Azam Boskabadi: Onboard as a New Management Operations Faculty Member
By Sue McMurray
Azam Boskabadi has been on a fast track toward success since her elementary school days in Tehran. The operations management scholar grew up not only exceling in academics, but in sports and the arts as well.
“Being a successful person in multiple fields has always been my life goal,” says Boskabadi, a new faculty member in the Department of Finance and Management Science. “When I took part in the nationwide entrance exam, I wanted to pursue my education and future career in a field that was not only one of the most challenging majors in the world, but also involved management, teamwork, and problem solving skills.”
“We are very happy to have Dr. Boskabadi join our faculty. She has a promising research agenda and brings a unique and valuable perspective to our data analytics courses,” says David Whidbee, chair of the finance and management science department. “She is also a wonderful colleague. She joined us during a very challenging time, but has adapted to the challenges exceptionally well. She has a promising future here.”
Passion and drive create early entryway into industry
Boskabadi studied operations and management engineering at the University of Tehran and quickly became ranked among the top three students in her undergraduate program. Industry professionals noticed her drive and passion as a student, and she was offered a position with RAJA Passenger Trains analyzing passenger train operations in Iran’s railway network. Later, she worked for Iran Railway Company, participating in several projects to solve complex, nationwide problems related to train schedules, locomotive operations, and passenger train delays.
“My job experience showed me how higher education might help me in solving complex, real-world problems,” she says. “All of those endeavors made my life exciting and rewarding.”
Her next stop: earning a master’s in industrial engineering at the University of Tehran and a doctorate in industrial, manufacturing, and systems engineering at the University of Texas, Arlington. The five-year position provided extensive teaching and research experience including topics involving mathematical modeling, operations research, multi criteria decision making problems, supply chain network design, and block chain. In addition, she published several papers in conferences and journals on a variety of operations research, operation management, and decision analysis topics.
WSU: an ideal place to excel her skills
After graduating from the University of Texas in August 2020, Boskabadi started her new position in the operation management track in the Carson College Department of Finance and Management Science, where she teaches business analytics courses and conducts research in the management science field. The most rewarding thing about the field is finding ways to optimize the intersections among companies, businesses, and humans, she says.
“I am very excited about the academic environment at Washington State University,” she says. “It is an ideal place for me to excel my skills.”