Senior Associate Chair and
Manhattan Associates/Dabbiere Chair and
Professor
Education
- Ph.D. Industrial Engineering & Operations Research (2000), University of California, Berkeley
- B.S.Eng. Civil Engineering & Operations Research, Summa Cum Laude (1993), Princeton University
Expertise
- Logistics
- Transportation
- Operations Research
About
Alan Erera is a Manhattan Associates/Dabbiere Chair and Senior Associate Chair in the H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Georgia Tech. He is also the faculty director for the M.S. in Supply Chain Engineering program and Co-Executive Director of the Georgia Tech Panama Logistics Innovation & Research Center. In his role as Senior Associate Chair, Dr. Erera works directly with the school chair to coordinate the faculty search process, to manage the development of the school strategic plan and the implementation of strategic initiatives, to coordinate the industry partnership program, and to assist in the management of the school's financial and infrastructure resources.
Dr. Erera is the former president of the INFORMS Transportation Science and Logistics Society and an active Senior Member of INFORMS. He is an Associate Editor for IISE Transactions in the Supply Chain and Logistics Focused Issue.
Prior to joining Georgia Tech, Dr. Erera worked as a software developer and deployment consultant for the freight transportation industry. He received his B.S. Eng. from Princeton University, and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley.
Research
Dr. Erera's research focuses on transportation and logistics systems planning and control, with an emphasis on planning under uncertainty and real-time operational control. He is the Logistics and Supply Chain Thrust co-lead for the NSF AI4OPT research center and the Distribution and Transportation Logistics research thread lead for the GT Supply Chain and Logistics Institute. His research program has been supported by federal agencies (DHS, USDOT, NSF) and major U.S. freight carriers and manufacturing firms including UPS, The Home Depot, Michelin, Grubhub, and many others.
His recent work has addressed dynamic vehicle routing systems for same-day distribution; resilient logistics network design for food supply chains; service network design, linehaul equipment management, and driver scheduling for consolidation freight carriers; robust container fleet management for global shipping companies; and robust and flexible vehicle routing system planning and control for distribution companies. He has written extensively in these subject areas, and has delivered over 100 technical presentations and invited lectures.
Teaching
Dr. Erera's teaching focuses on core industrial and systems engineering courses at both undergraduate and graduate levels, emphasizing supply chain engineering and transportation logistics. His instruction incorporates quantitative modeling and problem-solving techniques to prepare students for complex real-world challenges. Dr. Erera actively engages students in applying analytical methods relevant to supply chain and logistics systems through a student-centered problem-based learning approach.
Awards and Honors
- TSL Best Paper Award, 2024
- First place in the Transportation Science Section, INFORMS Dissertation Prize Competition 2001
- Dwight D. Eisenhower Fellowship for Graduate Study in Transportation 1997 - 2000
- Berkeley Fellowship for Graduate Study 1995 - 1998
Representative Publications
- L. Greening, J. Park, M. Dahan, A.L. Erera, and B. Montreuil, “Integrating Order-to-Delivery Time Sensitivity in E-Commerce Middle-Mile Consolidation Network Design,” accepted for publication, IISE Transactions, 2025.
- D. Banerjee, A.L. Erera, and A. Toriello, “On Linear Threshold Policies for Continuous-time Dynamic Yield Management,” Operations Research Letters, vol. 59, 107245, doi.org/10.1016/j.orl.2025.107245, 2025.
- R. Ojha, W. Chen, H. Zhang, R. Khir, A.L. Erera, and P. Van Hentenryck, “Outbound Load Planning in Parcel Delivery Service Networks Using Machine Learning and Optimization,” Transportation Science, vol. 59, pp. 1057-1075, doi.org/10.1287/trsc.2024.0672, 2025.
- D. Banerjee, A.L. Erera, and A. Toriello, “Pricing and Demand Management for Integrated Same-day and Next-day Delivery Systems,” Transportation Science, vol. 59, pp. 279-300, doi.org/10.1287/trsc.2023.0381, 2025.
- R. Ojha and A.L. Erera, “Cross-Dock Trailer Scheduling with Workforce Constraints: A Dynamic Discretization Discovery Approach,” Transportation Science, vol. 59, pp. 165-186, doi.org/10.1287/trsc.2023.0406, 2025.
- R. Auad, A.L. Erera, and M.W.P. Saveslbergh, “Capacity Requirements and Demand Management Strategies in Meal Delivery,” EURO Journal on Transportation and Logistics, vol. 13, 100135, doi.org/10.1016/j.ejtl.2024.100135, 2024.
- R. Auad, A.L. Erera, and M.W.P. Savelsbergh, “Dynamic Courier Capacity Acquisition in Rapid Delivery Systems: a Deep Q-learning Approach,” Transportation Science, vol. 58, pp. 67-93, 2024.
- L. Greening, M. Dahan, and A.L. Erera, “Lead-Time-Constrained Middle Mile Consolidation Network Design with Fixed Origins and Destinations,” Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, vol. 174, 102782, doi.org/10.1016/j.trb.2023.102782, 2023.
- D. Banerjee, A.L. Erera, A. Stroh, and A. Toriello, “Who Has Access to E-Commerce and When? Time-Varying Service Regions in Same-Day Delivery,” Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, vol. 170, pp. 148-168, 2023.
- R. Auad, A.L. Erera, and M.W.P. Savelsbergh, “Courier Satisfaction in Rapid Delivery Systems using Dynamic Operating Regions,” Omega, vol. 121, 102917, doi.org/10.1016/j.omega.2023.102917, 2023.
- I. Bakir, A.L. Erera, and M.W.P. Savelsbergh, “A Robust Rolling Horizon Framework for Empty Repositioning,” Transportation Research Part C: Emerging Technologies, vol. 144, 103903, doi.org/10.1016/j.trc.2022.103903, 2022.