Nikos Trichakis

Nikos Trichakis is the J.C. Penney Professor of Operations Management at MIT Sloan School of Management and Associate Dean for Social and Ethical Responsibilities of Computing in the MIT Schwarzman College of Computing. He is based in Cambridge, MA, and can be reached at ntrichakis@mit.edu.

Education: While specific degrees are not listed, his 2011 MIT doctoral thesis Fairness in Operations: From Theory to Practice earned the 2012 INFORMS George B. Dantzig Dissertation Award (3rd Prize), confirming his PhD training at MIT.

Research Interests: Trichakis works at the intersection of optimization, fairness, and analytics. His core themes include

• designing provably fair and efficient algorithms for resource allocation,
• data-driven and robust optimization under uncertainty,
• healthcare operations—especially organ transplantation and cancer-care scheduling,
• supply-chain and revenue-management models that integrate financial considerations, and
• ethical implications of algorithmic decision-making.

Publication Impact: From 2019-2025 his articles focus on translating optimization models into life-saving policies for kidney, liver and lung transplantation, COVID-19 forecasting, and robust scheduling in oncology units. The work consistently blends rigorous optimization with empirical validation and policy advocacy, reflecting a commitment to societal impact.

Scientific Awards & Honors:

• 2023 INFORMS Pierskalla Award – Second Prize
• 2022 INFORMS Daniel H. Wagner Prize – Finalist
• 2020 INFORMS Koopman Prize – Winner
• 2018 INFORMS Optimization Society Young Researchers Paper Prize – First Prize
• 2018 M&SOM Interface of Finance, Operations, and Risk Management Best Paper Award – First Prize
• 2018 POMS Best Paper Award, Humanitarian Operations & Crisis Management – Second Prize
• 2013 INFORMS JFIG Paper Competition – First Prize
• 2012 INFORMS George B. Dantzig Dissertation Award – Third Prize

Teaching & Advising: Trichakis has taught

• 15.761 Introduction to Operations Management (multiple semesters)
• 15.762 Supply Chain Analytics, Spring 2024
• 15.763 Manufacturing Systems and Supply Chain Design
• 15.764 The Theory of Operations Management
• HBS courses on operations for investors and general management

He has also authored numerous Harvard Business School cases, indicating an active role in MBA and executive education.

Labs & Teams: While no single lab name is provided, his dual appointment across Sloan and the Schwarzman College positions him at the nexus of operations research, computing ethics, and MIT’s broader data-driven initiatives, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams on national organ-allocation redesign and COVID-19 response analytics.