Mathematical Careers in Operations Research

Mathematics is an important part of the field of Operations Research. A mathematicians in this field uses his/her mathematical knowledge to improve the efficiency of business operations in our communities. By using models, he/she can represent certain problems which enables him/her to figure out the optimal, or close to optimal, solution to the problem with the aid of these models.

A mathematician of this type also depends on his knowledge of computer science, economics, and engineering skills. An Operations Researcher has joint degrees in these subject matters, so someone looking to go into this field should make sure to involve these areas into their education.

For information on programs using Operations Research at Temple University see the Management Science and Operations Management in the Fox School of Business.

Some informative descriptions of what the job of a mathematician in the field of Operations Research entails can be found from the following sources:

• A career booklet on Operations Research and Management Science that provides information on the WHAT, WHOw, Where and How of the profession.
   
• Click here for a look at an internet site, provided by the AMS, into the life of Kathleen Morrish, a program manager for the National Imagery and Mapping Agency (NIMA).
   
• Look at Fred L. Preston's job description as a Systems Engineer with AT&T Bell Laboratories in 101 Careers in Mathematics by Andrew Sterrett and published by The Mathematical Association of America. Washington, D.C. 1996.
   
• Click here for a description, provided by the AMS, of Peder A. Olsen's daily activities as a research staff member with Human Language Technology (HLT) group at IBM's T.J. Watson Research Center.
   
•  Introduction to Operations Research, by Frederick Hillier and Gerald Lieberman , published by McGraw-Hill, Inc. New York, 1995, is a textbook that gives you a wonderful understanding of the field of Operations Research, and it also provides various real-life examples.
   
• In 101 Careers in Mathematics by Andrew Sterrett and published by The Mathematical Association of America. Washington, D.C. 1996, you can read about M. Scott Elliott's job as an Operations Research Analyst at FedEx Corporation.
   
• Click on this internet site, provided by the AMS, to learn about William J. Browning's successful career as the president of Applied Mathematics, Inc., a technical consulting firm. There, he assists in developing custom software for real time decision systems.