Julie Simmons Ivy

Additional Title(s)

• Edgar S. Woolard Professor Emerita of the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at North Carolina (NC) State University

Julie Simmons Ivy, PhD, is a Professor and Chair of the Department of Industrial and Operations Engineering at the University of Michigan. Dr. Ivy is also the Edgar S. Woolard Professor Emerita of the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at North Carolina (NC) State University. She has extensive background in decision making under conditions of uncertainty using stochastic and statistical modeling. She joined the University of Michigan College of Engineering faculty after 16 years on the NC State faculty and several years on the faculty of the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. Dr. Ivy received her BS and PhD in Industrial and Operations Engineering from the University of Michigan. She also received her MS in Industrial and Systems Engineering from Georgia Tech.

Dr. Ivy’s research seeks to model complex interactions and quantitatively capture the impact of different factors, objectives, system dynamics, intervention options and policies on outcomes with the goal of improving decision quality. In particular, Dr. Ivy develops and applies systems science methods, including the analysis and modeling of large data sets, simulation modeling, decision theory and stochastic modeling including Markov decision processes and partially observable Markov decision processes, to improve hunger relief and health decision making. This research has made an impact on how researchers and practitioners address complex societal issues, such as health disparities, public health preparedness, hunger relief, student performance and personalized medical decision-making and has been funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Science Foundations, and National Institutes of Health.

Dr. Ivy is an active member of the Institute of Operations Research and Management Science (INFORMS), Dr. Ivy served as the 2007 Chair (President) of the INFORMS Health Applications Society and the 2012-13 President for the INFORMS Minority Issues Forum. Dr. Ivy was elected as a 2022 INFORMS Fellow and as a 2023 Institute of Industrial & Systems Engineers (IISE) Fellow. In February 2023, Dr. Ivy was nominated to the National Academies Board on Mathematical Sciences and Analytics (BMSA).

Dr. Ivy’s service has focused on empowering women of color and underrepresented minorities in industrial engineering (IE), operations research (OR), and science, technology, engineering, and mathmatics (STEM) through INFORMS Minority Issues Forum (MIF), NSF ADVANCE grants, and various workshops supporting the professional development of minority graduate students, faculty and working professionals over the past 25 years. She was selected as an inaugural INFORMS 2021 MIF Fellow and as a 2020 and 2021 INFORMS diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) Ambassador. She received the INFORMS 2020 WORMS Award for the Advancement of Women in OR/MS.

Dr. Ivy has various academic administrative roles. She served as the inaugural Director of the Masters of Engineering Management (MEM) program, a growing premium tuition program revamped in 2021. She led efforts to expand and restart a joint degree with the NC State Colleges of Engineering and Management, in the area of Engineering Management. Dr. Ivy also directed the ISE Health Systems Engineering (HSE) certificate program since 2016. The HSE program prepares ISE students for careers in healthcare by teaching students to utilize their ISE tools to address complex problems in healthcare delivery and has resulted in more than 70 students who have partnered with health organizations. In addition, Dr. Ivy chaired the 2022-23 NC State College of Engineering Reappointment, Promotion and Tenure Committee. Most recently, Dr. Ivy was one of 35 women selected for the 2022 BRIDGES Academic Leadership Program. After completion of the program, she was elected to represent her class on the 2023 BRIDGES Advisory Board for a three-year term.