Leadership Team
Steering Excellence, Shaping Tomorrow: The Minds Behind Our Mission
Behind every successful organization lies a dedicated team of leaders, each bringing their unique expertise, passion, and vision to the table. At the INFORMS OU Student Chapter, our leadership team is the driving force that propels us towards our goals, ensuring that we remain at the forefront of academic and professional excellence in operations research and analytics. Comprising a blend of visionary students, esteemed faculty, and industry professionals from the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Oklahoma, our leaders are committed to fostering an environment of collaboration, innovation, and growth. Dive in to meet the individuals who are shaping our present and future.
Dr. Kash Barker
John A. Myers Professor
David L. Boren Professor
Graduate Liaison, School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Oklahoma
FACULTY aDVISOR
Originally from Pawhuska, Oklahoma, Kash Barker (he/him) is the John A. Myers Professor, a David L. Boren Professor, and an Anadarko Petroleum Corporation Presidential Professor in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. He completed his Ph.D. degree in the Department of Systems and Information Engineering at the University of Virginia, where he worked with Dr. Yacov Haimes and the Center for Risk Management of Engineering Systems. This followed B.S. and M.S. degrees in Industrial Engineering from the University of Oklahoma, where he did M.S. degree work with Dr. Teri Reed, the inaugural Director of the OU Polytechnic Institute at OU-Tulsa. While at OU, he has taught courses in engineering statistics, data driven decision making, reliability engineering, risk and decision analysis, and quality control. His research work has been funded by the National Science Foundation, the Federal Highway Administration, the Army Research Office, and the Naval Postgraduate School, among others. Kash is an OU Faculty Ally, has attended a few college sporting events and orchestra concerts, and refers to Leonard Bernstein as "Lenny."
Academic Year 2023- 2024
President
PhD Student, School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Oklahoma
Email: hgupta@ou.edu
Himadri Sen Gupta is a dedicated and accomplished Industrial and Systems Engineering Ph.D. student at the University of Oklahoma. He earned his Master of Science degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the same institution, where he continues to excel as a Research Assistant at the Community Resilience CORE Research Lab, a NIST-funded research facility dedicated to improving community resilience in the face of natural catastrophes.
vice-president
Rachel Bennett
PhD Candidate, School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Oklahoma
Email: Rachel.L.Bennett-1@ou.edu
Rachel is a diligent Ph.D. student and Graduate Research Assistant at the University of Oklahoma, specializing in data analytics and machine learning for disease progression prediction and analysis. With a strong academic foundation, she holds a Master's degree in Data Science and Analytics and is pursuing a Doctorate in Industrial and Systems Engineering. Rachel's diverse experiences, from digital archiving to tutoring, reflect her passion for education and research.
General Secretary
Deniz Emre
PhD Candidate, School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Oklahoma
Email: denizemre@ou.edu
Deniz Emre is a Ph.D. candidate in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. She started pursuing her Ph.D. degree in the Fall of 2020. Deniz received B.S. and M.S. degrees in Industrial Engineering from Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey. She spent two semesters as an undergraduate exchange student at Korea University in Seoul, South Korea. Deniz is from Turkey, and she enjoys exploring healthy food recipes, dancing, and traveling. She has been a part of the INFORMS student chapter at OU since 2020 and she really enjoys being a part of this amazing student organization!
PR Officer
Buket Cilali
PhD Candidate, School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Oklahoma
Email: buket.cilali@ou.edu
Buket Cilali is a Ph.D. candidate and a Graduate Assistant in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. She earned her M.S. degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the same institution and her B.S. degree in the Industrial Engineering Department at Bilkent University. During her time at the University of Oklahoma, she has been a Teaching Assistant and a Research Assistant at the Risk-Based Systems Analytics Laboratory. Her research interest is focused on humanitarian applications of operation research practices. Currently, she works on the climate change-induced forced displacement problem.
tREASURER
Seth Amal Rachid
BS/MS Student, School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Oklahoma
Email: rachid.seth@ou.edu
Seth Amal Rachid is an undergraduate and accelerated master's student in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. He works part-time as a Business Intelligence enthusiast at Kimary, Inc. Seth's academic passion lies in machine learning, with a specific focus on applied machine learning in operation research and additive manufacturing. He appreciates the comprehensive offerings of the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, which provide him with ample opportunities to cultivate the skills and knowledge necessary to make a significant impact in these dynamic fields. You can contact Seth via email at Rachid.Seth@ou.edu or connect with him on LinkedIn.
webmaster
Mohammad Derakhshi
PhD Student, School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, University of Oklahoma
Email: deraxsi@ou.edu
I'm Mohammad Derakhshi, an OU INFORMS student chapter member since 2021. I'm all about optimizing systems and solving complex problems using data. Studying for my PhD at OU, I'm here to make a positive impact on our society with analytics. When I'm not crunching numbers, you'll find me running around Jacobs Track and Field Complex. Feel free to reach out to me at deraxsi@ou.edu to connect and dive into the world of operations research together!
