Julia Bennell

Professor Julia Bennell is the Executive Dean of Leeds University Business School, overseeing academic and strategic operations. She holds a First Class Honours degree in Mathematics and Management Science (1994) and a PhD in Management Science (1998) from the University of Swansea. Previously, she served as Professor of Management Science at the University of Southampton Business School (promoted 2010), where she directed CORMSIS (a leading UK OR/MS group), led the Department of Decision Analytics and Risk Research (2012–2015), and acted as Deputy Head of School (2015–2018). Her roles also included executive coaching and mentoring.

Her research focuses on optimization models for logistics, particularly cutting and packing, vehicle routing, scheduling, network design, and heuristic algorithms. She has published over 45 papers in top journals like European Journal of Operational Research and has secured £1+ million in research funding from EPSRC, BBSRC, and KTP. She chairs the European Working Group on Cutting and Packing and holds leadership roles in the Association of European Operational Research Societies.

Bennell’s teaching spans 20 years across undergraduate, postgraduate, and MBA programs, emphasizing operational research and management science through industry-driven problems. She advises current postgraduate researcher Nesma ElShishtawy. Her professional activities include keynote speaking at major conferences (EURO, IFORS), guest editing, and organizing international conferences. She maintains strong industry ties through consultancy, HMRC training programs, and collaborations with SMEs and government bodies.