In this thought-provoking installment, of the Decision Intelligence LAB, hosts Vijay Mehrotra and Michael Watson sit down with Professor Laura Albert, Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, 2023 INFORMS President, and prolific blogger at "Punk Rock Operations Research," joins the show to discuss her recent collaborative paper, "Grand Challenges in Industrial and Systems Engineering."

During the conversation, Laura dives deep into timely topics like the resiliency and security of complex systems, including the ever-evolving world of cybersecurity and supply chains. She also unpacks the growing importance of AI governance and explores how educational programs must evolve in the age of generative AI, emphasizing the need to think bigger as a field.

Tune in as Laura, Vijay, and Michael explore the future of decision science, the challenges and opportunities before the discipline, and what it takes to ensure impactful, real-world change in business and technology. Let’s dive in!

0:00 - Preview & Introduction

3:20 - Definition & Importance of Resiliency

5:38 - The Need for Big Thinking in the Field

6:45 - Significance of case studies in bridging academia and industry needs9:00 - Rethinking educational approaches in light of GenAI advancements

11:23 - The Threat of Irrelevance for Industrial & Systems Engineering

12:55 - Challenges of Teaching with GenAI

13:55 - Lessons from COVID-19: Supply Chain Resiliency

16:32 - AI in Decision-Making and Governance

18:15 - Identifying and managing trade-offs

21:24 - Barriers to Impact in Data Science and OR Fields

23:45 - Cybersecurity as an Opportunity for Industrial and Systems Engineering & Operational Research

26:10 - The 'Equifax Breach Story'

29:10 - Laura Albert’s blog

Follow the show

Apple: ⁠⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-decision-intelligence-lab/id1811085064⁠⁠

Spotify: ⁠⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/0lFoAVKqJHTYSZNpeN61ou?si=0ae973aab0174b3b⁠⁠

Connect with guest

Laura Albert: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lauraalbertphd

Laura's Blog: https://punkrockor.com/

Connect with hosts

Prof. Vijay Mehrotra (University of San Francisco): ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijay-mehrotra-ba9498/⁠⁠

Prof. Michael Watson (Northwestern University): ⁠⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-watson-07600a1⁠⁠

About the podcast

The Decision Intelligence Lab podcast delivers real-world insights for data professionals, business leaders, and anyone seeking to leverage data & AI for smarter decision-making & successful business outcomes.

For business inquiries, email at [email protected]

Keywords:

Industrial Engineering, Grand Challenges, Resiliency, Education, AI, Cybersecurity, Supply Chain, Governance, Decision-Making, Operations Research, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Operations Research, Resiliency, Complex Systems, Cybersecurity, Supply Chain, Education, Case Studies, Artificial Intelligence, Generative AI (GenAI), AI Governance, Engineering Curriculum, AI Ethics, Human-AI Teaming, Systems Thinking, Optimality, AI Audits, Workforce Training, Trade-offs, Data Science Projects, Impact Measurement, Public Outreach, Software Supply Chains, Power Systems, Digital Transformation, Decision-Making, Risk Management, Academic Blogging