Reposting previous announcement. Application deadline has been extended to January 29, 2019. Will not be extended again.
PhD Student Workshop on Transportation and Logistics Challenges and Opportunities @ Loyola University Chicago, May 20-22, 2019
On behalf of the organizing committee, I would like to invite PhD students interested in research topics related to transportation and logistics
to attend a workshop that Loyola University Chicago will be hosting in May, 2019. The goal of this workshop is to expand the capabilities of
the scientific community focused on transportation and logistics to solve real-world problems. As such, the workshop has been designed with three objectives
in mind:
1) Give PhD students the opportunity to listen to, and have in-depth discussions with, academic experts from different research areas.
2) Give PhD students the opportunity to learn the perspectives and interests of future "customers" of their work, including journal editors, funding agencies, and (potential) industry collaborators.
3) Build a community amongst PhD students that will carry through to their professional careers.
To achieve these goals (in part), the speaker list for the workshop includes individuals from various backgrounds. The tentative list of speakers is as follows:
Industry speakers:
Amazon
Schneider
Manhattan Associates
Journal editors and funding agencies:
Irina Dolinskaya (program director at the National Science Foundation)
Gilbert Laporte (former editor of Transportation science)
Martin Savelsbergh (current editor of Transportation Science)
Academic researchers:
Jean-Francois Cordeau - HEC Montreal
Alan Erera - Georgia Institute of Technology
Emma Frejinger - Universite de Montreal
Mike Hewitt - Loyola University Chicago
Hani Mahmassani - Northwestern University
Dirk Mattfeld - TU Braunschweig
Carolina Osorio - MIT
Siqian Shen - University of Michigan
Karen Smilowitz - Northwestern University
Barry Thomas - University of Iowa
In addition to talks, and in pursuit of objective three, the agenda will include multiple periods of time dedicated to networking amongst the workshop attendees.
We are fortunate to have received funding from the National Science Foundation to provide scholarships for a limited number (estimated at 20-22) of students attending the workshop.
Specifically, those students who receive a scholarship will be able to attend with no registration fee, free lodging from Sunday night through Wednesday night, and coffees and lunch each day of the workshop. We note that lodging will involve two bedroom apartments with two students in each apartment. To be considered for funding, a student should submit a single zip file containing their application to the link below:
https://www.dropbox.com/request/JwpOmZEE5jB3fW4fExHW
The deadline for applications has been extended to January 29, 2019 1 PM EST. Please give the zip file you upload a name that follows this format: FIRSTNAME-LASTNAME-UNIVERSITY-Workshop-Application.zip
An application should include the following materials:
1) A Curriculum Vitae
2) A cover letter
The intention is for these materials to mimic what a student would need to pursue a career either in academia or industry, and the cover letter should indicate what the student hopes to pursue. We expect that these application materials may differ based on the career the individual hopes to pursue. For example, a cover letter for an individual seeking an academic career should emphasize different points than a cover letter for an individual seeking an industry career. In keeping with its real-world focus, we hope the workshop will be
attended by students interested in both types of careers.
Each application will be evaluated on the following metrics:
1) Communications ability: For an applicant intending to pursue an academic career, this will be tantamount to teaching ability. For an applicant intending to pursue an industry career, this will be the same as the applicant's ability to communicate the value of his/her research in an industrial setting.
2) Scholarly/research potential.
3) Impact attending workshop will have on applicant's career.
4) Impact receiving funding will have on applicant's career.
We also note that the selection process will be aligned with the National Science Foundation's aim to broaden participation in Science, Technology, Engineering & Math (STEM) disciplines. We anticipate notifying students whether or not they will be
selected for a scholarship by February 15, 2019. Students not selected for a scholarship will be able to attend the workshop at an (estimated) registration fee of $150, with registration link to come. Registration will cover coffee and lunch each day of the workshop.
There will be one other opportunity for PhD students to jump-start their careers with this workshop. Specifically, there will be an opportunity for three students to present their research at the workshop as well as have it discussed in a constructive manner. Students interested in being considered for this opportunity should then indicate as such in their cover letter. These applications should also consist of a 2-3 page extended abstract, similar in nature to what one would submit to one of the leading conferences in transportation and logistics (e.g. Odysseus, Tristan, TSL Conference/Workshop).
These abstracts will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
1) Research topic is within the scope of transportation and logistics
2) Originality of research
3) Strength/maturity of research
4) Quality of writing
We encourage students to apply for a scholarship and look forward to seeing everyone in Chicago in May, 2019. Any questions regarding the workshop can be directed to Mike Hewitt @ mhewitt3@luc.edu.
Best regards,
Mike Hewitt - Loyola University Chicago
Organizing committee
Hani Mahmassani - Northwestern University
Maciek Nowak - Loyola University Chicago
Siqian Shen - University of Michigan
Barrett Thomas - University of Iowa
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Mike Hewitt
Loyola University Chicago
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