Tag: Hunt Institute

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Jeff Snell, Ph.D., Hunt Institute Fellow

 

Hunt Institute Fellow wearing a jacket handmade by textile artist in Uzbekistan, Dr. SnelI, International Folk Art Alliance
Dr. Snell’s jacket was a gift from a textile artist in Uzbekistan

Jeff Snell, Ph.D is a Hunt Institute Fellow. He brings his expertise to the Institute work in the area of Social Entrepreneurship and Enterprise. He serves as Special Advisor to the Dean & Vice Provost for Lifelong Learning at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His focus areas include teaching social entrepreneurship, applying a social innovation lens to reaching nontraditional learners, and mentoring social entrepreneurs in the UW-Madison Discovery to Product program. His mentored start-ups have garnered best new business awards by local chambers of commerce, receipt of the Morgridge Force for Positive Change award in Wisconsin, and individual national recognitions, including honors from the Manhattan Institute, selection as a Fellow for Ashoka, and receipt of a MacArthur “Genius” Award. Several models are highlighted in his TEDx talks.

Dr. Snell defines social innovation as “a field dedicated to solving social problems—a welcome departure from managing them.” Aligning social innovation models with the values of the surrounding community is a key characteristic of successful SI.

Jeff says, “I believe that social innovation work is, ultimately, about increasing human capability and honoring human dignity. There’s joy to be discovered for everyone engaged in the doing.”

Prior to UW-Madison, Jeff served as Chief Executive Officer at the International Folk Art Market Santa Fe, the largest artisan-social-enterprise accelerator globally and voted “best arts festival” by USA Today readers. Before then he served as Special Advisor to the President, Marquette University, where he the led the school’s Changemaker Campus initiative, resulting in the campus social innovation resource hub; and as Chief Operating Officer at the Argosy Foundation, a private family foundation.

As founder of Midwest Social Innovation, LLC, he has designed regional executive education in social enterprise models, served as Entrepreneurial Mentor for the National Science Foundation’s I-Corps program, and launched a partnership with the New York Times to embed Social Innovation as an interdisciplinary learning tool across the curriculum (selected by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation as one of 10 winners in a field of 1,000 proposals from 15 countries).

He completed a Ph.D. at Marquette University where he later received a Distinguished Alumni Award; elected in 2011 to Alpha Sigma Nu, the international honor society for Jesuit colleges and universities; appointed in 2018 as a Fellow at the Hunt Institute for Engineering and Humanity at Southern Methodist University; and appointed in 2019 as Senior Fellow in Social Innovation at ASU’s Lodestar Center. His family lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

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Meet Evelyn L. Parker, PhD

Evelyn L. Parker is the Susanna Wesley Centennial Professor of Practical Theology at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. She joined the faculty in July 1998. Parker received the Bachelor of Science from Lambuth College, Jackson, Tennessee, in 1974, and the Master of Science from Prairie View A&M University in 1983. Upon receiving her M.S. she served as a research scientist in the department of Human Biological Chemistry and Genetics at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. She attended the two-week Christian Educators Seminar at Perkins School of Theology from 1986 until 1989 and received a Certificate as an Associate in Christian Education in June 1989. The seminars were the impetus for further study in theological education and the transition from a vocation in biological research to one in educational ministry. During the fall of 1989 she became a full-time student at Perkins receiving the Master of Religious Education in 1991. In December 1996 Evelyn earned her Ph.D. from the Joint Program of Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary/Northwestern University in Religious and Theological Studies, with an interdisciplinary emphasis in Christian Education, Womanist approaches to religion and society, and education and public policy. While at Garrett Seminary/Northwestern University, she was a Fund for Theological Education Black Doctoral Scholar from 1993-1995.

Parker is the author of Between Sisters: Emancipatory Hope Out of Tragic Relationships, (Cascade Books, 2017) and Trouble Don’t Last Always: Emancipatory Hope Among African American Adolescents (Pilgrim Press, 2003) and editor of The Sacred Selves of Adolescent Girls: Hard Stories of Race, Class, and Gender (Pilgrim Press, 2006). She has also published several chapters and journal articles on adolescent spirituality, including “Divine Fortitude : A Reflection on God’s goodness in black female child soldiers,” in Susan Willhauck, ed., Female Child Soldiering: Gender Violence and Feminist Theologies. Switzerland: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2019.

