PhD in Operations Management

Distinguish your education

with a doctorate in Operations Management from the Leeds School of Business.

PhD in Operations Management Program FlyerMeet Current StudentsÌýExplore FAQsÌý

PhdD students

PhD in Operations Management

The Operations Management PhD program prepares you to pursue an academic career as a researcher and educator. Faculty research interests range from quantitative modeling to empirical studies using tools from operations research, mathematical programming, artificial intelligence, econometrics and economics. Topics include pricing and revenue management, supply chain management, logistics, healthcare and so on.

The smaller size of the program affords each student extensive interaction with faculty members. It also allows the program to be tailored to each student’s interests.

General details about the curriculum, requirements, and structure of the program can be found here.ÌýPlease be aware this document is not an exhaustive list of the requirements for the Program.

Program Faculty

Our renowned, award-winning Operations faculty are published experts on topics like:

  • Operations Research

  • Mathematical Programming

  • Artificial Intelligence

  • Econometrics and Economics

  • Pricing and Revenue Management

  • Supply Chain Management

  • Sustainable Operations

  • Humanitarian Operations

David Drake

Associate Professor • Stone Family Faculty Scholar

Chuan He

Professor • Interim Division Chair of the Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Operations Division

Manuel Laguna

Emeritus Professor

Sentao Miao

Assistant Professor

Lori Seward

Teaching Professor • Faculty Director of Executive MBA

Gloria Urrea

Assistant Professor

Sebastian Villa Betancur

Assistant Professor

Thomas Vossen

Associate Professor • Strategy, Entrepreneurship and Operations PhD Program Director

Övünç Yılmaz

Assistant Professor • Kala & Shiv Khatri Endowed Faculty Scholar

Dan Zhang

Associate Dean for Research and Academics • Professor • MediaOne Professorship

Huanan Zhang

Assistant Professor

Rui Zhang

Associate Professor • Stone Family Faculty Scholar • Faculty Director of MS in Business AnalyticsÌý

Learn more about

ÌýÌý
Admissions

ÌýÌý
Funding

Program Graduates

The PhD program prepares students to be researchers and teachers at major universities. See where our graduates started their careers and published research.

Placements

Ìý

  • Chengyi Lyu
    PhD: 2025
    Placement: University of Science and Technology of China
    Dissertation:ÌýEssays on Optimization for Platform-Based Businesses
    Ìý
  • Hasti Rahemi
    PhD: 2023
    Placement: University of Wisconsin-Whitewater
    Dissertation:ÌýTo Look Good or to Do Good: Three Essays in Nonprofit and Humanitarian Operations
    Ìý
  • Fan You
    PhD: 2022
    Placement: Uber Technologies
    Dissertation: Essays on Approximate Dynamic Programming, Customer Choice Modeling and Assortment Optimization in Online Marketplaces
    Ìý
  • Jose Ramirez
    PhD: 2015
    Placement: United States Military Academy at West Point
    Dissertation: Essays on Military and Civilian Manpower Planning
    Ìý
  • Mark Zais
    PhD: 2014
    Placement: Office of the Secretary of Defense
    Dissertation: Simulation-Optimization, Markov Chain and Graph Coloring Approaches to Military Manpower Modeling and Deployment Sourcing
    Ìý
  • Subhamoy Ganguly
    PhD: 2013
    Placement: Indian Institute of Management – Udaipur
    Dissertation: Essays in Scheduling: Applications in Health Care and Manufacturing
    Ìý
  • Michele Samorani
    PhD: 2012
    Placement: University of Alberta, Canada
    Dissertation: Data Mining For Enhanced Operations Management Decision Making: Applications in Health Care
    Ìý
  • Harald Reinertsen
    PhD: 2010
    Placement: Smith Stål Øst AS, Norway
    Dissertation: Optimization of the Industrial Cutting Stock Problems – Production Scheduling in a Dynamic Stochastic Environment
    Ìý
  • Marco Better
    PhD: 2007
    Placement: OptTek Systems, Inc.
    Dissertation: Data Mining Techniques for Prediction in Discrete Data Applications
    Ìý
  • Fang Liang
    PhD: 2007
    Placement: PROS Pricing Solutions
    Dissertation: The Hyperplan-Based Classification Techniques
    Ìý
  • Rahul Patil
    PhD: 2006
    Placement: Indian Institute of Management
    Ìý
  • Linda LaGanga
    PhD: 2006
    Placement: Mental Health Center of Denver
    Ìý
  • Gyungwon Jung
    PhD: 2003
    Placement: Korean Army

The PhD program prepares students to be researchers and teachers at major universities. Learn more about these talented scholars and their research areas of interest.