Professor Dr. Phebe Vayanos

Biography

Phebe Vayanos is an Associate Professor in the Daniel J. Epstein Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Southern California. She serves as the Co-Director of the CAIS Center and the ORAI interdisciplinary PhD Program. Vayanos holds a PhD in Operations Research and has a distinct research focus on advancing integer, stochastic, and robust optimization, particularly in the intersection of machine learning and causal inference. Her work aims to design predictive and prescriptive models that are robust, interpretable, and fair, especially in high-stakes settings, impacting underrepresented and marginalized communities positively. Before joining USC, she was a lecturer at MIT Sloan School of Management and held a postdoctoral position at the MIT Operations Research Center. She has received several prestigious awards, including the NSF CAREER award and the USC Viterbi Junior Research Award, and she actively participates in committees related to operations research and artificial intelligence.

Research Interests

Experience

Awards