INFORMS Colleagues:
Last Friday, we tragically lost our devoted colleague, Che-Lin Su, associate professor of operations management at Chicago Booth, who passed away following a brief illness. Che-Lin was a pioneer in the development of applications of advanced optimization techniques for structural estimation of key operational parameters such as demand and delay sensitivities. He trained a new generation of researchers on the power and versatility of these methods through formal classes at multiple universities and myriad informal coaching sessions to empirical researchers ranging from fresh graduate students to seasoned Nobelists. His work and dedication to the use of optimization tools to discover new insights into operational decisions will have a long-lasting impact on our field. His kindness, openness, and boundless cheer will continue to brighten the lives of all of us who were fortunate to have him as a colleague. Our community has lost an outstanding scholar and exceptional individual and friend. We mourn with his wife, Bella, his family, and all who have been touched by Che-Lin.
We plan to honor Che-Lin's contributions to operations management in the coming months and will invite all in the INFORMS community to share in that event.
Dan Adelman, Baris Ata, Elena Belavina, John Birge, Rene Caldentey, Ozan Candogan, Laurens Debo, Don Eisenstein, Varun Gupta, Sunil Kumar, Kipp Martin, Rod Parker, Chris Ryan, and Burhan Sandikci
The University of Chicago Booth School of Business Operations Group
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John Birge
Professor
University of Chicago
Chicago IL
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