Dr. Sreedevi Rajagopalan is a research scientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Center for Transportation and Logistics, affiliated with both the Low-Income Firms Transformation (LIFT) Lab and the Sustainable Supply Chain Lab. Her research with the LIFT Lab focuses on transforming business and supply chain practices among small and micro firms in emerging markets through the application of AI and technology, with the goal of improving their productivity and survival. 

As part of the Sustainable Supply Chain Lab, she collaborates with large corporations to measure and manage Scope 3 emissions and promote sustainable sourcing practices. Her work supports organizations in developing data-driven strategies to reduce environmental impact and achieve sustainability goals across their supply chains.

Dr. Rajagopalan brings over 15 years of combined experience in industry, academia, and research. Prior to joining MIT, she was on the faculty at the S P Jain Institute of Management and Research (SPJIMR), Mumbai, where she taught courses in Operations Management, Procurement & Strategic Sourcing, Behavioral Operations, and Quantitative Methods. 

She earned her Ph.D. in Production and Operations Management from the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore, with a dissertation focused on supply chain risk management. Her doctoral research was recognized as a finalist for the Emerging Economies Doctoral Student Award at the 27th Annual Conference of the Production and Operations Management Society (POMS) in Orlando, USA. Dr. Sreedevi is actively engaged in academic service and professional organizations and is committed to advancing inclusive and sustainable practices in global supply chains.

Dr. Inma Borrella is a Research Scientist at the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics (MIT CTL). She works as the Academic Lead for in the MITx MicroMasters Program in Supply Chain Management, coordinating Massive Open Online Courses as well as the on-campus MIT Supply Chain Bootcamp program. 

She is interested in exploring how digitalization and new technologies are transforming the way people learn, socialize, and do business. She currently contributes to the MIT Digital Supply Chain Transformation Lab and the MIT Omnichannel in Education Lab.

Inma received her Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the Technical University of Madrid, in which she explored the role of inclusive businesses to create more socially sustainable agri-food supply chains. 

Dr. Yossi Sheffi is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he serves as Director of the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics (MIT CTL). He is an expert in systems optimization, risk analysis, and supply chain management, which are the subjects he teaches and researches at MIT. He is the author of many scientific publications and nine books:

Urban Transportation Networks: Equilibrium Analysis with Mathematical Programming Methods (Prentice Hall, 1985)

The Resilient Enterprise: Overcoming Vulnerability for Competitive Advantage (MIT Press, 2005)

Logistics Clusters: Delivering Value and Driving Growth (MIT Press, 2012)

The Power of Resilience: How the Best Companies Manage the Unexpected (MIT Press, 2015)

Balancing Green: When to Embrace Sustainability in a Business (and When Not To) (MIT Press, 2018)

The New (Ab)Normal: Reshaping Business and Supply Chain Strategy Beyond Covid-19 (CTL Media, 2020) 

A Shot in the Arm: How Science, Engineering, and Supply Chains Converged to Vaccinate the World (CTL Media, 2021)

Strategic Planning for Dynamic Supply Chains: Preparing for Uncertainty Using Scenarios (Palgrave, 2022) 

The Magic Conveyor Belt: Supply Chains, AI, and the Future of Work (CTL Media, 2023)

Under his leadership, MIT CTL launched many new educational, research, and industry/government outreach programs, leading to substantial growth. He founded the MITx MicroMasters in Supply Chain Management. He is the founder and the Director of MIT’s Master of Supply Chain Management degree. He also led the international expansion of MIT CTL by launching the Supply Chain and Logistics Excellence (SCALE) global network of academic centers of education and research. The network includes centers modeled after MIT CTL in Zaragoza, Spain; Bogota, Colombia; and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

From 2007 to 2011 he served as the Director of the MIT Engineering Systems Division, where he set a strategy, revamped the PhD program, and set the division for future growth.

Outside the university Professor Sheffi has consulted with governments and leading manufacturing, retail and transportation enterprises all over the world. He is also an active entrepreneur, having founded and co-founded five successful companies:

Princeton Transportation Consulting Group Inc.

