More than 50 scholars from the United States, Asia, and Europe convened at the University of San Diego for the Fifth Annual Early-Career Sustainable Operations Workshop earlier this month. The event brought together scholars and industry speakers to deliver presentations covering a broad range of supply chain sustainability topics, from combating climate change in the agriculture industry to policy implications of rooftop solar panels.
The Ray C. Anderson Center for Sustainable Business (“Center”) at Georgia Tech Scheller College of Business sponsored the event, along with the Paul Merage School of Business at University of California, Irvine, and the University of San Diego School of Business.
The workshop, which had a record number of attendees this year, is known for its high-level exchange of ideas between early-career and senior academics and for opportunities to ground research in practice. Papers by untenured faculty and PhD students are circulated and critiqued, with senior-level faculty serving as facilitators. Additionally, this year’s industry speakers—from Taylor Guitars, Measurabl, and SunPower—provided practical insights.
The Early-Career Sustainable Operations Workshop was initiated by Center-affiliated faculty Dr. Atalay Atasu and Center Faculty Director Beril Toktay.
Toktay, who participated in this year’s workshop, said, “Developmental feedback on research is vital for the success of early-career scholars. Our Center is proud to contribute towards building a supportive network that enables scholars in sustainable operations to produce high-impact work.”