Parker is a J. William Fulbright Scholar, 2019 -2020, Cape Town, South Africa focusing on the role of religious leaders in preventing and intervening in teen dating violence. She is the President of the Association of Practical Theology and President-elect of the Society for the Study of Black Religion. She is also an active member of the American Academy of Religion, the International Academy of Practical Theology, and the Religious Education Association, where she has chaired groups, presented papers, coordinated segments of consultations and convened sessions. She served as a member of the grant writing team for the Perkins Youth School of Theology, a $1.4 Million theological program for high school youth funded by the Lilly Endowment. She also served as the Perkins School of Theology academic dean from 2013 – 2019.

Parker is a native of Hattiesburg, Mississippi where she grew up in the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church (CME). She has served the CME church as a local and district Director of Christian Education. She has also taught numerous educational ministry workshops and seminars on local, district, Annual Conference and Connectional levels. She has represented the CME Church on the World Council of Churches (WCC), Faith and Order Plenary Commission from 1996 to 2006. During the WCC Ninth Assembly in 2006 she was elected to the Central Committee. Within the WCC Central Committee she served as co-secretary/reporter for the Nominations Committee. She is also a member of the 10th Assembly Planning Committee that will be held in Busan, South Korea in 2013. During the 10th Assembly she taught bible study and shaped policy as a delegate representing the Christian Methodist Episcopal Church. She was elected to the WCC – Commission of the Churches on International Affairs in 2014 and serves as the Moderator of the Statelessness, Migration, and Refugees Group. She is an active member of the Kirkwood Temple C.M.E. Church in Dallas, Texas where she serves as Christian Education Coordinator.

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Introducing Our First Hunt Institute Scholar, Sara Langone

Photo of Sara LangoneSara Langone’s work with the Hunt Institute focuses on designing and conducting qualitative research projects at an organizational and community level on topics related to the Hunt Institute’s three pillars of food systems, infrastructure and inclusive economy. Langone’s qualitative approach provides rich, contextualized insight that helps enable the Institute and its partners to better understand communities and create bottom-up solutions to systemic issues.

As an undergraduate, Langone received the awards for Outstanding Student in Organizational Communication and Outstanding Student in the Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Honors Program at Southern Methodist University. Langone is also a member of the Kappa Tau Alpha Honor Society. Langone graduated from Southern Methodist University in 2017 with bachelor’s degrees in political science and corporate communications and public affairs.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

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Khaled Abdelghany, Ph.D., Hunt Institute Fellow

Khaled Abdelghany, Ph.D., is a Hunt Institute Fellow, an Associate Professor at the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering of Southern Methodist University. He received his Ph.D. from the University of Texas at Austin in 2001.

He also worked as an operations research analyst at United Airlines’ R&D Division. Dr. Abdelghany joined the Department of Civil and Environmental Department at SMU in 2004 as an Assistant Professor with the responsibility of developing a transportation research program in the department. He served as the chairman of the department from 2011 to 2016.

Dr. Abdelghany has extensive research experience in transportation network modeling, real-time traffic network management systems, crowd dynamics and evacuation studies, connected vehicle applications, and airline strategic planning and operations management. Dr. Abdelghany authored one book and numerous peer-reviewed journal and conference articles. His research has been supported by the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Transportation, Department of Energy, Department of Commerce, NGOs, and several consulting firms.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

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Ali Beskok, Ph.D., Hunt Institute Senior Fellow

Ali Beskok, Ph.D. is a Hunt Institute Senior Fellow, is the Brown Foundation, Inc. Professor of Engineering in the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering at Southern Methodist University. Dr. Beskok previously served as the former Department Chair of Mechanical Engineering.

Ali Beskok, Ph.D. is a Hunt Institute Senior Fellow, and he is the Brown Foundation, Inc. Professor of Engineering in the Department of Mechanical Engineering in the Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering at Southern Methodist University. Dr. Beskok previously served as the Department Chair of Mechanical Engineering from 2013-2019.

