Management Science and Engineering

Summer 2023 Newsletter

Our lead story: MS&E's four research themes

During a recent round of strategic planning, one faculty member remarked how MS&E is unique in academia. While a typical academic department is organized around the disciplines of its faculty, he said, MS&E is organized around societal problems—regardless of the disciplinary approaches used to solve them.

In light of that unique quality, MS&E identified four overlapping themes that our research addresses:

• AI and data science
  
• Computational social science
  
• The future of organizing
  
• Informing policy decisions

The themes often intersect and span multiple research areas within the department, a nod to our interdisciplinary strength. Below, we explore the themes and share examples of work happening within them.

Four overlapping research themes | Image by Jim Fabry

Artificial intelligence and data science

A majority of MS&E faculty conduct research that intersects with AI, machine learning, and/or data science. Ben Van Roy, for example, is a leading expert in reinforcement learning, a core element of modern AI (he spoke on the topic at Reunion last fall).

Other faculty like Aaron Sidford specialize in optimization, which is fundamental to machine learning. Several are involved in Stanford’s data science initiative, as well as the Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence (HAI).

The work of MS&E alums exemplifies this theme as well. Eric Horvitz (PhD '90) recently examined the safety and accuracy of GPT-4 in a clinical care setting. He also gave a Tanner Lecture on AI and human values. More philosophically, Ralf Seifert (PhD '00) wrote about why the so-called “4th Industrial Revolution” has been slow to start.

Computational social science (CSS)

Showcasing our interdisciplinary strength, CSS refers to the study, design, and deployment of algorithms in social systems. This theme often overlaps with others, particularly AI & data science, but places particular emphasis on the interface between such technologies and the people, institutions, and organizations they impact.

Take, for example, Ashish Goel’s work on deliberative democracy. When 700 California residents gathered virtually to deliberate policy choices in depth, their deliberations took place on the Stanford Online Deliberation Platform, designed by Goel and his team. As a testament to the interdisciplinary nature of CSS, this work also fits into the themes of AI and informing policy decisions.

In another project, Ramesh Johari recently co-authored a study of how to reduce the societal costs of traffic by gathering data on driver behavior, trip attributes, and drivers' tolerance for commuting, which could then be used to optimize pricing.

The future of organizing

This theme encompasses many aspects of organizing and specifically focuses on increasingly digital and algorithmically-infused organizing.

Faculty like Arvind Karunakaran and Melissa Valentine study the impact of technological change in organizations. A forthcoming paper by Karunakaran, along with Hatim Rahman (PhD '19) and Tim Weiss (a former postdoctoral scholar in MS&E), examines experimentation on gig workers. Meanwhile, Valentine spent this year as the first-ever HAI sabbatical scholar and discussed her research on AI in the workplace in this profile.

The future of organizing includes mechanism design, a specialty of several MS&E faculty, including Itai Ashlagi, Irene Lo, and Amin Saberi (who also spoke at Reunion). Lo received a grant to set up a Technology & Racial Equity Field Incubator that will map the problem space in this area, identify key interventions, and build the nascent field of research. This theme also includes research on platforms, such as work by Kathleen Eisenhardt and Riitta Katila.

Informing policy decisions

MS&E research informs policy, from how to minimize the spread of disease—e.g. Giovanni Malloy (PhD '22) modeling chronic wasting disease in deer—to how to regulate businesses. A recent study by Riitta Katila and Sruthi Thatchenkery (PhD '16) has implications for policymakers who want to stimulate economic growth via innovation: The two don’t always go hand-in-hand.

Another area of impact is energy and environmental policy. Jill Grey Ferguson, a PhD student advised by John Weyant, devised a way to simplify applications for California’s energy incentive programs. Wyatt Pontius (MS '19, BS '19) is creating the “modern operating system” for industrial recyclers. And Kenneth Gillingham (PhD '11, MS '06) proposed reforms to federal coal policy to benefit both the climate and taxpayers.

Our research also informs national security policy. Professor Emeritus Siegfried Hecker draws on 30 years of experience, including visits to North Korean nuclear facilities, to inform a discussion of opportunities and consequences in a new book.

CALLING ALL ALUMS

THE LATEST IN MS&E

Lifetime achievement

• Professor Emeritus Frederick Hillier will be inducted into the prestigious International Hall of Fame for Operations Research this summer. We asked Hillier about his pioneering work in operations research, how OR has evolved since its beginnings, and the influence MS&E has had on the field. Read his story.
  

Diversity, equity, and inclusion

• MS&E’s DE&I Committee published its Annual Report for 2023. Learn about the work we’ve been doing and what’s to come.
  

