Dr. Mahyar Eftekhar | Social Cognition | Best Researcher Award

Dr. Mahyar Eftekhar is an Associate Professor of Supply Chain Management at the W. P. Carey School of Business, Arizona State University. He is also the Harold E. Fearon Fellow of Purchasing Management at CAPS and serves as the Barrett Faculty Honors Advisor. His scholarly work focuses on development and nonprofit operations management, with practical impact through collaborations with organizations like UNHCR, the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, and the Ghana Tourism Authority. With a career dedicated to applying analytics and operations research to humanitarian and development sectors, Dr. Eftekhar is a frequent contributor to top-tier journals and a recipient of multiple research awards. His editorial leadership includes roles at Manufacturing & Service Operations Management and Production and Operations Management. Dr. Eftekhar is a thought leader advancing evidence-based strategies in nonprofit logistics, food security, healthcare delivery, and emergency response in developing economies.

Profile

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Education 🎓

Dr. Eftekhar earned his Ph.D. in Information Systems and Operations Management from HEC Paris School of Management in 2013, where he specialized in operations and humanitarian logistics. He holds a Master of Science in Production and Operations Management from Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, completed in 2007. He began his academic journey with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering from Azad University, South Tehran Branch, Iran, completed in 2002. His diverse and international educational background spans engineering, analytics, and management disciplines, equipping him with a robust foundation for interdisciplinary research in supply chain systems and nonprofit operational strategies. These academic experiences have fueled his interest in development operations, complex decision-making environments, and the integration of data-driven methodologies in humanitarian settings. Dr. Eftekhar’s education has been instrumental in shaping his global perspective and has inspired his work at the intersection of academia, industry practice, and social impact.

Experience 👨‍🏫

Dr. Mahyar Eftekhar joined Arizona State University’s W. P. Carey School of Business in 2014 as an Assistant Professor and was promoted to Associate Professor in 2020. He currently serves as the Harold E. Fearon Fellow of Purchasing Management at CAPS and as Barrett Faculty Honors Advisor. His teaching and mentoring have supported over 160 honors students in Supply Chain Management. Since 2018, he has also been affiliated with ASU’s Global Security Initiative. He has held significant editorial roles in leading journals such as Production and Operations Management, Journal of Operations Management, and Manufacturing & Service Operations Management. Dr. Eftekhar is recognized for combining academic excellence with applied consulting, including pro bono work with the UNHCR. His operational insights have been adopted by global NGOs and humanitarian institutions. Through his academic and advisory work, he bridges theory and practice to improve humanitarian, development, and nonprofit operations worldwide.

Awards & Recognitions 🏅

Dr. Eftekhar’s accolades include the 2024 W. P. Carey Dean’s Mid-Career Excellence Research Award and finalist recognition for the 2024 INFORMS Service Science Best Cluster Paper and Public Sector OR Video Awards. He was also a finalist for the 2024 Huizingh Outstanding Undergraduate Teacher Award at ASU. He received the prestigious 2017 POMS College of Humanitarian Operations and Crisis Management (HOCM) Best Paper Award and was a finalist in 2015, 2018, and 2019. His contributions have also earned him a Presidential Graduate Assistantship Grant from ASU. Multiple research projects led by him have had real-world implementation impact and were recognized for innovation and societal value. His scholarly papers have consistently been adopted by organizations like ICRC, UNHCR, and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, reinforcing his influence across academic and nonprofit spheres. These honors underscore his leadership in impactful operations research for development and humanitarian domains.

Research Interests 🔬

Dr. Eftekhar’s research focuses on Development Operations Management, emphasizing nonprofit logistics, emergency response, food insecurity, women’s health, and education in developing economies. He studies workforce configuration, resource allocation, and fleet management in humanitarian contexts, integrating data-driven methods with field experiments. His research has yielded real-world impact, with findings adopted by NGOs, health ministries, and UN agencies. He leads projects on last-mile delivery, in-kind donations, volunteering behavior, and operational policy design under uncertainty. His methodological strengths lie in optimization, simulation, and experimental design. His ongoing studies include enhancing educational access in Africa, food waste reduction in Ghana, and antifragile supply chains amid geopolitical instability. Through close collaborations with industry and humanitarian organizations, Dr. Eftekhar translates rigorous research into actionable strategies, helping institutions improve resilience, equity, and efficiency in resource-constrained settings. His editorial roles and invited talks further position him as a key voice in global humanitarian operations research.