Currently, his research concentrates on the theory, experiments, and numerical modeling of micro- and nano-scale thermal/fluidic transport processes, which have applications in bio-microfluidics, nanotechnology, and energy systems. The Biomicrofluidics Research Laboratory, led by Dr. Beskok, focuses on the study of microfluidic and nanofluidic transport phenomena and the design of fluidic devices with applications in healthcare, energy systems, and biochemical analysis. In the biomicrofluidics lab researchers design, build, and test Lab on Chip devices for biomedical, environmental monitoring, and food/water safety applications. Researchers also perform numerical simulations of mass momentum and energy transport in micro and nano-scales, using continuum based and atomistic methods.

In 2018, Dr. Beskok partnered with the Hunt Institute’s Global Development lab for his research in the Lab on Chip Point of Care Device (POCD). The first phase was completed in the Spring of 2019 and produced a broader impact report titled Bridging the Gap in Diagnostics. Phase II is focused on COVID-19 antibody detection research.

Regarding this cutting-edge research, Dr. Beskok says, “The gold standard for antibody detection is the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). However, its application is limited by its portability and high-cost operation. Its detection mechanism relies on receptor/target molecule reactions, which take place through diffusion-dominated transport kinetics. Therefore, the detection mechanism is quite slow and has low sensitivity. Unfortunately, the most recently developed lateral flow assays exhibit low sensitivity and specificity, and these cannot be reliably used for determining the spread of COVID-19 infection. We developed a quantifiable, accurate, fast, portable, and inexpensive diagnostic method based on detection of Covid antibodies from blood plasma. This point of care device will enable testing of the entire or large portions of the population for COVID-19.”

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu

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Introducing James F. Hollifield, Hunt Institute Fellow

James Hollifield

James F. Hollifield
Professor of Political Science and
Director, Tower Center, SMU
Global Fellow, Wilson Center

It is with pleasure we announce James F. Hollifield as a newly appointed Hunt Institute Fellow. The Hunt Institute Fellows are appointed for their expertise and demonstrated excellence in their fields. During their two-year tenure, they will collaborate on projects and contribute to the endeavors of the Institute.

James F. Hollifield is Professor in the Department of Political Science, and Director of the Tower Center at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, as well as a member of the New York Council on Foreign Relations and a Global Fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center in Washington, DC.

Hollifield has served as an Advisor to various governments in North and South America, Europe, East Asia and the Middle East and Africa, as well as the United Nations, the World Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the OECD, the ILO, the IOM, the EU, and other international organizations.  He currently chairs working groups at the World Bank and the IDB and serves on the International Advisory Board of the National Center for Competence in Research (NCCR for Migration and Mobility) of the Swiss National Science Foundation.   He has been the recipient of grants from private corporations and foundations as well as government agencies, including the German Marshall Fund of the United States, the Social Science Research Council, the Sloan Foundation, the Owens Foundation, the Raytheon Company, and the National Science Foundation.

His major books include Immigrants, Markets and States (Harvard), L’Immigration et l’Etat Nation: à la recherche d’un modèle national (L’Harmattan), Pathways to Democracy: The Political Economy of Democratic Transitions (with Calvin Jillson, Routledge), Migration, Trade and Development (with Pia Orrenius and Thomas Osang, Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas), Herausforderung Migration—Perspektiven der vergleichenden Politikwissenschaft (with Uwe Hunger, Lit Verlag), Migration Theory (with Caroline Brettell, Routledge, now it its 3rd edition), and Controlling Immigration ( with Philip Martin and Pia Orrenius, Stanford, also in its 3rd edition). His current book projects are The Migration State (Harvard)—a study of how states manage international migration for strategic gains—and International Political Economy: History, Theory and Policy (with Thomas Osang, Cambridge). He also has published numerous scientific articles and reports on the political economy of international migration and development.