LogiCorp Inc.

e-Chemicals Inc.

Syncra Inc.

Logistics.com Inc.

Dr. Sheffi was recognized in numerous ways in academic and industry forums and was on the cover of Purchasing Magazine and Transportation and Distribution Magazine. In 1997 he won the most prestigious recognition given by the Council of Logistics Management—the Distinguished Service Award. In 2006 he won the Aragón International Prize. In 2010 he became an honorary Doctor (Doctor Honoris Causa) of the University of Zaragoza in Spain and in 2011 he was awarded the Salzberg Medal and Award for “outstanding leadership and innovations in Supply Chain management” by the University of Syracuse. He is also a life fellow of Cambridge University’s Clare Hall College. View a complete list of awards here.

He obtained his B.Sc. from the Technion in Israel in 1975, his S.M. from MIT in 1977, and Ph.D. from MIT in 1978. He now resides in Boston, Massachusetts.

Josué C. Velázquez Martínez is a Research Scientist, and Lecturer at the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics specialized in Logistics and Supply Chain Management in transportation, manufacturing, and retail industries, and has more than 10 years of experience in conducting applied research on logistics sustainability and small firms in emerging markets. He serves as the director of the MIT Sustainable Supply Chain (SSC) Lab a research group focused on collaborating with organizations to improve their supply chain and logistics operations by considering environmental, social and business goals. Velázquez Martínez is also the director of MIT Low Income Firms Transformation (LIFT) lab, a new research initiative aimed at alleviating poverty in Latin America and lifting the life of the bottom billion. The lab focuses on developing innovative research and technology for micro and small enterprises to foster growth by improving their supply chain management capabilities. 

Velázquez Martínez has published a variety of academic and business-oriented articles and book chapters on logistics sustainability and supply chain management, and has been constantly quoted and interviewed by different international media, including HuffPost, CNN, The Washington Post, Bloomberg, NY Times, and ELLE.com. Velázquez Martínez is the lecturer at MIT of the graduate course SCM.290 Sustainable Supply Chain Management, and is a frequent guest speaker in conferences and academic seminars in Europe, Asia, the United States, and Latin America.

Velázquez Martínez holds an MSc in Manufacturing Systems with focus on Optimization and a PhD in Industrial Engineering with focus on Sustainability in Supply Chains from Monterrey Tech, Mexico, where he was approved with great distinction from both programs. Dr. Velázquez Martínez is also the 2014 recipient of the Doctoral Dissertation Award issued by the Mexican Logistics and Supply Chain Association as recognition for the best doctoral thesis in the country.

In 2013, Dr. Velázquez Martínez was a Postdoctoral Researcher at Eindhoven University of Technology, Netherlands, and he also was part of the first class in the STVP – Faculty Fellows Program at Stanford University. Prior to joining MIT, in 2014, Dr. Velázquez Martínez was the Dean of the Engineering School at Monterrey Tech in Santa Fe.

Recent Academic Publications:

Arroyo-López, P., Velázquez-Martínez, J.C., & Gámez-Pérez, K. M. (2021). Past behavior as a predictor of eco-driving practices: The case of a sustained intervention in a Mexican transportation company. International Journal of Sustainable Transportation, 1-14.

Muñoz-Villamizar, A., Velázquez-Martínez, J.C., Haro, P., Ferrer, A., & Mariño, R. (2021). The environmental impact of fast shipping ecommerce in inbound logistics operations: A case study in Mexico. Journal of Cleaner Production, 283, 125400.

Muñoz-Villamizar, Velázquez-Martínez, J.C., Mejía-Argueta, C., Gamez-Perez , K.M. (2021). The impact of shipment consolidation strategies for green home delivery: A case study in a Mexican retail company. International Journal of Production Research, DOI: 10.1080/00207543.2021.1893852.

