Operations research, or at the time operational research, traces its origins back to WWII when it was first used to refer to the scientific research done by the Royal Air Force to integrate new radar technologies into their tactics.  By 1941, the term had expanded to encompass research done to assist military officers in developing tactics and planning combat operations.

Since then, applications of O.R. can be found in nearly every industry across the globe. Today, O.R. continues to play a vital role in our modern military, impacting strategy, logistics, personnel management and so much more.

In today’s episode I am joined by Shaun Doheney, a senior data and analytics strategy advisor for a large global company to discuss O.R. in the modern military as well as the unique skill sets our service members who specialize in O.R. bring when they transition to civilian life, some of the challenges they face, and some of the ways INFORMS can offer support!