Archis Ghate
Professor and Associate Chair,
Industrial & Systems Engineering, University of Washington
Biographical Profile
Education
- Ph.D., Industrial and Operations Engineering, University of Michigan, 2006
- M.S., Management Science and Engineering, Stanford University, 2003
- M.Tech and B.Tech, Chemical Engineering, Indian Institute of Technology, 2001
Professional Experience
Industrial & Systems Engineering, University of Washington
- Assistant (2006-2012), Associate (2012-2017), and Full (2017-present) Professor
- Associate Chair, 2016-present
INFORMS Activities
- Tutorial Sessions Co-chair, 2022 CORS/INFORMS International Conference
- General Chair, 2019 INFORMS Annual Meeting
- Chair, INFORMS Doctoral Student Colloquium, 2014 and 2015
- President, INFORMS Pacific Northwest Chapter, 2011
- Chair, Interactive Sessions, INFORMS Annual Meeting, 2007
- Judge for competitions and member of panels at several INFORMS meetings
Other Professional Activities
- Program Co-chair, IISE Annual Conference, 2021
- Co-chair, Invited Sessions – O.R. Track, IISE Annual Conference, 2019
- Current and past Associate Editor of INFORMS Journal on Computing, Service Science, IISE Transactions, Operations Research Letters, and OMEGA
Professional Honors and Awards
- College of Engineering Endowed Professorship, University of Washington, 2016-2021
- NSF CAREER Award, 2011
- Excellence in Teaching Operations Research, IISE, 2012
Publication Summary
- 50+ peer-reviewed papers in journals such as Operations Research, INFORMS Journal on Computing, Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, SIAM Journal on Optimization, Operations Research Letters, European Journal of Operational Research, and IISE Transactions
- ~30 invited seminars; ~75 conference presentations; Two INFORMS TutORials
- Two book manuscripts (Optimal Fractionation in Radiotherapy; Data-driven Optimization)
Vision Statement
Well-organized conferences are essential for any professional society to thrive. They provide a collegial forum for timely exchange of cutting-edge ideas and building professional collaborations and friendships. Motivated by this belief, I have taken on major roles on several conference organizing committees over the past 15 years. These responsibilities have afforded me the privilege to work with numerous dedicated INFORMS members and outstanding INFORMS staff. Through these efforts and interactions, I have acquired a broad behind-the-scenes knowledge about the operational mechanisms and governance procedures of INFORMS conferences. As the VP of Meetings, I hope to build upon this expertise to ensure that people enjoy a professionally enriching and personally fulfilling experience every time they attend an INFORMS meeting.
Although the COVID-19 pandemic has taken an enormous toll on the human condition, it has also demonstrated the awesome potential of videoconferencing technologies to increase access to information and knowledge. Before the pandemic, professional conferences could be enjoyed by the privileged few who can afford (financially and logistically) to travel thousands of miles, sometimes across national borders, to attend. But the pandemic has taught us that all one really needs to view and listen to research talks at conferences is a good internet connection. What is the best way for INFORMS conferences to utilize the full power of such technologies to disseminate OR/MS/Analytics/Data Science information and knowledge to communities across the world? In other words, can such technologies reduce barriers to participating in INFORMS conferences for hundreds if not thousands of people? As the VP of Meetings, I will strive to find answers to such questions in collaboration with the INFORMS Board of Directors and the Meetings Committee.
The INFORMS Annual Meeting is the networking hub of our community. It is where nascent research ideas are disseminated and critiqued, the future direction of our profession is debated and sketched, the business of various societies and divisions is conducted, and awards are announced. The Annual Meeting also provides an increasingly essential venue for recruiting and job searches. The Analytics Conference provides a wonderful opportunity for industry practitioners and academicians to learn from each other. Practitioners can describe the hardest and most pressing real-world problems they face, and academicians expound on the latest methodological advances that could solve these problems. This give-and-take between the two communities in turn can lead to significant, positive societal impact. The International Conference provides an opportunity to reinforce INFORMS as the leading society for OR/MS/Analytics/Data Science professionals worldwide. It offers our colleagues from different corners of the world an easier way to fully engage with our vibrant community. Finally, the smaller society-specific conferences provide a more focused forum for deeper exploration of methodological and applied research ideas. As the VP of Meetings, I will ensure that these varying objectives of our conferences and stakeholders are met.
The field of analytics holds great potential to help industry, governments, and nonprofit organizations make data-driven, science-based decisions. This has created a tremendous opportunity for further collaboration between INFORMS and other sister organizations such as SIAM as well as the artificial intelligence/machine learning communities. As the VP of Meetings, I will explore with the Meetings Committee formal mechanisms to enhance such cross-fertilization through our conferences.
Thank you for reading my vision statement and for taking the time to vote. I am eager to hear your ideas about what INFORMS can do to enhance our community’s conference experiences. Please feel free to anonymously write-in any suggestions into this Google Doc. As the VP of Meetings, I will try my best to ensure that your voice is heard.