Stephen C. Graves

About

Stephen C. Graves is the Abraham J. Siegel Professor of Management and a Professor of Operations Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management, with a joint appointment in the MIT Department of Mechanical Engineering. His research develops and applies operations research models and methods to solve problems in manufacturing, distribution systems, and service operations. His current research focuses on operational issues in online retailing, supply chain optimization, strategic inventory positioning, and production and capacity planning across various contexts. Graves holds an AB in mathematics and social sciences and an MBA from Dartmouth College, as well as an MS and a PhD from the University of Rochester. He has received numerous honors, including the INFORMS Kimball Medal in 2023, and has been recognized for his contributions to the modeling and analysis of manufacturing systems and supply chains. His work has significantly impacted the fields of operations research and management sciences, and he has held leadership roles such as INFORMS President and editor-in-chief of Manufacturing & Service Operations Management.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Operations research
• Artificial Intelligence
• Computer Security
• Engineering
• Operations management
• Risk analysis (engineering)
• Economics
• Business
• Process management

Selected publications

• Velocity‐Based Storage Assignment in Semi‐Automated Storage Systems

  Production and Operations Management · 2018-06-20 · 91 citations

  articleOpen accessCorresponding

  Our research focuses on the storage decision in a semi‐automated storage system, where the inventory is stored on mobile storage pods. In a typical system, each storage pod carries a mixture of items, and the inventory of each item is spread over multiple storage pods. These pods are transported by robotic drives to stationary stations on the boundary of the storage zone where associates conduct pick or stow operations. The storage decision is to decide to which storage location within the stora…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Performance evaluation of material separation in a material recovery facility using a network flow model

  Resources Conservation and Recycling · 2018-01-11 · 47 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Supply chain challenges in the post–Covid Era

  Production and Operations Management · 2022 · 41 citations

  1st authorCorresponding

  In this paper, we reflect on the supply chain issues and operational challenges that we experienced through the various stages of the Covid‐19 pandemic. We identify some phenomena that were attributable in some way to the pandemic, and apply core principles of operations management, and a simple numerical model, to explain and understand their occurrence. We highlight some key lessons and discuss implications for supply chain design and planning, to prepare for the next global disruption.

  PublisherDOI

• Development and analysis of digital twins of production systems

  International Journal of Production Research · 2023-08-06 · 27 citations

  article

  Production systems have to be adapted continuously to changing circumstances. This means that the responsible production planner has to frequently make decisions about reconfiguring complex systems under uncertainty whose outcome greatly affects the company’s business success. Discrete-event simulation is one powerful tool to support the necessary analysis and scenario evaluation, but still remains time-consuming and tricky to set up and to maintain. When implemented as a digital twin of the pro…

  PublisherDOI

• Item Aggregation and Column Generation for Online-Retail Inventory Placement

  Manufacturing & Service Operations Management · 2020 · 19 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding

  Problem definition : This paper studies an online retailer’s problem of choosing fulfillment centers in which to place items. We formulate the problem as a mixed-integer program that models thousands or millions of items to be placed in dozens of fulfillment centers and shipped to dozens of customer regions. The objective is to minimize the sum of shipping and fixed costs over one planning period. Academic/practical relevance : A good placement plan can significantly reduce the operational cost,…

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Frequent coauthors

• H. Stephen Leff

  Human Services Research Institute

  16 shared

• Clifton Chow

  Cambridge Health Alliance

  16 shared

• Andre Calmon

  11 shared

• Rohit Bhatnagar

  10 shared

• Thu Ba T. Nguyen

  Cranfield University

  9 shared

• Sean P. Willems

  Knoxville College

  9 shared

• Appa Iyer Sivakumar

  7 shared

• Tolga Çezik

  Amazon (United States)

  7 shared

Awards & honors

• Kimball Medal (2023)
• INFORMS Fellow
• INFORMS Manufacturing & Service Operations Management Best P…
• INFORMS President-elect (2020)
• INFORMS President (2021)

Similar researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Steven Eppingerh-49
• Retsef Levih-34
• Vivek F. Fariash-29