Thomas C. Sharkey
Contact Information
e-mail: tcshark "at" clemson.edu
Professional Background
I am a Professor in the Industrial Engineering (IE) department at Clemson University. Prior to arriving at Clemson, I was a Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where I had served on the faculty from August 2008 through August 2020. Within the field of Operations Research (OR), my work falls broadly into everything networks (optimization, design, interdiction) and their application in infrastructure and supply chain resilience as well as detecting and disrupting illicit supply networks. More generally, I have had the opportunity to work with tremendous collaborators outside of IE/OR (as well as tremendous collaborators in IE/OR) in a variety of disciplines including anthropology, criminology, and public policy. My collaborators and I are designing new transdisciplinary methods to build OR models, and gather data to populate them, through community-based research. My educational interests are in exploring how online content can be integrated into a curriculum to enhance students' learning experiences and in creating a vibrant set of opportunities for undergraduate research projects.
Personal Interests
I loved camping, hiking, skiing, and generally exploring the Adirondacks while we lived in Upstate New York. You will see pictures of this area (and others) throughout this website. I am now exploring the waterfalls of Upstate South Carolina, the Blue Ridge Mountains, and the Great Smoky Mountains. This is really an excuse to say that if you read this and have any recommendations in those areas, please send them my way!