Dr. Ozlem Ergun is the College of Engineering Distinguished Professor and Associate Chair for Graduate Studies in mechanical and industrial engineering at Northeastern University. She began her educational journey with her bachelor’s degree in operations research and industrial engineering from Cornell University and earned her PhD in operations research from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Dr. Ergun was recently elected as an INFORMS fellow and honored with the Franz Edelman Prize from INFORMS.

In this podcast episode, Dr. Ergun shares valuable insights from her research, which revolves around the design and management of large-scale and decentralized networks. Her work aims to enhance the resilience of critical systems and optimize supply chains, including those in transportation, pharmaceuticals, and healthcare.

She also discusses her experiences working with organizations to develop data-driven solutions, highlighting the importance of building relationships and trust over time. Emphasizing the significance of passion and teamwork in research, Dr. Ergun suggests that pursuing a topic one is passionate about and collaborating with individuals with complementary skills can lead to more effective and enjoyable research experiences and much more.

To learn more about Dr. Ergun, make sure to visit her ⁠personal website⁠ and her ⁠Google Scholar⁠ page.