Past Presidents
Academic Year 2022- 2023 & 2021 - 2022
BUKET CILALI
Buket Cilali is a Ph.D. candidate and a Graduate Assistant in the School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. She earned her M.S. degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the same institution and her B.S. degree in the Industrial Engineering Department at Bilkent University. During her time at the University of Oklahoma, she has been a Teaching Assistant and a Research Assistant at the Risk-Based Systems Analytics Laboratory. Her research interest is focused on humanitarian applications of operation research practices. Currently, she works on the climate change-induced forced displacement problem. (Email: buket.cilali@ou.edu)
Academic Year 2020 - 2021
Dr. Reza Alizadeh
Reza Alizadeh received his Ph.D. in ISE from OU in 2022. He also holds an M.Sc. in technology foresight from Amirkabir University of Technology. He is currently a Sr. Software Engineer at Magna International, New Mobility. He is building optimization solutions for routing, navigation, facility location, and complex operational problems. Prior to joining Magna, Reza was a visiting assistant professor of data analytics, teaching operations management, statistics, foundations of analytics, and business decision models. He taught Production Systems and Operations at OU in Fall 2021. His research interests include data analytics and operations research in vehicle routing, facility location, and energy planning. He has published over 20 journal papers in the Journal of Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Research in Engineering Design, Advanced Engineering Informatics, Energy Economics, Energy Policy, Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Intelligent Manufacturing, IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management, and Artificial Intelligence in Engineering Design and Manufacturing.
Before starting his Ph.D., he worked for three companies and was a lecturer for two years in Iran. During this time, he taught operations research, statistics, engineering economics, project management, information systems management, inventory management, transportation, and simulation subjects. (Email: alizadehkreza@gmail.com)
Academic Year 2019 - 2020
Dr. Nafiseh Ghorbani-Renani
Nafiseh Ghorbani-Renani received the B.S. and M.S. degrees in industrial engineering, respectively from Yazd University in Iran and UTM University in Malaysia. She completed the Ph.D. in industrial and systems engineering at the University of Oklahoma in Summer 2021. During her Ph.D. studies, she integrated operations research and computing tools to address the problem of risk and resilience control of interconnected networks (e.g. interdependent infrastructure networks, production networks, supply chain and transshipment networks) against failures or the risk of delays. Her work in this area has appeared in Reliability Engineering and System Safety and Computers and Industrial Engineering, among others. While at OU, Nafiseh was a member of the leadership team of the OU student chapter of INFORMS and represented the School of ISE in the Graduate Student Senate. (Email: nghorban@stevens.edu)
Academic Year 2018 - 2019
Dr. Hamoud Bin Obaid
Dr. Hamoud Bin Obaid is an Assistant Professor at King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He received a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from King Saud University, an M.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, and received a Ph.D. degree in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Oklahoma, Norman, Oklahoma. His research interest is in the area of Operations Research. More specifically, in mathematical programming and multicriteria optimization. His current work is in the field of fairness in resource allocation, the optimization of flow networks, and the decision making in general. (Email: hsbinobaid@ksu.edu.sa)
Academic Year 2017 - 2018
Dr. Yasser Almoghathawi
Dr. Yasser Almoghathawi is an Assistant Professor known for his contributions to the field of Industrial & Systems Engineering. He holds a Ph.D. in Industrial & Systems Engineering from the University of Oklahoma, along with an M.S. in the same field from King Fahd University of Petroleum & Minerals, Saudi Arabia. With a background in Systems Engineering, he brings a wealth of knowledge to his role. Dr. Almoghathawi's teaching portfolio includes courses like Operations Research, Principles of Industrial Costing, Engineering Economic Analysis, and Work and Process Improvements. His research interests span Operations Research, Optimization, Mathematical Modeling, Facility Location, and Sequencing and Scheduling. Dr. Almoghathawi's expertise and dedication make him a valuable asset to the academic community, and his research continues to drive advancements in the field of Industrial and Systems Engineering. (Email: moghathawi@kfupm.edu.sa)