Scott J. Mason

Title

  • Senior Principal Scientist, Amazon

Education

  • Ph.D., Industrial Engineering, Arizona State University, Advisor: John Fowler, 2000.
  • MSE Operations Research, University of Texas-Austin, Advisor: Paul Jensen, 1995.
  • B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, University of Texas-Austin, 1993.

Professional Experience

  • Senior Principal Scientist, Middle Mile Science, Amazon, 2024–Present
  • Principal Scientist, Sort Tech Science, Amazon, 2020–2024
  • Principal Scientist, Supply Chain Optimization Technologies, Amazon, 2017–2018
  • Fluor Endowed Chair in Supply Chain Optimization & Logistics; Professor of Industrial Engineering, Clemson University, 2010–2020
  • Associate Department Head, Industrial Engineering, University of Arkansas, 2004–2010
  • Assistant/Associate Professor of Industrial Engineering, University of Arkansas, 2000–2010

Selected INFORMS and Related Activities – Member since 1999

Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences Annual Conference

Session Chair, 1999, 2007, 2009–2010

Panelist, Future Academician Colloquium, 2008

Judge, Seth Bonder Scholarship for Applied Operations Research in Military Applications, 2010

Co-Chair, Invited Sessions, 2011–2013

Co-Chair, Contributed Sessions, 2016, 2024

Graduate Student Mentor, 2024–Present

Co-Chair, INFORMS Ad Hoc Committee on Collaborative Chapter Regional Conferences, 2025

Invited Session Chair, 2025

Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers

Senior Vice President, Continuing Education, 2015–2018

Technical Vice President, Technical Networking, 2007–2009

President, Operations Research Division, 2005–2006

Industrial and Systems Engineering Research Conference

Session Chair, 2002–2010

Operations Research Track Chair, 2005

Co-Coordinator, New Faculty Colloquium, 2005

Program Co-Chair, 2008

Tutorials Track Co-Chair, 2009

Invited Session Organizer, 2010

Presenter, Combined Faculty and Doctoral Colloquium, 2014–2016, New Faculty Colloquium, 2012, 2013, Doctoral Colloquium, 2013

Selected Professional Honors and Awards

  • Senior Member, INFORMS
  • Fellow, Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers

Selected National Service Activities

  • Associate Editor, IEEE Transactions on Components, Packaging, and Manufacturing Technology, 2011–2014
  • Associate Editor, IEEE Transactions on Electronics Packaging Manufacturing, 2007–2010

Selected Publications

  • Margolis, J.T., Song, Y., Mason, S.J., 2022, “A multi-vehicle covering tour problem with speed optimization,” Networks, 79 (2), 119–142.
  • Please visit here for a full listing of 124 publications.

Candidate Statement

After attending my first INFORMS conference in Dallas in 1998, I've been serving INFORMS meetings since 1999, when I first chaired a session as a PhD student. Over 25 years, that service has expanded through every layer of conference work: session organizer, cluster chair, contributed and invited sessions co-chair, conference scheduler, poster judge, graduate student mentor, and most recently co-chair of the INFORMS Ad Hoc Committee on Collaborative Chapter Regional Conferences. I know how meetings work – from the logistics of scheduling and site selection to the substance of what brings members back year after year.

My career spans 20 years in academia – including an endowed chair and associate department head role – and now six years in industry as a Senior Principal Scientist at Amazon. This gives me firsthand understanding of what researchers need from an Annual Meeting, what practitioners seek from an Analytics Conference, and where those interests converge. My parallel leadership in the Institute for Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE) – as Senior VP of Continuing Education, Program Co-Chair of the IISE Annual Conference, and now Fellow – has given me board-level experience overseeing meeting strategy, finances, and program development at national and international scale, including contributions to IFORS and INFORMS International conferences.

As our conference continues to grow, so does our responsibility to serve the full breadth of our membership. Students – at the BS, MS, and PhD levels – are the future of our profession, and INFORMS meetings are uniquely positioned as a venue where graduating students connect with companies seeking OR and analytics talent, and where employers find their next generation of hires. Balancing the needs of students, academics, and practitioners as we scale is essential to sustaining the conference's value as both an intellectual forum and a career marketplace. We must also give industrial practitioners a compelling reason to attend. My own career change from academia to industry six years ago gives me a unique lens on what drives practitioner value.

If elected, I will bring operational rigor to budget planning and financial oversight. I will champion strategic site selection balancing member convenience, cost, and geographic diversity. I will work with chapters and subdivisions to expand regional conference access, and I will pursue co-sponsorship opportunities that elevate our field's international visibility. I pledge to be a board member who is representative of – one who ensures that the views, interests, and opinions of the constituencies I know best are fully on the table in every conversation. I will voice the perspectives of academics, practitioners, and students alike. And when it comes time to vote, I will act on behalf of the best interests of the organization as a whole.

I approach this role as a servant leader. Service to one's professional society is simply the right thing to do – I believe my past efforts demonstrate that I always walk the talk. Thank you for your consideration.

For more information, please visit: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drscottjmason/