Ignacio Castillo is a Professor and Associate Dean of Business (Graduate Academic Programs) at the Lazaridis School of Business and Economics, Wilfrid Laurier University. His expertise spans facility location optimization, supply chain management, and sustainable operations. He holds a leadership role in graduate academic programming and teaches courses in operations and statistics. Research focuses on optimizing facility layouts, material handling systems, and closed-loop supply chains. He has developed frameworks for multi-objective facility design and advanced packing optimization algorithms. His work bridges theoretical models with real-world applications in manufacturing and retail sectors. Publications emphasize nonlinear optimization techniques, packing problems, and supply chain coordination strategies. Recent work explores irregular object configurations and retail category space optimization. His textbooks include Business Statistics for Contemporary Decision Making and Operations Management , emphasizing practical decision-making tools. Office: LH4001M | Languages: English, Spanish
Yanchong Karen Zheng is the George M. Bunker Associate Professor of Operations Management at MIT Sloan School of Management. She holds a PhD from Stanford University and degrees from Tsinghua University. Her research focuses on supply chain transparency, smallholder agriculture, and socially responsible operations, employing field-based methods to design implementable solutions. Collaborations include projects with the Karnataka government on agricultural platforms and Fair Trade USA on sustainability. Education: PhD in Management Science & Engineering (Stanford), BS/MS in Automation (Tsinghua). Key research areas include smallholder supply chains in developing countries, environmental responsibility, and behavioral operations. Recent work addresses auction design for farmers’ income improvement and regulatory transparency in China’s food industry. She has won awards such as the NSF Award and MSOM Award, and teaches courses like Operations Strategy and Behavioral Decision Theories.
Youssef TLICHE is an Assistant Professor in Supply Chain Management and Logistics at EM Normandie, where he has been since 2021. He previously held an assistant professorship at Université Le Havre Normandie (2019–2020). He serves as Academic Director of the Graduate programs in Supply Chain Logistics Innovations. He holds a PhD in Management Sciences from Université Le Havre Normandie (2020) and an Engineering degree in Statistics and Data Analysis from ESSAI Tunis (2015). His research focuses on quantitative methods in supply chain management, including collaborative forecasting, decentralized supply chain optimization, and blockchain applications. He also explores decarbonization strategies in maritime logistics and the impact of AI on e-commerce. Key contributions include work on demand inference, inventory optimization, and blockchain in finance. His recent articles address topics such as AI-driven recommendation systems, wind-powered vessel financing, and Industry 4.0’s impact on supply chain vulnerability. No scientific awards are listed. His advising and grant activities remain unspecified in the provided text.
Dr. Luiz Augusto Nobrega Barroso is a Research Affiliate at Comillas Pontifical University's Institute for Research in Technology (IIT), where he has been a visiting researcher since 2007. He is also the CEO of PSR Energy Consulting and Analytics, a global firm specializing in energy economics, consulting, and software development. His career spans industry, government, and academia, with expertise in energy policy, power system economics, and stochastic optimization. Barroso holds a PhD in Systems Engineering from COPPE/UFRJ (2006) and has served as Director General of Brazil’s Energy Research Office (EPE), a visiting fellow at the International Energy Agency (IEA), and editor for top journals like IEEE Power and Energy Magazine . He is an IEEE Fellow and recipient of the 2010 IEEE PES Outstanding Young Engineer Award. His research focuses on energy market design, renewable integration, and grid resilience. Notable contributions include studies on capacity mechanisms, retail liberalization, and pandemic-era grid operations. He has authored over 50 peer-reviewed articles and contributed to global energy policy frameworks through roles in CIGRE and the Florence School of Regulation.
