Ram Narasimhan, University Distinguished Professor and John H. McConnell Professor of Business Administration in Supply Chain Management, has been elected president of the Decision Sciences Institute for the 2010-11 term. The Decision Sciences Institute (DSI) is a professional organization of academicians and practitioners interested in the application of quantitative and behavioral methods to the problems of society.

Currently, Narasimhan is a vice president of the 38-year-old organization and will become president-elect during 2008-09. His research interests include investigating dynamic interactions among quality, perceived quality, cost of quality, technology acquisition, pricing and promotion for durable goods; linkages between supply chain management and total quality management effectiveness, environmental auditing and decisions along the supply chain, strategic outsourcing and manufacturing flexibility, supply chain management strategies and cycle time reduction.

The Broad School has a tradition of leadership in the Decision Sciences Institute: Gary L. Ragatz, associate professor of Supply Chain Management, was president in 2004-05. Ragatz and Professors Kenneth Boyer, Tomas Hult, Cheri Speier and Srinivas Talluri are currently associate editors of Decision Sciences Journal. Paul A. Rubin, professor of Management, was named 2004 Decision Sciences Journal Best Associate Editor.