Research

Research Interests

My primary research interest lies in the application of operations research and optimization tools, such as Markov decision processes, stochastic dynamic programming, network optimization, and machine learning, to areas like retail supply chains, sustainability and food waste reduction, perishable inventory management, and consumer behavior. I am also passionate about integrating data analytics with optimization tools to derive actionable insights and improve decision-making processes. 

Publications

Published:

Orgut, I.S., Salehi, Sh., Davis, L.B., and Lodree, E.J. Coordinator or active participant? The food bank’s role in ad-hoc food rescue operations. OMEGA .  (Forthcoming)

Salehi, Sh. and Mirmohammadi, S.H., (2023). A solution approach for sponsored search advertising and dynamic pricing for a perishable product and an online retailer with budget constraint, Computers & Industrial Engineering, 177, article 109086. 

In Review:

Salehi, Sh., Orgut, I.S., and Lodree, E. J. How long should supermarkets wait to donate? Optimal policies for donating a perishable product with profit and food waste considerations. Production & Operations Management. (Under second round review)

• Finalist in the Humanitarian Operations and Crisis Management (HOCM) best paper competition at the 2025 POMS

• Finalist in the university-wide Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition at UA 

• First Place at the Poster Competition at the 2023 Business Analytics Symposium at UA

Salehi, Sh., Lodree, E.J., and Orgut, I.S.  Joint ordering and donation policies for retailers managing perishables with heterogeneous customers and waste considerations. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management. (Under review)

In Progress:

Salehi, Sh., and Lodree, E.J. To Donate or Discount? Optimal Markdown and Donation Policies for Perishables in Grocery Retail. (Target submission date: Nov 2026)

Salehi, Sh., and Goldberg, A.V. Hub Labeling for Shortest Path Queries in Road Networks. (Working paper)