Each year, I prepare a writeup on the Virtual Center for Supernetworks and its Center Associates and activities. It serves as a reflection to note specific highlights and accomplishments and also recognizes the wonderful community that we have built. In Fall 2026, we will be marking the 25th Anniversary of the Virtual Center for Supernetworks, a remarkable milestone.

It is important to recall that, just months after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, UMass Amherst and the Kyiv School of Economics (KSE) signed a series of MOUs, which led to a Virtual Scholar Program to reduce brain drain from Ukraine and also a student exchange. I continue to serve on the KSE International Academic Board and its Board of Directors and we have been supporting the global partnership with various activities, along with assistance from the UMass Amherst INFORMS Student Chapter. In February 2025, we organized, with Isenberg colleague Bogdan Prokopovych, a panel with 4 exchange students from Ukraine. In March 2025, we welcomed back the President of KSE to UMass Amherst, Tymofiy Mylovanov. We were delighted to host KSE Professor Oleh Nivievskyi in our Speaker Series in September 2025. Professor Oleh Nivievskyi is a renowned agricultural economist, and, along with him and KSE colleague Dr. Pavlo Martyshev, plus Doctoral Student Center Associate Dana Hassani, we have published multiple papers.

We were honored to co-organize the 2nd Virtual Conference on Ukraine in August 2025, with support from KTH in Stockholm, Sweden and with 3 Nobel Prize winners as keynoters.

Media coverage on our various activities and events can be found here.

Center Associates were very active in presenting their latest research at conferences, including the POMS Conference in Atlanta, the INFORMS Conference, also in Atlanta, the DSI Conference in Orlando, and the EURO Conference, marking the 50th anniversary of EURO, in Leeds, the United Kingdom. Center Associate Professor Dmytro Matsypura of the University of Sydney even presented at the International INFORMS Conference in Singapore. Slide decks of many of our presentations can be viewed here.

The INFORMS Annual Meeting in Atlanta, Georgia, in late October 2025, was especially meaningful, since I was humbled and deeply honored to receive the President's Award from the INFORMS President David Hunt there. Doctoral Student Center Associates: Dana Hassani, Ismael Pour, and Samira Samadi joined the award ceremony as did Center Associates Professors Deniz Besik of the University of Richmond and Ladimer S. Nagurney of the University of Hartford. More information here.

Also, the UMass Amherst INFORMS Student Chapter, which I have served as the Faculty Advisor of since 2004, was honored with the Cum Laude Award at the INFORMS Annual Meeting. It was great to have so many of our student members, and even an alum, celebrate with us!

Our research continues, and we are pleased that it attracts attention from the media. We aim to continue to do impactful work and are very grateful for our Center Associates, not just in the US, but in different countries (Professor Patrizia Daniele and Dr. Gabriella Colajanni in Italy, Professor Tina Wakolbinger in Austria, and Professor Dmytro Matsypura in Australia).

As always, we believe in developing and mentoring PhD students and congratulate both Ismael Pour and Samira Samisdat on their achievement of PhD Candidate status. A special shoutout to Dana Hassani, who received both the Operations and Information Management (OIM) Department Doctoral Student Research Award and the Isenberg one in 2025 (and he got these awards also in 2024). In addition, congratulations to Dana and Samira on their A level journal publications in 2025, in the journals Transportation Science and Journal of the Operational Research Society, respectively, recognized with an award by the OIM Department.

For some of our recent journal articles, please visit the Supernetwork Center website:

Wishing you a 2026 New Year with peace, good health, prosperity, and outstanding research.

December 2024 Congratulations and Kudos!

December 2023 Congratulations and Kudos!

December 2022 Congratulations and Kudos!

December 2021 Congratulations and Kudos!

December 2019 Congratulations and Kudos!

December 2018 Congratulations and Kudos!

December 2017 Congratulations and Kudos!

December 2016 Congratulations and Kudos!

December 2015 Congratulations and Kudos!

December 2014 Congratulations and Kudos!

December 2013 Congratulations and Kudos!

December 2012 Congratulations and Kudos!

December 2011 Congratulations and Kudos!

December 2010 Congratulations and Kudos!

December 2009 Congratulations and Kudos!

December 2007 Congratulations and Kudos!
 
December 2006 Congratulations and Kudos!

January 2006 Congratulations and Kudos!