I completed my undergraduate degree in engineering and computer science at the University of Auckland (New Zealand) in 2017. It felt natural to apply to the ORC PhD program after reflecting on my favorite aspects of undergraduate study — an ML research project in healthcare, and enjoyable classes taken in operations research and optimization. The friendly atmosphere created by the ORC students during the open day was the cherry on top.

I graduated with my PhD in June 2023 after five years working with my co-advisors, Professors Patrick Jaillet and Nikos Trichakis. My thesis focused on modeling and optimizing allocation systems being operated by central authorities to distribute scarce resources — for example, a system that distributes public housing to residents who require it. I had the opportunity to work on both the theoretical (developing new mathematical models) and practical (analyzing real-life data sets).

The program took me on a journey from a fresh-faced graduate with little idea of how to do research, all the way to a much more confident scientist. My technical skills doubled (or tripled (or more)) thanks to the rigorous MIT coursework, and my advisors encouraged me to become independent by thinking about how to formulate and modify research questions. Along the way, the diverse student body from around the globe taught me many things about myself and the world.

To any prospective students: operations research is a field where you can scratch an itch for theoretical and practical research at the same time, and the ORC is truly an excellent place to do it.