Professor Feryal Erhun wins industry engagement award

The award, now in its 3rd year, was announced at the recent POMS annual conference in Atlanta. The organisation, which publishes the journal Production and Operations Management, says on its website that the award honours “faculty excellence in engagement with industry to motivate research, enhance students’ learning, and collaborate with industry-government initiatives to support students’ success, and create value for universities and other stakeholders”.

Winners of the award must demonstrate meaningful engagement with industry, government or nonprofit organisations as measured primarily by evidence of impact, including signs that engagement activity has led to a positive change in an organisation’s operations or significantly influenced a new stream of research. Other criteria include evidence that engagement activity has contributed to the success of students, collaborators or other researchers, or that the engagement has led to a strategic partnership between the university and the organisation.

Engagement includes trauma services, cancer care and clinical trials 

Feryal’s recent engagement in the healthcare sector has included work with the National Health Service in the UK on critical areas such as:

Along with Cambridge Judge Professor of Operations Management Nektarios Oraiopoulos and Ms Efthymia Kostaki, Feryal also studies clinical trials. Given the staggering complexity and cost of drug development, their research focuses on identifying opportunities to achieve reductions in trial timelines, which can yield substantial cost savings and expedite patient access to new therapies.

Collaborating with industry on supply chain management

Beyond healthcare, Feryal’s research portfolio includes engagement with industry and academic partners on supply chain management, including capacity and inventory management, risk management and sustainability.

“Cambridge Judge Business School is delighted that Feryal’s insightful research and active involvement with stakeholders have been honoured by this Excellence in Industry Engagement Award,” says Professor Gishan Dissanaike, Dean of Cambridge Judge Business School. “Feryal’s work exemplifies how the Operations and Technology Management group at Cambridge Judge uses practice-based research to tackle pressing societal issues, making a tangible impact on people’s lives.”