John F. Raffensperger

John F. Raffensperger is a Visiting Professor at the Simon Business School at the University of Rochester. Previously, he served as a Senior Lecturer in Management Science at the University of Canterbury (1998–2012) and a Senior Operations Researcher at RAND Corporation (2013–2021), focusing on national security, disaster recovery, and environmental policy. He holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University and an M.B.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business, where his doctoral research centered on U.S. Army training readiness.

His research emphasizes smart markets for environmental resources (e.g., water, carbon, sediment), logistics optimization, risk analysis, and process improvement. Notable projects include designing water trading systems, analyzing military supply chain resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic, and addressing climate change through market mechanisms. He has contributed to policy frameworks for disaster recovery in Puerto Rico and water management in New Zealand and China.

Raffensperger’s publications span over three decades, with recent work focusing on pandemic resource allocation, Army logistics efficiency, and climate-driven market solutions. His interdisciplinary approach bridges operations research, environmental economics, and public policy, with practical applications in both civilian and military contexts.

His career includes roles such as RAND Summer Associate (1990) and collaborations with institutions like the U.S. Army, emphasizing his dual focus on academic rigor and real-world problem-solving.