Mark E. Lewis
Maxwell M. Upson Professor of Engineering
Cornell University
Biographical Profile
Education
- PhD, Industrial and Systems Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology, 1998
- MS, Theoretical Statistics, Florida State University, 1995
- BS, Mathematics and BA, Political Science, Eckerd College, 1992
Professional Experience
- Cornell University, School of Operations Research and Information Engineering, Director, 2019-2024
- Cornell University, (Senior) Associate Dean for Diversity and Faculty Development, (2017-2020) 2015-2017
- Cornell University, Professor, 2011-Present
- Cornell University, Associate Professor, 2005-2011
- University of Michigan, Assistant Professor, IOE, 1999-2005
Selected INFORMS and Related Activities (Member since 1999)
- Secretary, INFORMS Board of Directors & Executive Committee, 2022-Present
- INFORMS Morse Lecture Committee, 2016-2019
- INFORMS Ad Hoc Scholarship Committee, 2015-2016
- Chair, Cornell Provost’s Committee on Faculty Diversity, 2017-2018
- Sloan Foundation (PI) Cornell University Center for Exemplary Mentoring, 2015-2019
- Chair, INFORMS Applied Probability Society, 2012-2014
- INFORMS Meetings Committee, 2009-2012
- Co-organizer, INFORMS APS Conference, 2009
- Co-founder and President, INFORMS Minority Issues Forum, 2001-2003, 2009-2011
Selected Professional Honors and Awards
- William H. Kadel Alumni Medal for Outstanding Career Achievement Award, Eckerd College, 2023
- Fellow, Institute for Operations Research and the Management Science (INFORMS), 2021
- Fellow, INFORMS Minority Issues Forum, 2021 (inaugural class)
- President’s and Provost’s Faculty Award for Excellence in Research, Teaching, and Service through Diversity, Cornell University, 2021
- Mathematically Gifted & Black 2019 Black History Month Honoree
- Meritorious Service Award (editorial efforts on the board of Operations Research)
- Zellman Warhaft Commitment to Diversity Faculty Award, Cornell University, 2012
- National Academy of Engineering, Frontiers on Engineering, Participant, 2007
- Harold R. Johnson Diversity Award, University of Michigan, 2004
- Sloan Foundation Mentor of the Year, 2003
- Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (PECASE), NSF, 2002 (awarded in 2004)
- INFORMS George B. Dantzig Dissertation Award, Runner-up, 1999
Selected National Service Activities
- Member, Board of Trustees, Institute for Computational and Experimental Research in Mathematics (ICERM), 2022-Present
- Member, National Advisory Council, Eckerd College, 2024-Present
Selected Publications
More details here: people.orie.cornell.edu/melewis/
My research interests span the theory and application of Markov decision processes with an emphasis on the dynamic control of queueing systems.
Statement
As president of INFORMS, I would like to focus my energy to expand and enhance the sense of community among operations researchers and management scientists. Three areas on which I would like to focus to position INFORMS to achieve this goal are: 1) academic/industry interactions and collaborations, 2) increased opportunities for engagement of traditionally underrepresented groups and 3) facilitating opportunities for the next generation of INFORMS members to remain active in our organization.
It is fair to say that in the past, the world of academia and that of practitioners in OR/MS has seen some drifting apart. Now is the time to bring them back together. Spawned first by the tech industry and, more recently, by some of the more traditional application areas of operations research, ready access to data is providing opportunities to close the gap. Indeed, many large retailers, financial service providers and healthcare companies have developed information technology infrastructures to gather data in unprecedented amounts. Quite often the volume is so great that even a small percentage-wise efficiency can lead to significant savings. Close ties to academia, where machine learning and reinforcement learning algorithms are thriving areas of research, can stand to realize these potential savings. Simply put, this is an exciting time to have the skills of an operations researcher. Having spent the last several years as a member of the Executive Committee of INFORMS, I have seen some of the current leadership work on this effort and I plan to continue.
In the area of diversity, even a cursory read of my curriculum vitae makes clear my dedication. Within INFORMS, I was one of the progenitors of the Minority Issues Forum and twice served as its president. At Cornell, I spent five years in the role of Associate Dean for Diversity and Faculty Development in the College of Engineering. I am proud to say that in part due to my efforts, during that time, the number of tenure-track female faculty members increased from 16.5% to 22.5% (beating our goal of 20%). Since being elected Secretary of INFORMS, I have worked to enhance the pool we ask to volunteer for such high-profile positions as prize committees and editorial boards. We started by requesting that the policies and procedures of most committees include efforts to diversify their memberships, and have recently implemented a reporting structure to ensure those efforts remain robust. The goal of this effort is to ensure we draw from the broadest swath of INFORMS members. The next step is to provide access to a volunteer management system to make it easier for committee chairs to identify potential volunteers (in much the same way that associate editors identify referees).
I strongly believe in the importance of mentoring and positioning the next generation to flourish. This ensures the seeds planted by the diligent efforts of the past continue to help the field grow. INFORMS already boasts some outstanding lectures, plenaries and tutorials that allow some of the more senior members to connect with those in early career stages. Those interactions, while important, can be impersonal. I spent most of my career benefiting from an open and encouraging environment in the INFORMS Applied Probability Society (a group whose conference I was proud to co-organize in 2009 and then chair from 2012-2014). One of the things I learned during that time is that while the technical sessions are great, the interactions outside of the sessions is where the real work is done. As president, I will encourage closer interactions between senior members of our community and those in early stages of their career.
INFORMS was founded on the premise of it being a place where people in OR/MS academia and practice could exchange ideas to attack some of the world’s biggest challenges. I intend to continue in that tradition through a modern lens.
For more information, please visit: Mark E. Lewis | Operations Research and Information Engineering (cornell.edu)