Belt, she applies rigorous quality methodologies to both academic research and industrial consulting projects.