On May 15, 2025, the Tauber Institute for Global Operations hosted the “Frontiers in Operations” symposium at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business. Designed to spotlight innovative research at the intersection of engineering and business, the event brought together early-career faculty from the College of Engineering and Ross Business School, with presentations spanning popular subjects such as electric vehicles, machine learning, manufacturing, and operations research.
“Tauber has been historically student-focused, bringing together graduate engineering and business students who go through a curriculum with an operations focus and take part in a unique team-based industry-sponsored project experience, which is great and something we would like to see continue and grow,” said Professor Saif Benjaafar, co-director of the Tauber Institute from the College of Engineering. “However, we believe Tauber can also play a role in bringing together faculty from the two schools with an interest in operations…to collaborate on research.”
The symposium aimed to foster interdisciplinary collaboration and engagement with cutting-edge challenges in operations. The research shared throughout the day offered timely insights into challenges that will shape the future of global operations. These academic advances offer practical relevance: informing applied projects, identifying emerging areas of interest, and enriching the education of future operations leaders.
The opening panel showcased cutting-edge developments in modern logistics and decision-making systems. Sushil Varma introduced strategies for efficient electric vehicle fleet management, emphasizing smart charging to enhance sustainability. Angela Kohlenberg examined dynamic matching markets, highlighting the effectiveness of simple matching policies in impatient contexts. Lei Ying discussed scalable algorithms for optimizing complex networks, offering innovative approaches to manage uncertainty in large systems.
The second panel examined the role of data and algorithms in improving decision-making under uncertainty. David Ham presented his collaboration with Netflix on an innovative experimental method, “design-based confidence sequences,” allowing for early experiment termination without losing statistical integrity, thus benefiting digital product teams. Shubhanshu Shekhar introduced techniques to detect system changes using simulator data, enabling real-time, statistically valid updates for applications like online monitoring and fraud detection. Lennart Baardman explored factors driving customer churn in clothing rental models, identifying inventory issues and proposing solutions that enhanced product availability and reduced churn, offering insights for circular economy models and data-driven supply chain strategies.
The final research panel focused on future technologies in mobility and manufacturing. X. Jessie Yang discussed trust dynamics in human-autonomy teams, using empirical and computational models to inform the design of human-machine collaboration in areas like autonomous driving and robotics. Ran Zhuo examined the impact of geopolitical shifts on high-tech manufacturing, particularly how the U.S.-China decoupling affects semiconductor industry investments and supply chains, providing tools to mitigate policy risks. Max Li explored operations research in air transportation, highlighting areas like drone logistics and urban air mobility, with an emphasis on integrating robust optimization techniques to advance mobility systems.
In a closing discussion moderated by Professor Joline Uichanco, senior faculty including Saif Benjaafar, Brian Denton, Izak Duenyas, and Ravi Anupindi reflected on what makes interdisciplinary collaboration successful. They shared stories of impactful projects sparked by informal connections and highlighted the importance of building structures that encourage sustained partnerships between engineering and business. The panel encouraged early-career researchers to seek out collaborations that cut across traditional academic boundaries.
This symposium offers a preview of the research topics and analytical tools that will shape the field of global operations in the years ahead. The insights shared by faculty signal the directions in which technology, policy, and innovation are headed. By bridging business and engineering research, the Tauber Institute continues to foster the kind of cross-functional thinking that prepares students to lead and helps companies adapt to a rapidly evolving world.
View Photos from the 2025 Tauber Symposium here.