Lauri Saarinen is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management at Aalto University. He holds a Master's degree (2012) and Bachelor's degree (2010) in Engineering and Technology from Aalto University. His research focuses on supply chain resilience, operations management, and agile planning strategies, particularly in pandemic response and digitalization challenges in developing economies. He has contributed to over 18 peer-reviewed publications since 2016, emphasizing topics like grocery supply chain dynamics, food waste reduction, and volatility modeling. Key research interests include supply chain management, operations analytics, and responsiveness in manufacturing systems. His work intersects with healthcare operations, innovation, and sustainability, addressing global challenges such as pandemic disruptions and digital economy barriers in countries like Pakistan. Collaborations span international scholars and industry partners, reflected in multi-authored reviews and case studies. Media engagements highlight his expertise in pandemic supply chain adaptation, featured in articles discussing grocery sector resilience and food waste strategies. He has supervised three theses and actively participates in academic networks, contributing to conferences like EurOMA 2024.
Victoria Wells is a Professor of Sustainable Management and Chair in Management at the School for Business and Society, University of York, since 2017. She holds a PhD from Keele University and has held academic positions at Sheffield, Durham, and Cardiff Universities. Her research focuses on consumer behavior in pubs and sustainable practices, blending theoretical insights with real-world interventions. She is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and a Chartered Marketer. Research Interests: Pub consumer behavior and community dynamics Sustainable consumer behavior, including environmental segmentation and renewable technologies Social marketing applications for sustainability Collaborations include work with Global Action Plan, GRAB Trust, and Golden Ball Cooperative Pub. Her recent projects address pub survival strategies, employee environmental behavior, and reusable coffee cup campaigns. Teaching emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to marketing and sustainability, including a MOOC on pub management and protection. Key Achievements: Principal Investigator for the EPSRC-funded MacroBioCrude project Author of over 40 publications in consumer behavior and sustainability Recipient of the Certified Management & Business Educator designation
Dr. Byung-Gak Son is a Senior Lecturer in Supply Chain Management at the Bayes Business School, City, University of London. His research focuses on supply chain risk management, partnership dynamics, and offshoring strategies, with particular emphasis on extended supply chain resilience. He serves as Course Director for the MSc in Global Supply Chain Management and the Sogang-KAIST Dual Degree Programme. His consultancy work includes engagements with the Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency. Education PhD in Supply Chain Management MSc in Operations Management BA in Business Studies Research Interests Dr. Son's work examines strategic supply chain governance, digitalization challenges, and disruption recovery mechanisms. He investigates how firms manage risks in complex global networks through social capital, trust, and organizational design. Recent studies explore paradox theory applications in resolving supply chain tensions and the impact of digital capability asymmetry on buyer-supplier relationships. Publications His research appears in top journals like International Journal of Operations & Production Management and Journal of Supply Chain Management, with a focus on global supply chain resilience, digitalization paradoxes, and M&A success factors. Recent trends emphasize sustainability linkages, humanitarian logistics, and innovation dynamics in supply networks. Grants & Advising Advises Patrapa Chadist's doctoral research on supply chain disruption response. Engages in editorial roles for Transportation Research Part E, International Journal of Production Economics, and Long Range Planning. Active in conferences such as the Production and Operations Management Society meetings. Labs & Teams Leads academic initiatives in global supply chain education and cross-border collaboration through dual degree programs. Coordinates research teams examining supply chain digitalization and resilience strategies in Asia and Europe.
Yang Zhao is a Senior Lecturer in Digital Transformation and Business Intelligence at Aston Business School, Aston University. Her research focuses on digital business models, digital innovation, and their implications in healthcare and aging societies. She holds a PhD in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from the University of Glasgow and has prior roles at Loughborough University London and the University of Glasgow. Education: PhD in Innovation and Entrepreneurship, University of Glasgow (2011–2016) MSc in International Business and Entrepreneurship, University of Glasgow (2010–2011) Research Interests: Digital transformation, platform business models, healthcare digitalization, and digital divide mitigation. Her work bridges academic theory and industry practice through collaborations with healthcare providers, startups, and governments. Funding & Grants: Co-Investigator on a £7.1M NIHR/UKRI project to decarbonize healthcare systems (2024–2028) Innovate UK-funded KTP projects on virtual production (2024–2026) and eye-care business model innovation (2023–2025) Advising & Labs: Supervises PhD students exploring servitization in healthcare, transportation design, and digital innovation in SMEs. Affiliated with the Advanced Services Group and Centre for Health and Society at Aston.
