Resoundingly Human
Resoundingly Human, the podcast from INFORMS, is dedicated to bringing O.R. and analytics to life by highlighting the incredible contributions of the men and women who are using O.R. and analytics to save lives, save money, and solve problems.
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From kibble to clicks: Chewy's path to the Edelman Award competition
<p > Each year, organizations from around the world compete in the INFORMS Franz Edelman Award competition, demonstrating how advanced analytics and O.R. are solving real problems at massive scale.</p> <p > In this episode, members of the team from Chewy, the largest online pet retailer and pharmacy in the United States, share how they tackled a challenge that sounds simple on the surface but becomes incredibly complex at scale: replenishment.</p> <p > Using a science-driven suite of models, supported by a custom engineering platform and continuous analytics monitoring, the team transformed how Chewy manages purchase orders, safety stock, and...
These shoes were made for walking ... to the Edelman Award competition!
<p > Each year, finalists in the Franz Edelman Award Competition demonstrate how advanced analytics and operations research are solving real problems at massive scale – from the products we buy and the packages we receive to the healthcare we rely on and the policies that shape our communities.</p> <p > Joining me today are members of the team from ECCO, the globally recognized footwear brand known for its vertically integrated supply chain and retail operations.</p> <p > Managing inventory across hundreds of retail locations around the world is a massive logistical challenge. Historically, store replenishment decisions were made manually, which often le...
Summoning the Data Whisperer: From Analytics+ to (data) puppet domination
<p >Our latest guest brings a voice – and I do mean a voice – that you don't often hear in the data world. He's bold, he's sharp, and he's not afraid to call out the fluff that can cloud today's analytics conversations. Scott Taylor, also known as The Data Whisperer, is a global advocate for strategic data management, the author of Telling Your Data Story, and one of the most honest, and most likeable, truth-tellers in the data space.</p> <p >Whether he's breaking down metadata metaphors or championing the case for master data as the foundation of all things analytics, Scott's...
Quantum Leap: What's Next for Optimization?
<p > Even though we are are still navigating the AI boom and its growing impact, it's still important to also keepo looking ahead to what's next. In this episode, we're diving into a topic that sparks imagination, confusion, and maybe even a little fear: quantum computing.</p> <p > Joining me in this episode is Tamás Terlaky, a longtime INFORMS member and a global leader in optimization, interior point methods, and – more recently – the future of quantum computing. Tamás is a professor at Lehigh University and a passionate advocate for preparing the OR/MS community for the next technological wave.<
Chasing positive impact with the 2026 INFORMS President
<p> The 2026 INFORMS President Mark Lewis brings not just technical brilliance to his role as president, but a deep care for the people who make this field so impactful. His vision reminds us that analytics isn't just about solving problems – it's about building communities, growing opportunity, and creating a better world through smarter decisions.</p>
From first meeting to Fellow: A professional lifetime with INFORMS
<p>I'm so excited to be joined by someone whose name is deeply woven into the fabric of the INFORMS community – Dr. Jim Cochran, Professor of Applied Statistics and the Mike & Kathy Morone Research Chair at the University of Alabama's Culverhouse College of Business. Jim is a longtime INFORMS member, past recipient of the INFORMS Prize for the Teaching of OR/MS Practice and INFORMS Presidents Award, and a Fellow of INFORMS, the American Statistical Association, and the African Academy of Sciences, and a tireless advocate for analytics education, international collaboration, and community engagement. He's attended more INFORMS meetings than mos...
Closing out the year with the 2025 INFORMS President
<p>We close out another terrific year of Resoundingly Human podcasts with our 2025 INFORMS President Dave Hunt, for a look back over his time as president, milestones, and what activities he's looking forward to getting back to in 2026.</p>
Learning to optimize ... and how to bake the BEST cookies
<p > In this episode, we're continuing our special relaunch series by welcoming one of this year's INFORMS Annual Meeting plenary speakers – a pioneer in the fusion of machine learning and optimization, and a leader in advancing AI for real-world engineering challenges.</p> <p > Pascal Van Hentenryck is a Fellow of INFORMS and AAAI, and has made groundbreaking contributions to constraint programming and optimization systems that are still used in industry decades later. His current research focuses on integrating AI with mathematical optimization to solve incredibly complex and large-scale problems in energy, transportation, supply chains, and more.</p> <p > At the 2025 IN...
Finding synergy in AI and OR/MS: Meaningful, measurable and responsible decision-making
<p>In our latest episode in the Resoundingly Human podcast refresh, Ramayya Krishnan, Carnegie Mellon University, and plenary speaker at the 2025 INFORMS Annual Meeting, shares how today's rapid advances in AI technology create new opportunities for synergy with OR/MS, with broad implications for workforce development, public policy and education. </p>
From HIV to the Opioid Epidemic: O.R. at the Heart of Better Public Policy
<p>Welcome back to Resoundingly Human, the INFORMS podcast! After a short break this summer, we are back with more great content and interviews featuring INFORMS members whose work is helping make Smarter Decisions for a Better World. In this episode, Margaret Brandeau, professor at Stanford University, and the opening plenary speaker at the 2025 INFORMS Annual Meeting, gives valuable insight into how operations research is helping to inform better public policy to save lives.</p>
