After her dedicated work at Cornell and Lehigh Universities, we’re excited to welcome Dr. Katya Scheinberg as she joins the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, as the Coca-Cola Foundation Chair and Professor.

Amid this significant chapter in her academic journey, Scheinberg was elected as the next Chair of the Mathematical Optimization Society (MOS). Known for her expertise in the field, Katya is driven by a desire to address critical issues within the community, particularly evolving the publication culture.

As the next Chair of MOS, she is aiming to enhance the structure and efficiency of the organization, potentially establishing more sustainable practices for organizing events like conferences and ensuring continuity in leadership initiatives. 

Upholding Research Excellence

Scheinberg’s passion for continuous optimization, and advocation for a comprehensive and balanced approach to evaluating research contributions, fuels her vision for a more supportive environment for early-career researchers. 

With ambitions to shift how academic contributions are valued, Katya is determined to tackle the growing pressures for young researchers to publish quickly, often at the expense of in-depth study and/or meaningful results. 

"I've seen students get frustrated by that and abandon one project after another just because it's not leading to a publication within a year, and thus fail to accumulate the necessary background and tool set.

By promoting a culture that values careful, thoughtful research and high-quality peer reviews, she believes this can foster a supportive environment for prospective researchers. 

The Path to ISyE 

In addition to her new role at MOS, Scheinberg is looking forward to learning new things, while promoting mentorship and collaboration as ISyE’s next Coca-Cola Foundation Chair.

Katya’s journey to this pivotal position was shaped by her rich academic background and experiences gathered along the way, including establishing robust research groups for students. 

Moving to Georgia Tech's Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISyE) department represented a new opportunity to continue this type of work on a larger scale – one she knows left a lasting impact on her colleagues and students.

“I’m hoping to mentor younger faculty – I’m excited for that and eager to co-supervise students with the possibilities to build a research group.”

ISyE's supportive environment became the perfect setting to nurture her diverse interests and initiatives, which further solidified her desire to move to Atlanta. 

In the midst of celebrating her own transition, it’s noteworthy that this move also supports her husband, Dr. Oktay Günlük, who additionally will be joining ISyE as the Gary C. Butler Family Professor. 

Günlük brings an abundance of knowledge from his previous roles at Cornell University, and IBM Research, where he led significant projects in mathematical optimization and grew his expertise in integer programming. 

When discussing the opportunity, Scheinberg cited that the department’s legendary reputation, welcoming atmosphere, and overall benefit to their family, confirmed the decision to start a new chapter with ISyE.

"The welcome we got from everybody at ISyE and specifically the School Chair, Edwin Romeijn... the whole process of recruiting us was very welcoming and encouraging."

This next chapter for both Katya and Oktay marks a promising start for the ISyE community, where their combined expertise will undoubtedly drive innovative research and collaborative success.

With Scheinberg’s leadership in the Mathematical Optimization Society and her new role at Georgia Tech, she is set to inspire and mentor the next generation of researchers.

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Author: Camille Carpenter, Communications Manager