Topic: Perspectives on Operations Research
Speaker: Prof Jayendran Venkateswaran, IEOR, IIT Bombay
Time and date: 530 p.m., Wednesday, 8 August 2018
Venue: LA 102
Operations research supports decision-making in many complex systems across domains. However, though OR is a well-established field in its own right, it is quite unrecognised and under-appreciated. The problem is compounded by the fact that OR professionals / researchers are themselves quite unclear about "What is OR?", or unable to explain it confidently or satisfactorily to the public at large. This vagueness about OR often poses a barrier for novice learners/ students to join the OR stream/ employ OR methods effectively. Further, OR community will be increasingly looked upon to play a key role as an anchor to address "wicked" problems (incl. sustainable development goals), and steer the realisation of solutions. This requires us to have a common understanding about OR, and perhaps introspect our role as OR professionals.
In this talk I will attempt to provide a satisfactory answer to the question "What is OR?". Drawing on my own experiences, I argue for a strong empirical base for research & practice activities of OR, and the challenges therein. I also discuss the skill sets required to create complete & holistic OR professionals. This, I believe, will go a long way in building a strong community of complete OR professionals to work on problems that matter .