Dr. Sönmez earned his M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Operations Management from Tepper School of Business, Carnegie Mellon University. He received his B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering with a minor in Economics from Middle East Technical University in Turkey.
In his research, Dr. Sönmez studies capacity management problems that arise with the development of new business models and/or technologies, with specific applications in industries including food and energy supply chains and banking/service operations. He uses models and theoretical tools such as queueing theory, simulation, and stochastic optimization to examine the decision-making by individuals and organizations in problems motivated by various industry practices. The findings of his research have revealed many industry-specific counter-intuitive managerial insights that aid in decision-support at the strategic and tactical levels. Dr. Sönmez’s research is published in academic journals including Operations Research, Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, Informs Journal on Computing, European Journal of Operational Research, Food Policy, and American Journal of Agricultural Economics, and covered by media channels, such as Huffington Post, Industrial and System Engineer Magazine, Cornell Chronicles, Carroll Capitol, and Perishable Pundit.
Dr. Sönmez serves as a reviewer for journals including Management Science, Operations Research, MSOM, POMS, EJOR, IEE Transactions, and OR Spectrum. He is the recipient of the William Larimer Mellon and Yasar High Academic Achievement fellowships.
Dr. Sönmez's personal webpage can be reached following this link: Personal webpage
Publications:
- Dynamic Volunteer Staffing in Multicrop Gleaning Operations (with Baris Ata and Deishin Lee), Operations Research, 2019, Volume 67, Number 2, pp 295-314
- An Analytical Throughput Approximation for Closed Fork/Join Networks (with Alan Scheller-Wolf, Nicola Secomandi), Informs Journal on Computing, 2017, Volume 29, Number 2, pp 251-267.
- Combining Two Wrongs to Make Two Rights: Mitigating Food Insecurity and Food Waste through Gleaning Operations (with Deishin Lee, Miguel Gomez and Xiaoli Fan), Food Policy, 2017, 68, 40-52.
- A Comprehensive Annual Delivery Program for Upstream Liquefied Natural Gas Supply Chains (with Fatih Mutlu, Mohamed Msakni, Hakan Yildiz and Shaligram Pokharel), European Journal of Operational Research, 2016, 250, 120-130 (research supported with NPRP award from Qatar National Research Fund).
- Improving Food Bank Gleaning Operations: An Application in New York State (with Deishin Lee, Miguel Gomez and Xiaoli Fan), American Journal of Agricultural Economics, 2016, 98 (2), 549-563.
- Strategic Analysis of Technology and Capacity Investments in the Liquefied Natural Gas Industry (with Sunder Kekre, Alan Scheller-Wolf, and Nicola Secomandi), European Journal of Operational Research, 2013, 226, 100 -114.
- Balancing Risk and Efficiency at a Major Commercial Bank (with Sunder Kekre, Nicola Secomandi and Kenneth West), Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, 2009, 11, 160-173.
Work in Progress:
Other Publications:
- There for the Picking (with Deishin Lee, Miguel Gomez, Xiaoli Fan, Lauire Caldwell, Natasha Thompson, and Melissa Knowles), Industrial and System Engineering Magazine, 2016, 48 (8), 26-30, Cover story and featured lead article.
Media Coverage:
Current Teaching:
- SCMA 444: Supply Chain Logistics Management
- SCMA 331: Operations and Supply Chain Management
Professional Experience:
- Visiting Assistant Professor of Administrative Sciences, Boston University, Metropolitan College, 2016-2017
- Assistant Professor of Operations Management, Boston College, Carroll School of Management, 2009-2016
Awards:
- Distinguished Research Award, College of Business, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 2019
- Nominated for Distinguished Teaching Award, College of Business,University of Nebraska-Lincoln (2017-2018, 2019-2020)
- William Larimer Mellon fellowship, Carnegie Mellon University
- Yasar High Academic Achievement fellowship, METU