Lawrence M. Wein

Professor, Operations, Information & Technology
+1 (650) 724-1676
CV

Lawrence M. Wein

The Jeffrey S. Skoll Professor of Management Science

Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

Research Statement

Lawrence Wein has three main research interests: manufacturing, health care, and homeland security. Some of his scheduling research has been applied widely in the semiconductor industry. He has used mathematics to analyze treatment protocols for patients with HIV, cancer, and Alzheimer’s disease; the national transplant waiting list for kidneys; the selection of strains to include in the annual influenza vaccine and the design of proteins. His homeland security work concerns bioterrorism and border issues, and some of his recommendations have been adopted by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. His more recent work focuses on humanitarian issues, such as food allocation policies for malnutritioned children and improved verification policies for India's biometric identification program.

Bio

Wein received his PhD in operations research from Stanford in 1988 and has taught the core MBA course in operations management throughout his entire career, both at MIT’s Sloan School of Management from 1988 to 2002, where he was the DEC Leaders for Manufacturing Professor of Management Science, and at Stanford since 2002, where he is currently The Jeffrey S. Skoll Professor of Management Science. He also is a senior fellow at Stanford’s Center for International Security and Cooperation.

In manufacturing, health care, and homeland security, he has published widely and impacted practice. His HIV work on drug-switching policies led to a successful multicenter clinical trial. His smallpox work influenced the George W. Bush administration’s post-attack vaccination policy; his anthrax work led to plans in Washington, D.C., to use postal workers to distribute antibiotics after a large attack; and his testimony before a congressional committee on his biometric analysis of the US-VISIT Program was instrumental in the switch from a two-finger to a ten-finger system. He has won several research awards and was editor-in-chief of Operations Research from 2000 to 2005. He is a member of the National Academy of Engineering.

Academic Degrees

  • PhD, Stanford University, 1988
  • MS, Stanford University, 1985
  • MS, Stanford University, 1980
  • BS, Cornell University, 1979

Academic Appointments

  • Senior Fellow (by courtesy), Freeman-Institute for International Studies, 2003-present
  • Lacob Family Faculty Fellow, 2014–15
  • Stanford GSB Trust Faculty Fellow, 2013–14
  • Winnick Family Faculty Fellow, 2009–10
  • Paul E. Holden Professor of Management Science, 2003–10
  • Spence Faculty Fellow, 2005–06
  • At Stanford University since 2002
  • Professor, Sloan School of Management, M.I.T., 1988–2001

Professional Experience

  • Senior Operations Research Analyst, W.R. Grace and Company, 1981–82

Awards and Honors

  • Noteworthy Article, Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2022
  • Noteworthy Article, Journal of Forensic Sciences, 2018
  • Laudatio, Production and Operations Management, 2016
  • Koopman Prize, INFORMS, 2002
  • Erlang Prize, INFORMS, 1993

Publications

Journal Articles

Working Papers

Service to the Profession

  • Senior Editor: Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, 1998-2003

In the Media

Insights by Stanford Business

School News