Rubén A. Proano

Title

Associate Professor and Graduate Director, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Rochester Institute of Technology

Education

  • Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • M.S. in Industrial Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • B.S. in Industrial Engineering, Universidad San Francisco de Quito

Professional Experience

  • Rochester Institute of Technology, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering
    • Graduate Director, 2023 - present
    • Associate Professor, 2015 - present
    • Assistant Professor, 2008 - 2015
  • World Health Organization, Technical Advisory Group for Market Access for Vaccines
    • Member, 2024 - present
  • UNICEF Supply Division, Vaccine Center
    • Visiting Consultant, 2019

Selected INFORMS and Related Activities - Member since 2007

  • Strategic Planning Committee
    • Member, 2024 - present
  • Job Market Showcase
    • Cluster-Co-Chair, 2025
  • Professional and Recognitions Committee
    • Member, 2025
  • Minorities Issues Forum (MIF)
    • Undergraduate student workshop co-organizer, 2021 - 2025
    • Student poster competition judge, 2020 - 2022
    • President, 2020 - 2021
    • Vice-President, 2017 - 2019
  • Diversity Equity and Inclusion Committee (DEIC)
    • Judge student paper competition, 2023
    • Research subcommittee member 2023
    • Teaching sub-committee member, 2022
    • Member, 2017 - 2019
  • INFORMS Healthcare Conference
    • Cluster chair, 2021
  • INFORMS Nominating Committee
    • Member, 2022, 2023
  • Ad Hoc Committee on Diversity and Timeliness
    • Member, 2022
  • INFORMS Undergraduate Scholarship Committee
    • Chair, 2022
    • Member, 2021
  • INFORMS HAS Pierskalla Paper Award
    • Judge, 2021, 2022
  • Volunteer Service Award Committee
    • Chair, 2017
    • Member, 2016
  • Doing Good with Good OR Award Committee
    • Chair, 2014
    • Member, 2013 - 2015
  • INFORMS Annual Meetings
    • Session Chair 2008, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2022
  • ALIO-INFORMS
    • Session Chair, 2010

Selected Professional Honors and Awards

  • MIF Fellow, 2025
  • INFORMS Senior Member, 2023
  • Nominated to the RIT Eisenhart Outstanding Teaching Award, 2010, 2012, 2017, 2023
  • Excellence in Teaching Award, ISE RIT, 2011, 2016
  • INFORMS Journal of Computing Meritorious Reviewer Award, 2021.

Candidate Statement

I look forward to the opportunity to serve the INFORMS community as Vice President of Education and to contribute to an organization that serves as the main professional home for so many of us. I am one of many members who find meaning in being part of a volunteer community committed to making the "science of better" more accessible across disciplines and sectors. INFORMS is where we build new relationships, strengthen existing ones, exchange ideas, and advance the practice and impact of operations research, management science, and analytics.

I am seeking the VP of Education role to help lead conversations and efforts on how ORMS and Analytics education should evolve in the AI era. Our community has an opportunity – and a responsibility – to clarify both the unique contributions of ORMS to AI and the ways ORMS can complement and strengthen AI-enabled decision-making. These contributions should be reflected in how we design curricula, prepare students, and develop educational experiences across academic and professional settings. We need to actively use educational innovation to position ORMS within AI and help those outside our community understand who we are.

INFORMS members continuously innovate in education, yet we do not always share those innovations broadly or translate them efficiently across institutions and sectors. As VP of Education, I would work to strengthen mechanisms for exchanging educational practices, connecting educators and practitioners, and building stronger feedback loops between universities and industry. If we want ORMS to expand its influence in AI and be recognized in the AI space, then we must also evolve how we communicate our discipline and prepare the next generation of decision scientists and professionals. INFORMS needs to establish incentives that encourage members to share stories, their work, and their experiences in this space.

I also believe INFORMS can play a larger role in supporting lifelong learning. Industry professionals increasingly need opportunities to update technical skills, gain cross-disciplinary training, and navigate changing career paths. INFORMS can become a central hub that supports continuous learning and professional growth throughout every stage of a career in decision sciences.

Finally, INFORMS, we must continue to make the science of better more accessible and visible to younger generations. INFORMS should recognize and reward efforts that introduce students to our discipline earlier, broaden participation, and inspire them as future professionals – including pre-college students and individuals pursuing new career pathways.

Education is the most powerful way to shape perceptions and the future of our field. I would welcome the opportunity to help INFORMS leverage its members' instructional talents to strengthen its mission.

For more information, please visit: https://www.rit.edu/directory/rpmeie-ruben-proano