Francis Declerck is an Associate Professor in the Department of Finance at ESSEC Business School , France. He holds the co-Chair Professor role for the ESSEC 'Shaping the Future of Finance' Chair (partnering with AXA IM Alts, EIFFEL IG, and Société Générale) and coordinates the finance track of ESSEC’s Grande Ecole Master’s in Management program. He is also academic director of the '10KSB-France' program (ESSEC – Goldman Sachs Foundation) and the 'Aristée' executive program for agricultural cooperatives. Education: 2007: HDR (Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches), Université de Montpellier 1992: Ph.D., University of Illinois 1988: Master’s in International Agri-Food Economics and Management (ESSEC & ENSIA) 1979: Agricultural Engineer (Institut Supérieur Agricole de Beauvais) Research Interests: Corporate finance (M&A, risk factors), commodity finance, agri-food chains, biofuels, and sustainable development. His work integrates systemic models (e.g., system dynamics) to analyze market dynamics and policy impacts. Key focus areas include agricultural futures markets, cooperative governance, and energy transition challenges. Research Trends: Declerck’s recent work emphasizes biofuel policy effects , EU environmental policy impacts , and agribusiness risk management . He explores how global commodity markets interact with sustainability goals, particularly in the energy and food sectors. His analysis often bridges microeconomic firm-level decisions with macro-level market structures. Awards: 2019 AFFI Case Study Award 2011 Emerald Literati Award (International Journal of Wine Business Research) 2009 IFAMA Recognition Award 2004 Medal of Honor (Warsaw University of Life Sciences) Advising & Grants: Active jury member for PhD defenses across Europe and Canada. He advises executives from institutions (e.g., EBRD, DG Agri) and co-operatives. His research is supported by industry partnerships (e.g., AXA IM Alts) and think tanks (Les Echos). Labs/Teams: Co-leads the ESSEC ECOMFIN Research Center, focusing on energy/commodity finance and sustainable finance. Collaborates with global networks like the System Dynamics in Food Networks initiative.
Dr. Xinxin Hu is an Associate Professor at the University of Houston-Downtown in the Department of General Business, Marketing, and Supply Chain under the Marilyn Davis College of Business. Her research focuses on decision-making under uncertainty, supply chain contracts, and retail management. PhD in Operations Management, University of Michigan MA in Statistics, University of Michigan BA in Operations Research, Fudan University Her research interests center on supply chain optimization, with a focus on lateral transshipment strategies, risk management, and sustainable operations. She has published in top journals like Management Science , OMEGA , and Production and Operations Management . Recent publications highlight her work in wind energy integration, decentralized inventory systems, and competitive distribution strategies. Her service roles include leadership positions in university academic policy and college-level scholarship committees.
