Spears School’s Ramesh Sharda to receive INFORMS Fellow recognition

Monday, October 8, 2018

Longtime Oklahoma State University faculty member Dr. Ramesh Sharda will be inducted Nov. 5 as an INFORMS Fellow for his exemplary research and educational contributions in decision support systems and analytics/data science at the operations research/computer science interface and for outstanding service to INFORMS, especially the INFORMS Computing Society.

Sharda, Vice Dean of the Watson Graduate School of Management in OSU’s Spears School of Business, is an internationally known scholar in the field of business analytics and data science who led development of OSU’s interdisciplinary graduate program in telecommunications management and the PhD in Business for Executives program.

INFORMS Fellows have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments and made significant contributions to the advancement of operations research and management science over a period of time. The award, which honors the best operations researchers and analytics experts throughout the world, recognizes outstanding achievement in five areas: education, management, practice, research and service.

“Dr. Sharda is a scholar of great distinction who has built a very strong international reputation,” said Ken Eastman, dean of Spears Business. “His research is widely cited and his textbooks are the leading authority in analytics and data science. We are very proud that Dr. Sharda has received this recognition as it is a fitting tribute to him and his outstanding career.”

Sharda is one of only 12 Fellows selected this year, joining others from across the United States, including the U.S. Air Force Academy, MIT Sloan School of Management, Columbia University, Brown University, University of California at Berkeley, General Motors, and Yale University.

“Dr. Sharda has made significant, outstanding contributions to the field of analytics and data science for more than 30 years, spanning research excellence, new educational program initiation and value-added service to the profession,” said Rick Wilson, head of the Department of Management Science and Information Systems in Spears Business. “Being selected an INFORMS Fellow is a crowning achievement to a career filled with many well-deserved recognitions. Ramesh clearly deserved this prestigious award, as his work in the analytics field has had a profound impact on the programs and students at Oklahoma State University and beyond.”

Sharda earned his undergraduate degree from the University of Udaipur in Rajasthan, India before coming to the United States. He earned a master’s degree in engineering from Ohio State University, and an MBA and his doctoral degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He joined the OSU faculty after completing his education, and he has held several positions during his long tenure in Stillwater – assistant professor, associate professor, and currently Regents Professor of Management Science and Information Systems, ConocoPhillips Chair of Management Technology and Chuck and Kim Watson Chair.

He will be recognized at the INFORMS Annual Meeting on Nov. 5 in Phoenix.