Julie Swann

Julie Swann is the A. Doug Allison Distinguished Professor and Department Head of the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at North Carolina State University. She is also an affiliate faculty member in the Joint Department of Biomedical Engineering at NC State and UNC Chapel Hill. Previously, she held the Harold R. and Mary Anne Nash Professorship at Georgia Tech, where she co-founded the Center for Health and Humanitarian Systems (CHHS). Her research focuses on applying systems engineering and analytics to improve health and humanitarian systems, including pandemic response, supply chain management, and disease eradication.

Swann earned a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Georgia Tech (1996), and M.S. and Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering/Management Science from Northwestern University (1998 and 2001). She has received numerous accolades, including Fellowships from INFORMS, IISE, and AIMBE, and serves as 2022 President-Elect of INFORMS. Her work spans collaborations with organizations like the CDC, American Red Cross, and WHO, addressing challenges such as Guinea worm eradication, pandemic modeling, and pediatric asthma interventions.

Key research themes include: optimizing public health systems, analyzing epidemic dynamics, and designing equitable supply chains. Recent projects include forecasting for the CDC’s pandemic response, CMS’s Medicare innovation challenges, and evaluating interventions for Guinea worm disease in Chad. Swann’s expertise is frequently featured in media outlets like The Washington Post, Scientific American, and Forbes.

• Education:
  • Ph.D. Industrial Engineering/Management Science - Northwestern University (2001)
  • MSIE - Northwestern University (1998)
  • BSIE - Georgia Tech (1996)
• Scientific Awards:
  • 2022 INFORMS President-Elect
  • Fellow of INFORMS, IISE, and AIMBE
  • NSF CAREER Award (2004)
• Grants & Funding:

  Over $3M in research funding from NSF, CDC, and industry collaborations. Current projects include NIH-funded work on pediatric asthma ROI and CDC-supported pandemic modeling.

Swann leads NC State’s ISE department, emphasizing interdisciplinary research and student mentorship. She co-directs the Health and Humanitarian Systems initiative and teaches in professional certificate programs. Her lab focuses on systems approaches to global health challenges, including vaccine distribution optimization and disaster response logistics.