Anita Onay

Anita Onay is a Professor of Production Management at MCI Management Center Innsbruck. She holds a PhD in Production Management from the University of Innsbruck (2012–2016) and a Mag. rer. soc. oec. in Business Administration with a focus on Production and Logistics (2004–2010). Her academic career includes roles as Senior Lecturer (2021–2023), Lecturer (2018–2021), and Research Assistant (2016–2018) at MCI. She is actively involved in professional associations including the EURO Working Group on Behavioral OR (Coordination Board Member since 2022) and the Industry 5.0 Community of Practice (EU member since 2023).

Her research focuses on integrating behavioral aspects into production and supply chain systems, with emphasis on simulation-based decision support, stochastic processes, and human factors in operations. Key areas include hierarchical production planning, lead time management, and behavioral workload control. She has led projects such as the Tyrolean Innovation Funding initiative on digital traceability in timber trade (2022–2024) and a TWF-funded study on lean production in SMEs (2017).

Teaching responsibilities span Industrial Engineering and Mechatronics programs at MCI, covering courses like Production Planning & Control, Simulation & Optimization, and Lean Practice Lab. She advises over 40 students in bachelor and master theses, focusing on topics like production simulation, lean manufacturing, and Industry 4.0 implementation.

Notable achievements include the 2023 Innsbruck Prize for Research and Innovation for her doctoral work on behavioral operations. She also received a PhD Program Support Grant from the University of Innsbruck (2014). Her professional experience includes roles as a project manager in quality management (GE Jenbacher, 2008–2009) and IT project leadership (Auviso Ltd., 2010–2014).