DaiFest 2026

Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

July 16-17, 2026

Early-bird registration open until April 1, 2026 (see below)

Join us for a 1.5-day conference celebrating Jim Dai's many accomplishments and contributions to both our field and academic community. The event is hosted by The School of Operations Research and Information Engineering on the Ithaca campus, and will feature eight (8) exciting talks from distinguished speakers.

Sponsored by the School of Operations Research and Information Engineering and the Operations, Technology, and Information Management area of the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University, and by the Applied Probability Trust.

Registration

There is no registration fee for those registering before April 1, 2026. To help us plan, please register once you are reasonably certain that you will attend.

Registration is open!

Speakers

Baris Ata
Sigmund E. Edelstone Distinguished Service Professor of Operations Management, University of Chicago

Onno Boxma
Professor of Stochastic Operations Research in the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science in Eindhoven University of Technology

Peter W. Glynn
Thomas W. Ford Professor in the School of Engineering, Stanford University

J. Michael Harrison
Adams Distinguished Professor of Management, Emeritus, Stanford Graduate School of Business

John Hasenbein
Professor, June and Gene Gillis Endowed Faculty Fellowship in Manufacturing Systems Engineering, University of Texas at Austin

Amy Ward
Rothman Family Professor of Operations Management and Charles M. Harper Faculty Fellow, University of Chicago

Ruth Williams
Distinguished Professor of the Graduate Division at the University of California, San Diego. Distinguished Professor of Mathematics Emerita and former holder of the Charles Lee Powell Chair in Mathematics at the University of California, San Diego

Assaf Zeevi

Kravis Professor of Business, Columbia Business School

Tentative Program

Talks will be held on Thursday, July 16th from 9am-5pm with a banquet at 6pm. On Friday, July 17, talks will run from 9am-noon.

Travel & Airports

Here is some information about airport options.

Ithaca Airport ↗
The most convenient option for flying is to arrive at the Ithaca airport. It is only three miles from Cornell campus, and an easy taxi/uber/lyft ride. Many hotels provide shuttle service to and from the airport as well as around town.
Syracuse Airport ↗
While Syracuse has a lot more flight options, it is a bit over an hour lyft/uber ride to get from Syracuse to Ithaca. You can rent a car at the airport ↗.
Other Nearby Airports
Elmira Airport and Binghamton Airport are both less than an hour from Ithaca, but both are quite small.
New York City Airports
The last option would be flying into any of the major NYC airports and taking a bus to Ithaca. This is the longest option, as most buses from NYC to Ithaca take about 4.5 hours. Some bus options are:

– Cornell Campus to Campus ↗: Most comfortable option that leaves from the Cornell Club in midtown NYC and drops you off right on Cornell campus in Ithaca.

– OurBus ↗: Has options leaving from either the George Washington Bridge or Port Authority to downtown Ithaca. From downtown it is a short cab ride to get to the Cornell campus.

Hotels

(Some of these are a few miles from the campus)

Statler Hotel ↗
130 Statler Drive, Ithaca, NY 14853
(607) 254 – 2500. (Closest on to the conference venue – 5 minute walk!)
The Hotel Ithaca ↗
222 South Cayuga Street, Ithaca, New York 14850
(607) 272 – 1000
The Ithaca Marriott ↗
120 S Aurora St, Ithaca, NY 14850
(607) 272-2222
Hilton Garden Inn ↗
130 E. Seneca Street, Ithaca, New York, 14850
(607) 277 – 8900
Best Western ↗
1020 Ellis Hollow Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850
(607) 272 – 6100
Courtyard by Marriott Ithaca Airport/University ↗
29 Thornwood Dr, Ithaca, NY 14850
(607) 330-1000
Country Inn and Suites by Radisson ↗
1100 Danby Rd #96b, Ithaca, NY 14850
(607) 252-4791
Hampton Inn Ithaca ↗
337 Elmira Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850
(607) 277-5500

Organizing Committee

Anton Braverman, Northwestern
Li Chen, Cornell
Dave Goldberg, Cornell
Itai Gurvich, Northwestern
John Hasenbein, University of Texas at Austin
Shane Henderson, Cornell
Mark Lewis, Cornell