Dr. Esma Gel

Dr. Esma Gel, the Engine’s first Scholar for the Future of Equality, guides our work on the Women’s Power and Influence Index and advances research on Engine-related initiatives.

Dr. Gel received her master’s and doctoral degrees from Northwestern University in 1995 and 1999, respectively.

She is Cynthia Hardin Milligan Chair of Business and Professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Department of Supply Chain Management and Analytics. Previously, she was a faculty member of Industrial Engineering at Arizona State University from 2000 to 2022.

Prof. Gel’s research focuses on stochastic modeling and control techniques for designing, controlling, and managing operations in various settings, including manufacturing, service systems, healthcare, pandemic operations, and resource management. Her work has been published in leading journals and medical journals like the British Medical Journal. Funding comes from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation, and industrial partners like Intel and Mayo Clinic.

Prof. Gel holds a B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering from Middle East Technical University, Turkey, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in Industrial Engineering from Northwestern University.