Laura Albert

Background

About Laura Albert

Dr. Laura A. Albert is a Professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, whose expertise lies in the application of operations research methodologies to important societal challenges in homeland security, public safety, critical infrastructure protection, and election resilience. A prolific and influential scholar, her research is published in numerous top-tier academic journals. She is an elected Fellow of three societies: the American Association for the Advancement of Science the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), and the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE). Her research has been honored with a Fulbright Award, a National Science Foundation (NSF) CAREER Award, and the INFORMS Impact Prize, an Army Young Investigator Award, and several best paper awards. As a sought-after speaker, she has delivered 32 keynote addresses and distinguished talks at events worldwide.Prof. Albert is a recognized leader in the global operations research and industrial and systems engineering communities. She served as the 2023 President of INFORMS. She spearheaded the founding of Industrial and Systems Engineering Day to increase awareness of industrial engineering, celebrated annually on September 14.From 2021-24, Prof. Albert served as the David H. Gustafson Department Chair of Industrial & Systems Engineering, when she led the department to remarkable growth, including a rise to 6th place in the US News national graduate program rankings, a 53% increase in research expenditures, and numerous faculty awards and recognition. Prof. Albert also served as the inaugural Assistant Dean for Graduate Affairs for the UW-Madison College of Engineering from 2017 to 2019, where she established evidence-based programs to enhance the graduate student experience, including an annual assessment program for graduate students.Prof. Albert is a prominent voice in public engagement. She is a frequent contributor to national conversations, having published 11 op-eds in national outlets and made over 100 media appearances. She is the author of two popular engineering blogs,"Punk Rock Operations Research" and "Badger Bracketology". Her ability to bridge the gap between technical research and public understanding is a hallmark of her career.