Student Research Collaborations

Weiliang was the first student I advised. He began working with me as an undergraduate and has since built an outstanding academic career. After completing his PhD at the National University of Singapore, he pursued postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. He recently joined the SEEM Department at the Chinese University of Hong Kong as a tenure-track Assistant Professor.

We have coauthored two papers together:

1. Liu, W., & Sun, X. Energy-aware and delay-sensitive management of a drone delivery system. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, 24(3), 1294-1310.

2. Sun, X., & Liu, W. Expanding service capabilities through an on-demand workforce. Operations Research, 73(1), 363-384.

Xiaohan was my first Ph.D. student. Before joining my group, he received his M.S. in Industrial and Systems Engineering from the University of Florida in 2018 and his B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics in 2017. During his Ph.D. studies, he was a two-time recipient of the Donald & Joyce Hearn Graduate Research Award. Upon graduation, he joined the School of Management and Engineering at Nanjing University as a faculty member.

We have coauthored four papers:

1. Zhu, X. & Sun, X. On dynamic pricing under model uncertainty. Naval Research Logistics (NRL), 69(6), 856-868.

2. Sun, X. & Zhu, X. Dynamic control of a make-to-order system under model uncertainty. Management Science.

3. Zhu, X. & Sun, X. Designing Optimal Incentives for Target-Driven Projects. Naval Research Logistics (NRL).

4. Sun, X. & Zhu, X. Dynamic incentives in service contracting. Available at SSRN 5259068.

I  was Shiwei's PhD advisor from 2021 to 2023 in the Industrial and Systems Engineering program at the University of Florida. After I moved institutions in 2023, he continued his doctoral studies at UF’s Warrington College of Business. He recently joined the Culverhouse College of Business at the University of Alabama as a tenure-track Assistant Professor.

We have coauthored two papers:

1. Chai, S., Sun, X., & Abouee-Mehrizi, H. Customer Scheduling in Large Service Systems Under Model Uncertainty. Operations Research, 73(2), 949–968.

2.  Sun, X., Chai, S., Paul, A., & Zhu, L. Enhancing Make-to-Order Manufacturing Agility. Production and Operations Management, 33(6), 1354–1372.

Zerui visited me from January 2024 to the middle of 2025, when he was a Ph.D. student at Shanghai Jiao Tong University. He has recently joined the Institute of Operations Research and Analytics, National University of Singapore, as a research fellow. His research interests are broad, and he brings great enthusiasm to every project. 

We have coauthored three papers:

1. Wu, Z., Liu, R., & Sun, X. Near-optimal pricing and resource allocation in a large-scale service system. Operations Research.

2. Wu, Z., Liu, R., & Sun, X. Blind and Near-Optimal Dynamic Assortment Optimization with Reusable Resources. Available at SSRN 5340627.

3. Sun, X., Wu, Z., & Liu, R. Index Policies for Dynamic Job Assignment. Available at SSRN 5436394.

Yishen is a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Management, co-advised by Professor Nan Yang and me. His research interests are wide-ranging, and he brings genuine intellectual curiosity and sustained dedication to each research project he undertakes.

We have coauthored one paper:

1. Yishen, C., Sun, X., & Yang, N. Pricing Reusable Products: A Social Enterprise's Perspective. Available at SSRN 5093853.

Shubo is a fifth-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Management Science, co-advised by Professor Ganggang Xu and me. He has a strong background in both statistics and operations research. 

We have coauthored one paper:

1. Shubo, S., Xu, G., & Xu, S. Near Optimal Dynamic Pricing and Resource Relocation in a Large Closed Network. Available at SSRN 5344382.

Xu is a third-year Ph.D. student in the Department of Management Science. He has a strong background in mathematics and economics. He is also an avid chess player who loves traveling around the world.

We have coauthored two papers:

1. Zheng, X., Sun, X., & Shi, C. Joint Learning and Pricing in Many-Server Queues: Near-Optimal Policies via Fluid Duality. Available at SSRN 5239963.

2. Zheng, X., Sun, X., & Zacharias, C. Index Policies for Advance Scheduling. Available at SSRN 6773618.

Jiuhong was a graduate student in the School of Economics and Management at Dalian University of Technology, advised by Professor Mu Du. We have been working on online resource allocation problems motivated by applications such as ride-pooling and on-demand home services.