INFORMS: What inspired you to research this particular topic?

GUI: This research topic attracts me because it has high practical impact and is intellectually challenging. Proper treatment of end-of-life products such as electronic waste has become one of the most pressing issues around the globe, and it is important to understand how environmental policies should be designed and implemented to effectively tackle this issue. Meanwhile, policy implementation is a complex process, and analyzing this process requires novel ways that synthesize concepts and tools from different areas such as operations research, game theory, mechanism design, etc.

INFORMS: Did any of your results surprise you?

GUI: Yes, indeed. For example, a typical way to implement product take-back legislation is to recycle different producers’ products together at end-of-life and let these producers share the cost incurred. It is widely assumed that producers tend to free ride under such “collective” policies and will have less incentive to improve their own product design for easier and less costly recycling. Our results suggest that this may not necessarily be the case, and a collective policy can motivate better product designs depending on the recycling infrastructure in the locality considered and the way the recycling cost is shared.

INFORMS: What is the most important takeaway you hope readers will learn from your paper?

GUI: The most important message is that the concrete operations in policy implementation and the interaction between different stakeholders’ perspectives play a crucial role in determining the regulatory outcome achieved.

INFORMS: Tell us about the process of writing this paper.

GUI: We first surveyed the implementation details of several product take-back legislations in practice. The field trip to Washington where we obtained first-hand information about its e-cycle program was extremely helpful. I also investigated the home appliance recycling law in Japan. It took us a while to figure out an analytical framework that balances capturing the key ingredients of practice and enabling a meaningful and rigorous study, but it’s a rewarding process. The review team at Management Science also provided constructive suggestions that helped improve the paper.

INFORMS: A previous version of this paper was awarded Honorable Mention for Best Paper Award from the INFORMS Section on Public Sector O.R. How did this affect your work?

GUI: Receiving this award is very encouraging for me. It strengthens my belief that research effort that brings the knowledge of O.R. to the public sector is important and worthwhile. This is a powerful message to me as a junior faculty member and has certainly influenced my research path.

INFORMS: Why was it important for you to publish in Management Science?

GUI: As a flagship journal of INFORMS, Management Science represents the frontier in O.R. that combines high practical impact and methodological innovation. Such a combination is what we have been striving for in this paper.

INFORMS: Tell us a little about what you are working on now.

GUI: I recently got interested in operations and new business models in developing economies. I just finished a co-authored paper on micro-retailing operations in rural areas, and am currently studying electronic waste recycling in developing countries. I find these topics thought-provoking because the operating environment in developing countries can be very different from what we used to be familiar with in O.R. research. Hence, new models and solutions are much needed. Besides, I am also brainstorming a few ideas with colleagues about applying cooperative game theory to new areas in sustainable operations.

INFORMS: How do you keep yourself up-to-date on the latest research in your field?

GUI: Publication in INFORMS journals is definitely a primary source of information. Attending conferences and talking to colleagues are important too. Since sustainability is such an interdisciplinary subject, I also find myself inspired talking to colleagues in other areas such as earth science, biology, and social ecology.

INFORMS: What about your career might surprise us?

GUI: My favorite subject in school was History and I had dreamt about becoming an archaeologist. This is probably why I enjoy field trips so much.

INFORMS: What are some current trends in sustainable O.R.?

GUI: I think research in sustainable operations has expanded to a much broader scope in recent years. It touches many different topics such as environmental protection, social responsibility, poverty alleviation, and even equity issues. As such, I believe sustainable operations will become a much more interdisciplinary subject and will have a much higher policy impact in the future.

INFORMS: When you’re not using your OR/MS superpowers to try to make the world a better place, what are some of the ways you like to spend your time?

GUI: Reading, and knitting for my baby.

INFORMS: What is the best advice you can give to students in your field?

GUI: I often told myself that research is called RE-search for a reason, that is, you will need to search again and again and again for a good solution. So don’t expect an easy answer and don’t give up if one search attempt has failed.

INFORMS: What do you think are the most significant barriers for women/minorities in OR/MS careers? How could they be remedied?

GUI: I think a significant barrier is the difficulty in maintaining a learning cycle that positively absorbs skepticism and criticism for continuous improvement due to the subtle biases from the external environment. To overcome that barrier, I think developing a mentoring and support group where you can share your experience and walk away with a positive attitude is important. I myself have greatly benefited from the support from my advisors and colleagues.

INFORMS: What recent project have you been involved in that you are proud of?

GUI: I coached an MBA student team that participated in the International Nespresso Sustainability MBA Challenge and was selected a semi-finalist in the competition. Proud of them!

INFORMS: What’s your favorite Pandora station?

GUI: Classical for studying radio.

INFORMS: Name three uses of a stapler that has no staples.

GUI: It can be used to weigh down a stack of papers so that they don’t get blown away if you are using a fan. Large ones can be used as bookends. Or you can use them to draw straight lines if a ruler is not handy.