Hollifield was educated at Wake Forest College (BA with honors in politics and economics), and he studied at Sciences Po Grenoble and Paris (DEA in applied economics) before completing his PhD in political science at Duke University. In addition to SMU he has taught at Brandeis and Auburn, served as a Research Fellow at Harvard’s Center for European Studies and MIT’s Center for International Studies, and was appointed Director of Research at the CNRS and Sciences Po in Paris.  He is a Fellow at the Center for US-Mexican Studies at the University of California at San Diego, at the Institut zur Zukunft der Arbeit (IZA) at the University of Bonn, and the Global Migration Centre at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva.  In 2015, he was named as a Public Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, DC and has continued his work there as a Global Fellow. In 2016, Hollifield received a Distinguished Scholar Award from the International Studies Association.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

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Dr. Halit Üster, Hunt Institute Fellow

Halit Üster, Ph.D. Professor Engineering Management, Information, and Systems (EMIS) Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) (by courtesy)

Halit Üster, Ph.D. is a Professor in the Operations Research and Engineering Management (OREM) department with a courtesy appointment in Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and is a Hunt Institute Fellow. Dr. Üster joined SMU Lyle School of Engineering in Fall 2014. He was previously an Associate Professor in the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department at Texas A&M University. He also served as Visiting Assistant Professor in the Mays Business School at Texas A&M (2000-2002) and in the Industrial Engineering Department at the University of Alabama (1999-2000). In the Lyle OREM Department, Dr. Üster teaches the Operations Research course at the undergraduate level and the Network Flows and Advanced Logistics Networks courses at the graduate level.

Dr. Üster received his B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey. After working as a design and field engineer for a new plant built for Procter&Gamble and Eczacibasi in Istanbul, Turkey, he returned to school for a Master’s degree in Business Administration at the Hacettepe University in Ankara, Turkey, while working part-time to complete the project as a mechanical engineer. He later obtained his Ph. D. in Management Science/Systems from the DeGroote School of Business at McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada in 1999.

Dr. Üster’s research interests are in large-scale optimization models and efficient solution algorithms for the design and analysis of networked systems with applications in logistics and communications. Societal impact is typically a central theme and emphasis in the applications of Üster’s research. Specifically, his recent research focuses on application areas including emergency logistics networks, biomass/bio-energy logistics networks, closed-loop logistics and recycling networks, multi-commodity and relay networks in transportation to address driver turnover and shortage problems, integrated production-distribution-inventory networks, and wireless sensor networks with environmental monitoring applications. His research activities to date were funded by grants totaling $2M from sources including National Science Foundation, US Department of Agriculture, and Frito-Lay, Inc. Üster was the founding director of the Logistics and Networked Systems Research Laboratory in the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department at Texas A&M University.

Dr. Üsters explains his motivation for impact work, “The central theme in my research is societal impact as evident in the applications I work on. This is important because it affects people’s lives in a way to improves them for the better. To that end, we work on mathematical models, algorithms, analysis for optimal strategic decision-making to impact policy-making and, thus, have far-reaching and long-term positive effects for societal impact.”

Üster also serves on numerous committees at the department, school, and university level as part of his service activities in the university and also on several committees of INFORMS at the national level as a service to the professional community.

Üster’s research has been featured in the Industrial Engineer Magazine in 2008, 2010, and 2017. He has been named the Eshbach Society Distinguished Visiting Scholar in the McCormick School of Engineering & Applied Science, Northwestern University in 2009 while he was on faculty development leave. His collaborative research for Frito-Lay, Inc. was a finalist for the Daniel H. Wagner Prize for Excellence in Operations Research, INFORMS in 2008. He was awarded Caterpillar Teaching Excellence Award at Dwight Look College of Engineering, Texas A&M University in 2011 and was voted as the Outstanding Faculty Member by the IIE Chapter at The University of Alabama, 1999-2000. He also received a national Moving Spirit Award from INFORMS in 2007.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

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Barbara Minsker, Ph.D., Hunt Institute Senior Fellow

Barbara Minsker, Ph.D., Hunt Institute Senior Fellow, Department Chair for Civil and Environmental Engineering, and the Bobby B. Lyle Professor of Leadership and Global Entrepreneurship

Barbara Minsker, Ph.D., Hunt Institute Senior Fellow, a Professor and Department Chair for Lyle School of Engineering‘s Civil and Environmental Engineering, and the Bobby B. Lyle Professor of Leadership and Global Entrepreneurship is a nationally recognized expert in environmental and water resource systems analysis and informatics.