Vassilis Christophides is a Professor of Computer Science at the University of Crete and holds an advanced research position at Inria Paris, where he leads work in the MiMove team. His research spans databases, web information systems, big data processing, and IoT analytics, with a strong emphasis on entity resolution, data integration, and scalable data mining. He has supervised numerous research projects funded by the European Union and the Greek State, and has published over 130 articles in top-tier conferences and journals. Research Interests: His primary research areas include Databases, Web Information Systems, Big Data Processing and Analytics, and Information Systems for the Internet of Things. He also focuses on entity resolution, knowledge graphs, streaming data, and explainable AI, particularly in the context of anomaly detection and fairness-aware data systems. His recent work explores hybrid attention models for entity alignment and causal analysis in time series classification. Recent Research Trends: Analysis of his recent publications (2021–2025) reveals a strong focus on entity resolution with fairness constraints, explainable anomaly detection, and adaptive scheduling in IoT edge analytics. He also investigates deepfake detection, crop type mapping using satellite data, and structural bias in knowledge graphs, demonstrating a broad and impactful research portfolio at the intersection of data management and machine learning. Scientific Awards: 2004 SIGMOD Test of Time Award Best Paper Award, ISWC 2003 Best Paper Award, ISWC 2007 Advising and Grants: While specific student names are not listed in the provided texts, Christophides has co-authored numerous papers with researchers such as Vasilis Efthymiou, Ioannis Tsamardinos, and Nikolaos Myrtakis, suggesting active mentorship. He has been the scientific coordinator of multiple EU and national research projects, indicating substantial grant leadership and project management experience. Labs and Teams: He is affiliated with the MiMove team at Inria Paris, a research group focused on mobility and data-intensive systems. His work bridges academic and applied research, leveraging Inria’s infrastructure for large-scale data experimentation and innovation in IoT and edge computing environments.
Divya Singhvi is an Assistant Professor of Technology, Operations, and Statistics at the Leonard N. Stern School of Business, New York University, where he joined in 2021. His research bridges machine learning and operations management, with applications in retail operations, demand forecasting, pricing, and logistics. Education: Ph.D. in Operations Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology B.S. in Operations Research & Engineering, Cornell University His research interests focus on data-driven approaches to operational decision-making, particularly in dynamic retail environments. By integrating machine learning models into operations frameworks, he aims to improve efficiency and profitability in both online and offline retail settings. While no publications are listed in the provided text, his work appears to center on algorithmic decision-making, optimization under uncertainty, and the practical deployment of AI in business operations. Scientific Awards: No awards mentioned in the provided text. Professor Singhvi advises students through his teaching and research mentorship. He has taught courses such as Data Models and Decisions and Introduction to Operations Management , which are foundational for MBA and undergraduate business students. There is no mention of external grants in the provided content. He was previously a postdoctoral researcher in the IBM Research AI Residency program, indicating industry research experience and engagement with applied AI systems. No specific lab or research team is mentioned in the text.
Zhu Yan serves as Professor at Tsinghua University's School of Economics and Management, Department of Management Science and Engineering. He concurrently holds leadership positions as Dean of Tsinghua's Internet Industry Research Institute, Director of the Advanced Information Technology Business Application Laboratory, and Executive Deputy Director of the Medical Management Research Center. Education: Postdoctoral Fellow (1998-2000) and Ph.D. in Nuclear Energy Technology (1994-1998) at Tsinghua University, Bachelor's in Engineering Physics (1989-1994) Professional Experience: Professor (2010-present), Associate Professor (2002-2010), Lecturer (2000-2002); Visiting Scholar at MIT Sloan, CUHK, and Lancelot Institute Professor Zhu's research spans digital transformation , industrial blockchain , and digital production relations , with emphasis on practical applications in healthcare, construction, and finance. His work bridges theoretical frameworks with industry implementation, particularly in China's digital economy evolution. Current projects focus on industrial internet integration and digital finance systems. His 15 most recent publications demonstrate strong interdisciplinary focus, connecting information systems with healthcare analytics (40%), industrial digitalization (35%), and economic policy (25%). The research shows increasing emphasis on AI-driven diagnostic systems and pandemic-responsive economic strategies since 2020. Beijing Philosophy and Social Sciences Excellent Achievement Award (2020) China Petroleum and Chemical Automation Association Science and Technology Progress Award (2010) Multiple Beijing Science and Technology Progress Awards (2001, 2005) Tsinghua University Outstanding Teaching Award (1999) As academic advisor to national initiatives, Professor Zhu leads the China Technology Economics Society's Blockchain Division and serves as Chief Academic Officer for Chengdu University of Information Technology's Blockchain Industry College. His industry partnerships include SAP Global HR Advisory role since 2000 and CCTV Financial Commentary position since 2015. Current research funding focuses on digital infrastructure development through the Industrial Digital Finance Technology Application Laboratory. He directs the Advanced Information Technology Business Application Laboratory, which develops enterprise digital transformation frameworks, and co-leads the Medical Management Research Center's AI diagnostic initiatives. Current projects include national blockchain infrastructure development and pandemic-resilient supply chain systems.
