Postdoctoral Scholar-Fixed Term
About The Position
The Department of Supply Chain Management in Michigan State University’s Eli Broad College of Business is hiring a postdoctoral scholar in logistics, transportation, and food supply chains. The role is based in the interdisciplinary Food Access & Supply Chain Technology (FAST) Lab, which develops evidence-based solutions for logistics, food systems, and supply chain resilience in partnership with industry, government, and nonprofit organizations. The research combines analytical modeling, optimization, machine learning, econometrics, field studies, and engagement with practitioners. The successful candidate will contribute to a USDA-funded project developing a producer-facing transportation decision-support system. The system will help agricultural producers compare transportation alternatives based on crops, volumes, distances, and cold-chain requirements, and evaluate emerging transportation strategies. The scholar will work primarily with Dr. Stanley Lim and Dr. Adrian Choo and collaborate with graduate students, partner organizations, and USDA researchers. The position offers opportunities to participate in externally funded research, publish in leading operations management and supply chain journals, collaborate across Michigan State University, access empirical datasets and stakeholder networks, mentor graduate students, contribute to grant proposals, and develop an independent research portfolio for an academic or industry research career. The appointment is for one year, beginning in October or November 2026, with a negotiable start date and possible extension depending on performance and funding. Appointment is contingent on completing the Ph.D. by the start date and obtaining appropriate U.S. employment authorization. The position is remote-friendly, with remote work arranged by mutual agreement.
Requirements
- Ph.D. in Operations Management, Management Science, Operations Research, Industrial Engineering, Computer Science, Economics, Applied Mathematics, or a related discipline, completed by the start of the appointment.
- Demonstrated expertise in mathematical modeling, optimization, transportation/logistics research, or data analytics.
- Strong programming skills, such as Python or R.
- Evidence of high-quality research.
- Excellent written and oral communication skills.
- Ability to work collaboratively in an interdisciplinary research environment.
- Appropriate U.S. employment authorization.
Nice To Haves
- Experience with optimization software such as Gurobi or CPLEX.
- Experience with causal inference, econometrics, statistical learning, or machine learning.
- Experience developing decision-support systems or software applications.
- Interest in agricultural supply chains or food systems.
Responsibilities
- Design and conduct mixed-methods research, including surveys, interviews, and focus groups.
- Develop transportation cost models and decision-support algorithms.
- Analyze primary and secondary datasets using econometric, statistical, and computational methods.
- Translate research findings into a producer-facing mobile decision-support application.
- Prepare journal manuscripts, conference presentations, technical reports, and grant proposals.
- Collaborate with producers, food hubs, logistics providers, government agencies, and other project partners.
- Present research at academic conferences and project meetings.
- Mentor graduate and undergraduate research assistants.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Entry Level
Education Level
Ph.D. or professional degree
