Amazon SCOT announces 2021 INFORMS fellowship recipients

Amazon’s Supply Chain Optimization Technologies (SCOT) organization today announced the 21 recipients of the SCOT and INFORMS Fellowships for undergraduate and graduate students. The recipients represent 11 schools in six states and Puerto Rico and are pursuing degrees or possible careers in operations research, mathematics, industrial engineering, statistics, business, economics, and related fields.

The fellowship program was established to help expand the pipeline of operations research, management science, and analytics talent from underrepresented backgrounds. The fellows are drawn from historically black college or universities (HBCUs) as well as minority-serving institutions (MSI). In an effort to ensure inclusivity, these fellows include those who are either already actively engaged in operations research (OR) and management science (MS) studies as well as those who have had little to no training in traditional OR/MS courses, but are considering graduate studies or careers in these fields.

“SCOT and INFORMS have a deep commitment to expanding the diversity of talent and diversity of thought in the field of operations research,” said Deepak Bhatia, vice president of SCOT.  “We believe that our best bet for achieving a more secure, sustainable, and equitable future is a more inclusive and diverse talent pool. The journey to developing that pool is long but must begin with small steps like this fellowship. We are proud to help support these students as they pursue their studies in operations research and become leaders of the future.”

The inaugural fellows — comprising undergrad juniors and seniors as well as graduate students — will attend the INFORMS 2021 Annual Meeting being held virtually and in-person Oct. 24 through 27 in Anaheim, Calif. Amazon is a diamond sponsor of the event. The annual meeting connects more than 7,000 INFORMS members, students, prospective employers and employees, as well as academic and industry experts. Fellowship recipients receive free conference registration, and stipends to cover hotel accommodations and transportation expenses for those who attend in-person.

“The INFORMS Annual Meeting is attended by many experienced OR and analytics professionals, and what makes it extra special is the number of students who attend and the lifelong relationships they establish. The INFORMS partnership with SCOT allows these relationships to flourish, nurturing the next generation of OR and analytics experts,” said Elena Gerstmann, INFORMS executive director. “Critical to our relationship with SCOT is our shared commitment to INFORMS’ strategic goal of advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in all we do. This first ever SCOT and INFORMS Fellowship is essential to this goal because it enables more involvement of underrepresented groups in our field.”

Fellows are provided an opportunity to connect with Amazon SCOT scientists to explore mentorship and networking opportunities; offered an opportunity to meet with members of the INFORMS Minority Issues Forum, ambassador graduate students, and INFORMS staff; and invited to attend INFORMS society meetings and university-sponsored receptions as well as plenaries, selected talks/posters, and tutorials.

Below is the list of the 2021 fellows, presented in alphabetical order, along with their school and major.