INFORMS President-Elect Candidate: Sheldon H. Jacobson

Candidate Statement

It is a privilege to be on this ballot. This would not have been possible without the 500+ INFORMS members who signed the petition supporting my candidacy. I am both humbled and grateful.

I have been involved with INFORMS my entire career. My introduction came through the Simulation Society (I-SIM) when I was a PhD student at Cornell. I-SIM members demonstrated the benefits of being part of something bigger than themselves. I took their examples to heart. Many of my accomplishments can be attributed to working with collaborators I met at INFORMS meetings and society conferences. I call many of these people friends today and will always be grateful for the opportunities made possible by INFORMS.

One thing I learned early in my career when new to INFORMS was that there were always people who were even newer, including student members. I took the time to speak with them and encourage them. By doing this, the power of service as a vehicle for change became clear. Helping others unleashes this power. My interest in serving as your President-Elect is to share this experience across our entire community to facilitate opportunities for INFORMS members to engage.

"Operations research" is not a household name like "computer science" or "mathematics," nor must it be. We do, however, offer models, methodologies, and approaches that have changed the world. Many of you have incredible stories to share, as evidenced by the impact of your work and the awards you have received.

To broaden our reach means that we must continue to showcase the excellent work that we do. We also know that change is inevitable. Who could have imagined five years ago the influence that generative AI and LLMs would have on our field? We do not know what the specific “topics du jour” will be in 2035 and beyond, yet whatever comes forth, we must remain intellectually nimble to welcome them with energy and creativity, much like how INFORMS has embraced the analytics revolution.

Indeed, as generative AI and LLMs continue to drive new opportunities, INFORMS is well positioned to lead on this rapidly moving frontier. Our Subdivisions (Sections, Societies, Chapters, Forums) are poised to be at the fulcrum of such activities. Continuing to foster and grow these communities is critical, as they represent the grassroot interests of our members.

The world has never been smaller, with INFORMS members located around the globe. Our international activities are valuable assets for building collaborations and connections. Expanding our global footprint can only enhance what we do and create opportunities that can benefit members.

As one member of INFORMS, I do not have all the answers. Yet like many of you, I have many questions. Listening to your questions and ideas will be an important activity during my presidency.
Enhancing the value proposition for INFORMS members must always be paramount. How are you benefiting from your membership? What can INFORMS do to help you feel more connected? When someone attends one of our meetings for the first time, what can we do to smooth their transition into our community? How can we foster better transparency around what we do and why we do it? How should INFORMS position itself in the global O.R. community? I look forward to exploring such questions with you, all with the aim of making INFORMS even stronger.

Indeed, my goal for INFORMS is for it to achieve its full potential, making it into the best version of itself that it can be. It would be a privilege to serve as your President-Elect. Thank you for your support. For more information, please visit:  https://shj.cs.illinois.edu.

Bio 

Sheldon has his B.Sc. from McGill University and his PhD in operations research from Cornell University. He has served on the faculties at Case Western Reserve (Management) and Virginia Tech (Industrial Engineering), and presently serves at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Computer Science) as a Founder Professor.   

His research interests span theory and practice, centered around decision-making under uncertainty, with applications in aviation security, health care, political redistricting, and college sports analytics. His research on risk-based security provided the technical foundations that contributed to the design of TSA PreCheck. His college basketball website bracketodds brings advanced analytics to the NCAA March Madness basketball tournament. His greatest joy has been supervising 31 PhD student dissertations, many of which were authored by active INFORMS members.

He has volunteered to serve in numerous roles within INFORMS, including Treasurer and General Chair of the 2022 INFORMS Annual Meeting. He is a fellow of INFORMS, IISE, and AAAS.