Dr. Minsker’s scholarly interests include innovative informatics and systems analysis methods and software to improve sustainability and resilience of coupled human and natural systems. Current research focuses on coupling machine learning and social computing with “Big Data” to improve water resource and infrastructure systems, including green stormwater infrastructure, flood prevention, and response, and urban infrastructure equity.

In 2020, Dr. Minsker and her team finished a study called the Clowder Infrastructure Equity Project that clearly shows the existence of infrastructure deserts, which are like food deserts except for infrastructures like sidewalks, crosswalks, and even trees. The findings are summarized in a story map and the paper will be submitted for publication in the near future. The research is sponsored by the National Science Foundation under grant #1835877.

When asked about what motivates her when doing impact work, Dr. Minsker responded with, “I want my work to make a difference in the world, not sit on a shelf and never be used.”

Another recently completed study has shown how flood posts from Waze navigation app users can be used to accurately predict the risk that depressions in local roads will flood during a particular storm. These findings are also being prepared for submission to a journal.

Early Career

In 1996, Minsker served as professor and Arthur and Virginia Nauman Faculty Scholar in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), where she began her career as an assistant professor. She was also a faculty affiliate at UIUC’s National Center for Supercomputing Applications. Prior to her academic career, Dr. Minsker was an environmental policy analyst in the Washington, D.C., area.

She received the ASCE Environmental and Water Resources Institute (ERWI) Outstanding Achievement Award and the ERWI Service to the Profession Award as a result of her extensive leadership background and experience. She has led major collaborative programs in research, education, and outreach in various roles including; PI of the WATERS Network, an NSF-funded project for advancing water resource science and management; Associate Provost Fellow who developed and implemented University of Illinois sustainability education and research initiatives; and founder of two start-up organizations. She is active as a Future Thinking leadership development program, Center for Authentic Leadership

Education and Licensure

1986: B.S. with Distinction in Operations Research and one in Industrial Engineering, Cornell University

1995: Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, Cornell University

2007-2010: Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC) Academic Leadership Program

2009-2010: Licensed Professional Engineer, State of Texas

Honors and Awards

1991 National Science Foundation (NSF) Graduate Research Fellowship
1998 NSF CAREER Award
1999-2000 National Center for Supercomputing Applications (NCSA) Faculty Fellow
2000 Army Young Investigator Award
2000 Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists & Engineers (PECASE)
2001-2002 Center for Advanced Study Fellow
2001-2016 Arthur and Virginia Nauman Faculty Scholar, University of Illinois
2003 Fellow, Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Invitation Fellowship Program
2003 American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) Walter L. Huber Civil Engineering Research Prize
2005 ASCE Environmental and Water Resources Institute (EWRI) Outstanding Achievement Award
2006 Xerox Award for Faculty Research
2008-2011 University Scholar
2012 EWRI Service to the Profession Award
2015 Leadership Illinois, Class of 2015
2017 Fellow, ASCE EWRI
2018 Best Paper Award, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Conference on Practice & Experience in Advanced Research Computing (PEARC ’18)
2019 ASCE Margaret S. Petersen Award

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

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Sila Çetinkaya, Ph.D., Hunt Institute Senior Fellow

Sila Çetinkaya, PhD., Hunt Institute Senior Fellow, Department Chair and Professor Cecil H. Green Professor of Engineering Engineering Management, Information, and Systems

Sila Çetinkaya, Ph.D. is a Hunt Institute Senior Fellow, the Departmental Chair and Professor for Operations Research and Engineering Management (OREM) at the Bobby B. Lyle School of Engineering. Professor Çetinkaya joined SMU Lyle in 2014 as the Cecil H. Green Professor of Engineering in the EMIS Department and holds a courtesy appointment in the Information Technology and Operations Management (ITOM) Department in SMU’s Cox School of Business. She has received numerous national awards, including the prestigious CAREER award from the National Science Foundation. Dr. Çetinkaya was also selected for Frontiers of Engineering by the National Academy of Engineering in 2005 and was named an IIE Fellow of the Institute of Industrial Engineers in 2012 for her professional leadership and outstanding contributions.

