Lawrence M. Wein

The Jeffrey S. Skoll Professor of Management Science
Lawrence M. Wein

Bio

Professor 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 during 2003-2019, where he is currently the Jeffrey S. Skoll Professor; Professor of Management Science and a Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. He also is a Senior Fellow at Stanford’s Center for International Security and Cooperation.

His main research interests are in operations management and public health. In both areas, he has published widely and impacted practice. His workload regulating release policy was widely adopted throughout the semiconductor industry. His HIV work on drug-switching policies led to a successful multicenter clinical trial. In the field of homeland security, his smallpox work influenced the U.S. Government’s post-attack vaccination policy; his anthrax work led to nationwide plans to use postal workers to distribute antibiotics after a large attack; his botulinum toxin work was influential in intensifying the heat pasteurization process for milk, 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. His primary current interest is on solving violent crimes, with a focus on ballistic imaging, sexual assault kits, and forensic investigative genetic genealogy. He has won many 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

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

Service to the Profession

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

    Professional Experience

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

    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.

    Journal Articles

    Jose H. Blanchet, Martin I. Reiman, Virag Shah, Lawrence M. Wein, Linjia Wu
    Operations Research, (early access)
    November 2022 Vol. 70 Issue 6 Pages 3355–3370
    Mine Su ErtĂĽrk, Colleen Fitzpatrick, Margaret Press, Lawrence M. Wein
    Journal of Forensic Sciences
    September 2022
    Abbas Kazerouni, Lawrence M. Wein
    Operations Research Letters
    May 2021 Vol. 49 Issue 3 Pages 365–371
    Kathy Leung, Joseph T. Wu, Kuang Xu, Lawrence M. Wein
    American Journal of Public Health
    August 2020 Vol. 110 Issue 8 Pages 1169–1170
    Zhengli Wang, Kevin MacMillan, Mark Powell, Lawrence M. Wein
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
    June 2020 Vol. 117 Issue 24 Pages 13,421–13,427
    Neal Master, Martin I. Reiman, Can Wang, Lawrence M. Wein
    Submitted for Publication
    2019
    Lawrence M. Wein, Can Wang
    Journal of Forensic Science
    July 2018 Vol. 63 Issue 4 Pages 1110-1121
    Can Wang, Mardy Beggs-Cassin, Lawrence M. Wein
    AFTE Journal
    2018 Vol. 50 Issue 3 Pages 175-178
    Can Wang , Mardy Beggs-Cassin, Lawrence M. Wein
    Journal of Forensic Sciences
    September 2017 Vol. 62 Issue 5 Pages 1188-1196
    Mericcan Usta, Lawrence M. Wein
    PLOS
    December 29, 2015 Vol. 10 Issue 12
    Abbas Kazerouni, Laura J. Burns, Lawrence M. Wein
    Microbiome
    December 17, 2015 Vol. 3(1) Issue 75
    Milinda Lakkam, Lawrence M. Wein
    Malaria Journal
    2015 Vol. 14 Issue 479
    Apaar Sadhwani, Yan Yang, Lawrence M. Wein
    PLoS ONE
    January 2014 Vol. 9 Issue 5
    Yan Yang, Jan Van den Broeck, Lawrence M. Wein
    Proceedings of the National Academy
    March 4, 2013
    Andrew M. Bradley, Lawrence M. Wein
    Advances in Space Research
    May 2009 Vol. 43 Issue 9 Pages 1372-1390
    Michael P. Atkinson, Zheng Su, Nina Alphey, Luke S. Alphey, Paul G. Coleman, Lawrence M. Wein
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
    May 14, 2007 Vol. 104 Issue 22 Pages 9540–9545
    Lawrence M. Wein, Yifan Liu
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
    July 2005 Vol. 102 Issue 28 Pages 9984–9989
    Lawrence M. Wein, David L. Craft, Edward H. Kaplan
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
    April 2003 Vol. 100 Issue 7 Pages 4346–4351
    Edward H. Kaplan, David L. Craft, Lawrence M. Wein
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
    2002 Vol. 99 Issue 16 Pages 10935-10940
    David M. Markowitz, Lawrence M. Wein
    Operations Research
    2001 Vol. 49 Issue 2 Pages 246-270
    Stefanos Zenios, Glenn M. Chertow, Lawrence M. Wein
    Operations Research
    2000 Vol. 48 Issue 4 Pages 549-569
    Lawrence M. Wein, Stefanos Zenios
    Operations Research
    July 1996 Vol. 44 Issue 4 Pages 543-569

    Working Papers

    Jose H. Blanchet, Martin I. Reiman, Virag Shah, Lawrence M. Wein, Linjia Wu December 7, 2020
    Lawrence M. Wein, Abbas Kazerouni 2016
    Alex Nikulkov, Christopher B. Barrett, Andrew G. Mude, Lawrence M. Wein November 10, 2015
    Lawrence M. Wein, Stefanos Zenios, Glenn Chertow 1999

    In the Media

    Insights by Stanford Business

    December 12, 2022
    A sampling of the big ideas and timely research produced by Stanford GSB faculty this year.
    September 14, 2022
    Solving crimes with forensic genetic genealogy is slow and complicated. A new mathematical analysis could crack cases 10 times faster.
    July 21, 2020
    A Stanford scholar has developed a more efficient way to test DNA samples in the hunt for sex offenders.
    July 02, 2019
    Escape the heat with books recommended by Stanford business professors.
    May 17, 2019
    Lawrence M. Wein finds that the benefits of testing outweigh the costs.
    February 16, 2018
    More than 400,000 sexual assault kits languish in storage. New research shows the impact of analyzing them.
    June 01, 2017
    Simple tweaks to how police process bullet casings could dramatically improve their forensic data.
    December 19, 2016
    Read 10 Stanford Business stories from the past year, including pieces on work-life balance, power, and management.
    August 30, 2016
    Stanford GSB professors suggest articles and books related to the concept of “equity.”
    March 18, 2016
    Solving the problem means putting convicted felons on the street. A scholar explains why that’s the right move.
    December 15, 2014
    Learn more about risk and other related topics.
    December 11, 2014
    From outer space to the boardroom, risk is all around us.
    October 16, 2014
    A professor tackles the most effective responses to some of the world’s most dangerous risks.
    August 28, 2014
    Two scholars say the likelihood of a major space junk collision is low for now, but space-faring nations need to take responsibility for ensuring it remains so.
    May 01, 2014
    A Stanford professor scrutinizes India’s epic biometric program.
    March 04, 2013
    A new study finds that a different approach to food-relief efforts in the developing world could save more lives.
    September 08, 2010
    A scholar looks at what to do in the event of a nuclear detonation.
    March 01, 2009
    Space debris is a big problem. Here's how to solve it.
    January 01, 2007
    Research explains how to eliminate the danger of dengue fever and other mosquito-borne diseases.
    June 01, 2005
    A scholar imagines the worst — and puts together mathematical models to help determine how best to prepare for it.
    September 01, 1997
    A Stanford GSB scholar devises an advanced model that allows inexpensive, accurate testing by pooling blood samples.

    School News

    May 15, 2011
    Seenu Srinivasan, Larry Wein, and David Kreps are appointed to new chairs.