Ethics and social good

• A course taught by Adjunct Lecturer Jack Fuchs helps students rely on principles and values to guide them through difficult situations.
  
  
• Samuel Beskind (MS '22, BS '22) devotes his new podcast, Built for Earth, to learning from planet-focused innovators (Apple, Spotify).
  

Management research

• Looking to innovate? Follow simple rules, according to Kathleen Eisenhardt.
  
  
• Make sure your founding team includes diverse perspectives, according to Chuck Eesley, Carrington Motley (PhD '22), and Wesley Koo (PhD '18).
  
  
• You need two leadership gears, says Bob Sutton.
  

Student research

• This year’s senior projects aimed to shape the future—both of business and society at large.

Summer reading (and listening) list

• We asked MS&E faculty what they’re reading and listening to this summer.

The Costanoa senior project team likened venture capital investments to bets on horse racing (left to right: Ashley Kwon, Ashley Jepson, Emily Smith, Sean Bai) | Image generated by an AI application

STORIES & VOICES

On the shoulders of giants

• Join us as we celebrate MS&E’s legacy through oral histories, this time featuring Professor Emeritus William Perry, who describes his experiences in international security, arms control, and strategic defense, as well as his journey to Stanford and beyond.

Students

• Podcast: We spoke with six graduating students about how they came to MS&E and how they plan to create impact after Stanford. New episodes of Stanford MS&E: Stories & Voices feature JC Chien, Kelly Devens, Jeff Hanson, Shreya Mantha, Isabelle Rao, and Brian Reed.
  
  
• Master’s student Antonia Hellman’s passion for data science in politics, as well as a desire for a broad education, led her to study computational social science in MS&E.
  
  
• Master’s students Caitlin and Sean Casey grew up with a family motto: “Caseys are kind.” At Stanford, the twins excelled in and out of the classroom, propelled by their dedication to others.

Alums

• Jacob Choi (MS '18) shares why he chose MS&E, how his education has impacted his career, and advice for current students. He also visited campus to give one of several alum-hosted career sessions.
  
  
• In an interview intended for kids, Son Ca Vu (BS '10) shares how her work makes it easier for almost anyone to develop mobile apps with AI-powered tools.
  

Six new episodes of Stanford MS&E: Stories & Voices | Images courtesy of (left to right): JC Chien, Kelly Devens, Jeff Hanson, Shreya Mantha, Isabelle Rao, Brian Reed

AWARDS & RECOGNITION

Faculty

• Irene Lo received a Stanford Faculty Women’s Forum Early Academic Career Award.
  
  
• Markus Pelger, along with several current and former MS&E PhD students, received the Crowell Memorial First and Second Prizes, research awards from ICPM and IQAM, and a best paper award from the 2022 Hong Kong Conference for Fintech, AI and Big Data in Business.
  
  
• Vasilis Syrgkanis received the Bodossaki Distinguished Young Scientist Award, as well as an Amazon Research Award.
  
  
• Chuck Eesley and Willow Wu (PhD '21) were included in the Strategic Entrepreneurship Journal’s top-cited papers of the last two years.
  
  
• Itai Ashlagi received the ACM SIGecom Test of Time Award.
  
  
• Frederick Hillier, professor emeritus, received the George E. Kimball Medal for distinguished service to INFORMS and the Operations Research profession in 2017. Regrettably, the award wasn't published in this newsletter until now.
  

Students & alums

• Jen-Chih Yao (PhD '90) was named an honorary member from abroad of the Romanian Academy of Scientists.
  
  
• Hatim Rahman (PhD '19) received an NSF CAREER award to pursue his research on how technology changes the way people work. He was also named a Best 40-Under-40 MBA Professor by Poets & Quants.
  
  
• Eric Liaw (MS '01) was named to the Forbes 2023 Midas Brink List.
  
  
• Patrick Fields (MS '22) was among the recipients of the 2022-23 James W. Lyons Award for Service.
  
  
• Senior and coterminal master’s student Justin Lui earned Mountain Pacific Sports Federation All-Academic accolades for men’s volleyball.
  
  
• Senior and coterminal master’s student Austin Michael Ota received a 2022-23 Terman Award.
  
  
• Master’s student Edward Tran was named a Luce Scholar.
  
  
• Senior Owen Cobb was named a 2023 College Sports Communicators Academic All-American for baseball.
  
  
• Senior Katelin Gildersleeve and Junior Belle Battistoni propelled the women’s rowing team to an NCAA championship win.
  
  
• Senior Kara Rahaim was named the Pac-12 Women’s Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 2023.
  

Management Science & Engineering
Stanford School of Engineering
475 Via Ortega MC 4026
Stanford, California 94305
[email protected]