Erkut Sönmez

Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management and Analytics Supply Chain Management & Analytics University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Address: HLH 511
Lincoln NE 68588-4114
Phone: 402-472-3137 On-campus 2-3137
Email: esonmez2@unl.edu
Social Media

Dr. Sönmez earned his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Operations Management from Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University. He received his B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering with a minor in Economics from Middle East Technical University in Turkey.

In his research, Dr. Sönmez studies capacity management problems that arise with the development of new business models and/or technologies, with specific applications in industries including food and energy supply chains and banking/service operations. He uses models and theoretical tools such as queueing theory, simulation, and stochastic optimization to examine the decision-making by individuals and organizations in problems motivated by various industry practices. The findings of his research have revealed many industry-specific counter-intuitive managerial insights that aid in decision-support at the strategic and tactical levels. Dr. Sönmez’s research is published in academic journals including Operations Research, Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, Informs Journal on Computing, European Journal of Operational Research, Food Policy, and American Journal of Agricultural Economics, and covered by media channels, such as Huffington Post, Industrial and System Engineer Magazine, Cornell Chronicles, Carroll Capitol, and Perishable Pundit.

Dr. Sönmez serves as a reviewer for journals including Management Science, Operations Research, MSOM, POMS, EJOR, IEE Transactions, and OR Spectrum. He is the recipient of the William Larimer Mellon and Yasar High Academic Achievement fellowships.

Dr. Sönmez's personal webpage can be reached following this link: Personal webpage

Education

Ph.D., Operations Management, Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business
M.S., Operation Management, Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business,
B.S., Industrial Engineering, Middle East Technical University, Turkey

Areas of Expertise

Operations Management
Applied Probability
Supply Chain Management
Agribusiness

Appointments

Assistant Professor, 2017

Scholarship

Publications:

Dynamic Volunteer Staffing in Multicrop Gleaning Operations (with Baris Ata and Deishin Lee), Operations Research, 2019, Volume 67, Number 2, pp 295-314
An Analytical Throughput Approximation for Closed Fork/Join Networks (with Alan Scheller-Wolf, Nicola Secomandi), Informs Journal on Computing, 2017, Volume 29, Number 2, pp 251-267.
Combining Two Wrongs to Make Two Rights: Mitigating Food Insecurity and Food Waste through Gleaning Operations (with Deishin Lee, Miguel Gomez and Xiaoli Fan), Food Policy, 2017, 68, 40-52.
A Comprehensive Annual Delivery Program for Upstream Liquefied Natural Gas Supply Chains (with Fatih Mutlu, Mohamed Msakni, Hakan Yildiz and Shaligram Pokharel), European Journal of Operational Research, 2016, 250, 120-130 (research supported with NPRP award from Qatar National Research Fund).
Improving Food Bank Gleaning Operations: An Application in New York State (with Deishin Lee, Miguel Gomez and Xiaoli Fan), American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 2016, 98 (2), 549-563.
Strategic Analysis of Technology and Capacity Investments in the Liquefied Natural Gas Industry (with Sunder Kekre, Alan Scheller-Wolf, and Nicola Secomandi), European Journal of Operational Research, 2013, 226, 100 -114.
Balancing Risk and Efficiency at a Major Commercial Bank (with Sunder Kekre, Nicola Secomandi and Kenneth West), Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, 2009, 11, 160-173.

Work in Progress:

Dynamic Irrigation Management under Temporal and Spatial Variability (with Baris Ata and Derek Heeren), Working Paper, under 1st round of revision, 2020.

Other Publications:

There for the Picking (with Deishin Lee, Miguel Gomez, Xiaoli Fan, Lauire Caldwell, Natasha Thompson, and Melissa Knowles), Industrial and System Engineering Magazine, 2016, 48 (8), 26-30, Cover story and featured lead article.

Media Coverage:

Sönmez Drives Sustainability to Help Feed Families. Appeared in UNL, College of Business Newsletter
Gleaning: Combining Two Wrongs to Make a Right. Appeared in Huffingtonpost
University heavyweight put science behind optimized gleaning schedules. Appeared in Perishable Pundit.
Harvesting model rescues castoff food to feed the hungry. Appeared in Phys.org and Cornell Chronicle
Split delivery may prove cost effective for gas companies. Appeared in Carroll Capital
Technology and capacity investments in the liquefied natural gas industry. Appeared in Carroll Capital.

Courses

Current Teaching:

SCMA 444: Supply Chain Logistics Management
SCMA 331: Operations and Supply Chain Management

Service

Professional Service:

Reviewer for the following journals: Operations Research, Management Science, M&SOM, POMS, EJOR, IEE Transactions, and OR Spectrum.
Reviewer for grant proposals: Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research, (2018)
Judge: POMS College of Sustainable Operations Best Student Paper Competition (2017, 2018, 2020)
Judge: M&SOM Conference, Sustainable Operations SIG (2020)
Session chair – INFORMS and POMS Annual Meetings

Institutional Service:

Independent study faculty advisor, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, College of Business, (2018, 2019)
Recruiting committee member, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, College of Business, (2018, 2019)
Grade appeal committee member, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, College of Business, (2019, 2020)

Awards and Honors:

Distinguished Research Award, College of Business, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2019)
Nominated for Distinguished Teaching Award, College of Business, University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2017-2018 and 2019-2020)
INFORMS Doctoral Colloquium participant, 2008
William Larimer Mellon Fellowship for doctoral studies at Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School of Business, 2004 -2007
Yasar Holding High Academic Achievement Fellowship, 2002 – 2004.