RICHARDSON, Texas (Sept. 19, 2005) – Three researchers in the School of Management at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) have been awarded a $200,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study risk and decision making as they relate to uncertainties in inventory stocks, a major issue in product supply chains.

Principal researchers for the study are Dr. Alain Bensoussan; Dr. Metin Cakanyildirim and Dr. Suresh Sethi, Ashbel Smith Professor of Operations Management. The three professors are affiliated with two of the School of Management’s research centers, the Center for Intelligent Supply Networks (C4ISN) and the International Center for Decision and Risk Analysis (ICDRiA). Dr. Bensoussan is ICDRiA’s director, and Dr. Sethi is C4ISN’s director.

  
From left: Dr. Alain Bensoussan, Dr. Metin Cakanyildirim, and Dr. Suresh Sethi, all researchers in the School of Management, have been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to study risk and decision-making in product supply chains.

Bensoussan noted that the mathematically based study would investigate both quantitative and qualitative uncertainties in inventories.

“The fact that this grant was awarded to us through the Division of Mathematical Sciences of the National Science Foundation is a reflection of the strength of the UTD School of Management faculty in applied mathematics, especially as it relates to matters of business and industry,” Bensoussan said.

School of Management Dean Dr. Hasan Pirkul said the school’s research centers, such as ICDRiA and C4ISN, not only foster research in their areas of interest but also provide real value to industry by carrying out projects and research that are relevant to industry’s needs. “The findings of such investigations have real potential that could impact every step that a business goes through related to its products,” Pirkul said.

The grant funds research over a three-year period.

About the UTD School of Management

Based on publications in the top 22 business journals spanning all areas of business, The University of Texas at Dallas School of Management faculty ranks 37 th in research productivity among business school faculties nationwide, and U.S. News and World Report ranks the school’s Cohort MBA program among the top 64 full-time MBA programs in the nation and among the top 35 at public colleges and universities. The School of Management is the largest of UTD’s seven schools, with an enrollment that has doubled over the last eight years to more than 4,400 students. The school’s new 204,000-square-foot building features classrooms with state-of-the-art audio and visual equipment, wireless connectivity, video-conferencing facilities, a computer lab, faculty offices, meeting rooms and an executive education center.

About UTD

The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor, enrolls more than 14,500 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s website at www.utdallas.edu.