Recently, Research Inside IISE Journals was released. It is as a collaborative paper that places an emphasis on effective decision making for sustainability in the context of reuse via remanufacturing (This “Research” section is provided for informational purposes only with permission of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers from the August 2021 issue of ISE magazine, Copyright©2021. All rights reserved. www.iise.org/ISEMagazine.) Dr. Çetinkaya continues her research in healthcare delivery for the indigent and uninsured, a long-time problem of interest she continues to seek solutions for.

Dr. Çetinkaya has a strong record of academic and professional service and has taken on leadership roles in several areas. Prior to joining SMU’s Lyle School, she served as the Associate Head of the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department at Texas A&M University. Professor Çetinkaya has served on the editorial board of five (5) scientific journals including IIE Transactions and Naval Research Logistics and on the organization and program committees of several international conferences including IIE and INFORMS.

Dr. Çetinkaya earned her Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Istanbul Technical University in Istanbul, Turkey, in 1989. She obtained her Master of Science in Industrial Engineering in 1991 from Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey, and was awarded the Ph.D. in Management Science in 1996 from McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

Dr. Çetinkaya speaks to her motivation in her work, “For me, research is the single most effective way of simultaneous engagement with some of the most immediate stakeholders of higher education and our society: students, faculty, and industry, all of whom happen to be represented by my research collaborators.”

For a complete list of her appointments, research, publications, grants, selected invited seminars, PhD students, selected awards, and service in outreach, visit her professional website.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.

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Ajay Narayanan, Hunt Institute Senior Fellow

Ajay Narayanan

Ajay Narayanan
Manager – Development Operations
Internal Audit
T +1 (202) 458-5915
E najay@worldbank.org
W www.worldbank.org

It is with pleasure we announce Ajay Narayanan as a newly appointed Hunt Institute Senior Fellow. The Hunt Institute Senior Fellows are appointed for their expertise and demonstrated excellence in their fields. During their two-year tenure, they will collaborate on projects and contribute to the endeavors of the Institute.

Mr. Narayanan is the Manager of Development Operations for the Internal Audit function at the World Bank Group (WBG). His role entails overseeing audits carried out to provide assurance to the Board on the effectiveness of the operational activities of World Bank Group Institutions, that include the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) and the Multilateral Insurance and Guarantee Agency (MIGA). His role entails prioritizing the operations of the WBG based on risk and strategic relevance, and managing the audits for the same. This entails managing the engagement team, coordinating with WBG senior management members and communication with the Board.

Prior to his current role, he was the Head of the Sustainability and Climate Business Unit in the Global Financial Markets department at the IFC. His team was mandated with the role of growing the financing of climate change mitigation and sustainability projects through financial market clients of IFC in areas such as Sustainable Energy, Sustainable value chains, Cleaner Production, and sustainable logistics. He has experience both within and prior to IFC in looking at the sustainability aspects in emerging financial markets covering both E&S risk management as well as business opportunities.

He has over 25 years of experience in Environment Health and Safety Management associated with financial institutions, chemical and engineering industry. He has also worked on industrial loss prevention, alternative models for financing sustainable infrastructure, renewable energy, carbon finance and new technology areas.

He has post graduate degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Safety Engineering, is a Certified Internal Auditor, Certified Fellow of the Institute of Risk Management, London, a LEAD Fellow and an Associate life member of the Indian Society of Applied Behavioral Science.

His interests include the application of complexity theory in organizational behavior and management, organizational coaching, scaling transformational initiatives, measuring and incentivizing development.

To read more about the Hunt Institute’s work to develop future-focused solutions to some of the world’s biggest problems, please click here. For the latest news on the Hunt Institute, follow our social media accounts on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We invite you to listen to our Podcast called Sages & Seekers. If you are considering engaging with the institute, you can donate, or sign-up for our newsletter by emailing huntinstitute@smu.edu.