Congratulations to Dr. Bill Ferrell, who has recently been elected as the IISE – Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers VP for the Mid-Atlantic Region!
Ferrell joined the Clemson University Industrial Engineering Department in August 1988 after receiving his PhD in Operations Research from NC State University.
“I found logistics/supply chains fascinating during my PhD studies and still love this area. I’ve done research focused on “inside the facility” like order picking and material handling, and “outside” like vehicle routing for pickup and delivery of freight. Right now, is by far, the most exciting time I have ever seen in this application domain. A completely connected supply chain is going to happen sooner rather than later. Electrification of freight transport is going to change things dramatically including bending the demand curve for oil which will be profound for our country.”
Ferrell has always been involved in organizations since his time as a student and has continued on to be a leader in INFORMS and later in IISE.
“I’ve always believed in being active in professional societies and started with INFORMS and IISE when I began my PhD in 1984. For example, I was the second editor of the student newsletter for INFORMS in the late 80’s, have been involved with the IE PE exam for 25 years and was responsible for it for a decade, and was co-chair of the IISE annual conference last year.”
In his new role, Ferrell mainly wants to help the Mid-Atlantic senior chapters try things that might provide value to improve participation while balancing their own jobs and other responsibilities. He wants to work with the students who lead the student chapters to experiment with ways to encourage student members to become senior members after graduating.
“I am immensely grateful to everyone who has treated me fairly and given me opportunities over the years. Now that I am in a position of giving rather than receiving in some aspects of life, I hope I do for others what has been done for me.”
