Brenda L. Dietrich
Brenda Dietrich | |
|---|---|
| Born | Brenda Lynn Jorgensen Dietrich |
| Alma mater | University of North Carolina (B.A. Mathematics), Cornell University (Ph.D. Operations Research) |
| Occupation(s) | Operations researcher, professor |
| Known for | Vice President for Business Analytics and Mathematical Sciences at IBM, President of INFORMS, Arthur and Helen Geoffrion Professor of Practice at Cornell University |
| Awards | IBM Fellow (2007), Fellow of INFORMS (2010), INFORMS WORMS Award (2010), INFORMS President's Award (2021), National Academy of Engineering member (2014) |
Brenda Lynn Jorgensen Dietrich is a distinguished American expert in operations research and holds the title of Arthur and Helen Geoffrion Professor of Practice within the School of Operations Research at Cornell University. She has held the position of Vice President for Business Analytics and Mathematical Sciences at IBM and has also led INFORMS as its president.
Education and career
Dietrich completed her undergraduate studies in mathematics at the University of North Carolina in 1980, earning highest honors and induction into Phi Beta Kappa. She began her graduate education in mathematics at Cornell University, but after an internship with the United States Department of Energy, she transitioned to operations research. Her doctoral degree was awarded in 1986, with a dissertation on combinatorial dualities under the mentorship of Robert G. Bland.
During her graduate years, Dietrich started her career at IBM's Thomas J. Watson Research Center. She served as the president of INFORMS in 2006 and was promoted to vice president at IBM in 2008. In 2017, she accepted a faculty position at Cornell, becoming the Geoffrion Professor.
Books
Dietrich is co-author of Analytics Across the Enterprise: How IBM Realizes Business Value from Big Data and Analytics (IBM Press, 2014), alongside Emily C. Plachy and Maureen F. Norton. Additionally, she co-edited Mathematics of the Internet: E-Auction and Markets (Springer, 2002) with Rakesh V. Vohra.
Recognition
In 2007, Dietrich was honored as an IBM Fellow, followed by her election as a Fellow of INFORMS in 2010. That same year, she received the INFORMS WORMS Award for her efforts to promote women in operations research. She was also awarded the INFORMS President's Award in 2021. Her election to the National Academy of Engineering in 2014 recognized her significant contributions to developing engineering algorithms and tools that solve complex business challenges.