Velázquez-Martínez, J.C., Tayaksi. C. (2021). Supply Chain Management for Micro and Small Firms in Latin America. In H.T.Y. Yoshizaki, C. Mejía-Argueta, & M.G. Mattos (Eds.). Supply Chain Management and Logistics in Emerging Markets. Emerald Publishing.

Silupu, B., Agurto, M., Merino, G., Uchofen, J., & Velázquez-Martínez, J.C. (2021). Adoption of best business and supply chain practices and Micro/small firm’s performance: Evidence from Northern Peru. In H.T.Y. Yoshizaki, C. Mejía-Argueta, & M.G. Mattos (Eds.). Supply Chain Management and Logistics in Emerging Markets. Emerald Publishing.

Gamez-Perez , K.M., M., Sarmiento, A. M., Garcia-Reyes, H., & Velázquez-Martínez, J.C. (2020). An international university-industry collaboration model to develop supply chain competences. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, , Vol. 25 No. 4, pp. 475-487.

Muñoz-Villamizar, A., Santos, J., Montoya-Torres, J. R., Velázquez-Martínez, J.C. (2019). Measuring environmental performance of urban freight transport systems: A case study. Sustainable Cities and Society, 52, 101844.

Tanco, M., Escuder, M., Heckmann, G., Jurburg, D., Velázquez-Martínez, J.C. (2018). The impact of Latin American research in Supply Chain Management: Challenges for the region. Supply Chain Management: an International Journal. Supply Chain Management: An International Journal, Vol. 23 No. 5, pp. 412-430.

Yoshizaki. H.T.Y., Velázquez-Martínez, J.C., Mejia-Argueta, C. (2018). Supply Chain Management and Logistics in Latin America: A Multi-Country Perspective. Emerald Publishing.

Leenders, B. P., Velázquez-Martínez, J.C., & Fransoo, J. C. (2017). Emissions allocation in transportation routes. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment, 57, 39-51.

Velázquez-Martínez, J.C., Fransoo. J.C. (2016). Green facility location. In Sustainable Supply Chains. Edited by Y. Bouchery, T. Tan., J. Fransoo, & C. Corbett. Springer.

Velázquez-Martínez, J.C., Fransoo, J.C.,Blanco, E.E., Valenzuela-Ocaña, K. (2016). A New Statistical Method of Assigning Vehicles to Delivery Areas for CO2 Emissions Reduction. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment. 43 133-144.

Velázquez-Martínez, J.C., Fransoo, J.C., Blanco, E.E., Mora-Vargas, J. (2014). The impact of carbon footprinting aggregation on realizing emission reduction targets. Flexible Services and Manufacturing Journal, 1-25.

Jim Rice joined the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics in 1995 and was appointed as the Deputy Director of CTL in 2007.  In this capacity he oversees all industrial outreach programs and serves as the Director of the Supply Chain Exchange, including marketing and communication for CTL, and runs CTL’s Executive Education Programs.    

His primary research has been focused on a broad range of study and contributions on resilience and risk management related topics – supply chain resilience, port resilience and supply chain security.  In addition to studying resilience and risk management, Jim studies supply chain innovation and has helped identify key success factors and methods for pursuing and achieving innovation in the supply chain.

Outside of research and the Supply Chain Exchange, Jim teaches in the graduate degree program (Supply Chain Financial Analysis courses), in the online SC2x course, in CTL’s executive education programs and in the MIT SCALE Network.  His teaching includes case instruction on supply chain design for strategic advantage, supply chain financial analysis, and workshops and simulations focused on strategic alignment, business continuity planning supply chain dynamics and supply chain strategy. 

His written work includes contributions to books, working papers and recently published authored and co-authored articles, a list of which can be furnished on request.  In 2013 Jim was selected as one of DC Velocity’s 2013 Rainmakers.

In addition to his role at MIT, Jim has served the community via several supply chain-related Boards, Committees and Appointments, including:

– Visiting Faculty Member, Politecnico di Milano MBA School (MIP), 2006-Present

– The Editorial Board – Supply Chain Management Review, 1998 – Present

– The Editorial Board – Supply Chain Forum: An International Journal, 2001 – Present

Prior to joining MIT, Jim managed manufacturing and distribution operations at Procter & Gamble, and served as a sales and market manager at General Electric Company.  Jim earned his MBA in Operations and Finance from the Harvard Business School, and a Bachelors Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Notre Dame.