Mary Harrison is a Visiting Associate Professor of Marketing in the Department of Entrepreneurship, Management and Marketing at Samford University’s Brock School of Business. She brings more than a decade of prior experience from Birmingham-Southern College (BSC), where she served from 2011 to 2024 as faculty member, department chair, and program leader. Education Ph.D. in Marketing (concentration in Social Psychology) – University of Alabama MBA – University of Alabama B.S. in Business Administration – Mississippi College (including a semester of study in London) Research Interests Harrison’s scholarship centers on consumer behavior and services marketing, with particular emphasis on customer–firm relationships, service employee behavior, and the emotional dynamics of service encounters. She investigates how consumers react to service failures, penalties, and special requests, and explores factors that create “lock-in” and long-term loyalty. More recently, her work examines the intersection of artificial intelligence and personal branding in higher-education contexts. Across her publications, three consistent themes emerge: (1) understanding and managing customer emotions during and after service experiences; (2) frontline employee decision-making when faced with ethically or operationally “gray” customer requests; and (3) mechanisms—psychological, relational, and technological—that deepen or dissolve customer–brand relationships over time. Scientific Awards & Honors Omicron Delta Kappa Excellence in Teaching Award – Birmingham-Southern College Bob Whetstone Faculty Development Award – Birmingham-Southern College ACS Career Advancement Pathways Program Fellow – Associated Colleges of the South ACS Summer Teaching & Learning Experience Fellow – Associated Colleges of the South Service & Professional Engagement Harrison currently serves on the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice and previously acted as Co-Associate Editor for Services Marketing at the Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science . She has delivered more than 25 conference presentations or panel discussions at leading marketing academic conferences, and advises Samford’s student chapter of the American Marketing Association.
Royce G. Yudkoff serves as the MBA Class of 1975 Professor of Management Practice of Entrepreneurial Management at Harvard Business School. He is also a General Partner and co-founder of ABRY Partners, LLC, a Boston-based private equity firm. At Harvard Business School, Yudkoff co-teaches two courses with Professor Richard Ruback: 'The Financial Management of Smaller Firms' and 'Entrepreneurship through Acquisition,' which focus on acquiring, financing, and operating smaller firms. Yudkoff's research interests center on entrepreneurial management, particularly the acquisition of small businesses. His work explores the practical aspects of finding, evaluating, negotiating, and financing the purchase of established businesses, providing an alternative path to entrepreneurship. He has co-authored the book HBR Guide to Buying a Small Business: Think Big, Buy Small, Own Your Own Company (2017) and the Harvard Business Review article 'Buying Your Way into Entrepreneurship' (2017), which established him as a leading expert in the search fund and small business acquisition space. His recent scholarly output has been remarkably prolific, with numerous case studies published in 2025 covering diverse business acquisition scenarios across various industries including manufacturing, healthcare, technology, and consumer products. These works examine critical aspects of business acquisition including valuation, due diligence, financial modeling, and post-acquisition management. Baker Scholar (Harvard Business School, 1980) Yudkoff has significant practical experience to complement his academic work. In 1989, he co-founded ABRY Partners, a private equity firm specializing in media, communications, and business information services. Over his career, the firm has completed over $27 billion in leveraged transactions involving approximately 450 properties. Yudkoff has also served on numerous private and public corporate boards, bringing real-world perspective to his teaching and research. His educational background includes graduating from Harvard Business School in 1980 as a Baker Scholar and earning honors as an undergraduate at Dartmouth College. This combination of academic excellence and practical business experience informs his approach to entrepreneurial education.