Dr. Milena Janjevic is a Research Scientist at the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics. Her current research focuses on the design of supply chain networks. Her work, performed in collaboration with multiple global organizations, focused on improving decision-making in supply chain design through the use of data-driven optimization and simulation models and their integration into interactive visual tools. In addition, her research focuses specifically on distribution network design in the context of urban logistics and last-mile delivery, urban freight policy, and infrastructure design.

Dr. Janjevic received her Ph.D. and Masters in Engineering with specializations in Logistics at Université libre de Bruxelles in Belgium. During her Ph.D., she was a Visiting Scholar at the Center of Excellence for Sustainable Urban Freight Systems at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York. Her doctoral studies focused on the optimal design of urban logistics systems based on multi-tier distribution networks, electric vehicles, and policy measures. Dr. Janjevic’s previous professional work includes working with McKinsey & Company in Belgium and France on various projects in the telecommunication, insurance, and retail sectors.

Dr. Janjevic recently published academic papers in the European Journal of Operational Research, Transportation Research Part A, Transportation Research Part D, Transportation Research Part E, and Environmental Science & Policy. She is also a lecturer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (United States) and an invited lecturer at Mines ParisTech (France), NEOMA Business School (France), and Université libre de Bruxelles (Belgium).

Matthias Winkenbach is the Director of the MIT Megacity Logistics Lab and a Principal Research Scientist at the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics. His current research focuses on multi-tier distribution network design in the context of urban logistics and last-mile delivery, urban freight policy and infrastructure design, as well as data analytics and visualization in an urban logistics context. Dr. Winkenbach received his Ph.D. in Logistics and his Masters in Business with specializations in Finance and Economics at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management in Germany. He also studied at NYU Stern School of Business in New York as well as at the École des Hautes Études Commerciales (HEC) in Montréal, Canada. His doctoral studies focused on the optimal design of multi-tier urban delivery networks with mixed fleets. His work was closely linked to a research project with the French national postal operator La Poste.

During and after his doctoral studies, he spent several months at the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics as a Visiting Scholar. Dr. Winkenbach’s previous professional work includes working with Volkswagen in South Africa on local sourcing and cost optimization, with Deutsche Telekom in Germany on co-investment models for network infrastructure expansions, with McKinsey & Company in the United States, and in Germany on organizational redesign in the automotive industry and on innovative delivery models in the postal and express logistics sector, as well as various other projects in the mining, shipbuilding, consulting and logistics industries.

Dr. Winkenbach won the Science Award for Supply Chain Management of the German Logistics Association (BVL) in 2014, was amongst the finalists for the 2015 Daniel H. Wagner Prize for Excellence in Operations Research Practice, and recently published academic papers in Transportation Science, and Interfaces, as well as some practitioner oriented pieces in the Wall Street Journal and the Sloan Management Review.

Elenna Dugundji shapes Supply Chain futures by bringing expertise in demand forecasting, machine learning and AI to research in mainport logistics, involving Network analytics, Optimization of operational processes, Tactical planning and Strategic asset management.

Dr. Ilya Jackson is a Research Scientist at the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics. His research interests include but are not limited to supply chain management, applied machine learning, simulation modeling, operations research, and metaheuristics. 

Dr. Jackson holds BS and MSc degrees in industrial engineering and logistics. He earned his PhD in telematics and logistics at the Transport and Telecommunication Institute, where he spent one year as an assistant professor shortly after that. The main ideas of his PhD thesis had been summarized in the paper “Neuroevolutionary approach to metamodel-based optimization in production and logistics,” which received the young researcher award in 2020. Dr. Ilya Jackson currently focuses on reinforcement learning for supply chain synchronization and domain-specific automated machine learning for supply chain management and logistics.