# Stephen C. Graves
Stephen C. Graves (born 1951) is an operations management scholar at the [Massachusetts Institute of Technology](https://www.edgepedia.org/massachusetts-institute-of-technology), where he is the Abraham J. Siegel Professor of Management and Professor Post Tenure at the [MIT Sloan School of Management](https://www.edgepedia.org/mit-sloan-school-of-management), with a joint appointment in the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and a member of the National Academy of Engineering.[1](https://mitsloan.mit.edu/sites/default/files/faculty-cv/2020/05/11/faculty-cv41387.pdf) • [2](https://mitmgmtfaculty.mit.edu/sgraves/about/) His work applies operations research models to manufacturing systems, supply chains, and service operations, including strategic inventory positioning and the design of order fulfillment centers.[3](https://idss.mit.edu/staff/stephen-graves/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Current title | Abraham J. Siegel Professor of Management and Professor Post Tenure, MIT Sloan; joint professor of Mechanical Engineering[2](https://mitmgmtfaculty.mit.edu/sgraves/about/) |
| MIT tenure | Faculty member at MIT Sloan since 1977, roughly five decades[2](https://mitmgmtfaculty.mit.edu/sgraves/about/) |
| Education | A.B. (1973) and M.B.A. (1974), Dartmouth College; M.S. (1976), and Ph.D. (1977) in operations research, University of Rochester[1](https://mitsloan.mit.edu/sites/default/files/faculty-cv/2020/05/11/faculty-cv41387.pdf) |
| Output | Over 80 refereed papers and two co-edited Handbooks in Operations Research and Management Science volumes[2](https://mitmgmtfaculty.mit.edu/sgraves/about/) |
| Major honors | NAE member; INFORMS, MSOM, and POMS Fellow; MSOM Distinguished Service Award (2012)[1](https://mitsloan.mit.edu/sites/default/files/faculty-cv/2020/05/11/faculty-cv41387.pdf) • [2](https://mitmgmtfaculty.mit.edu/sgraves/about/) |
| Industry reach | Research projects with Amazon, Intel, General Motors, Boeing, Samsung, and others; advisor to Optiant and Invistics; chief science advisor to JDA Software[2](https://mitmgmtfaculty.mit.edu/sgraves/about/) |
| Field leadership | Deputy dean of MIT Sloan (1990–1993); Chair of the MIT Faculty (2001–2003)[2](https://mitmgmtfaculty.mit.edu/sgraves/about/) |
## Education and career path
Graves earned an A.B. in 1973 and an M.B.A. in 1974 from [Dartmouth College](https://www.edgepedia.org/dartmouth-college), then moved to the [University of Rochester](https://www.edgepedia.org/university-of-rochester) for an M.S. (1976) and a Ph.D. in operations research (1977). His doctoral thesis was titled The Multiproduct Production Cycling Problem for Stochastic Demand and Finite Production Capacity.[1](https://mitsloan.mit.edu/sites/default/files/faculty-cv/2020/05/11/faculty-cv41387.pdf)
He joined MIT Sloan as an assistant professor in July 1977 and became a full professor in July 1987. He served as deputy dean of MIT Sloan from 1990 to 1993, was co-director of the Leaders for Manufacturing program (now Leaders for Global Operations) in 1989–1990 and 1994–2001, and co-directed the System Design and [Management](https://www.edgepedia.org/management) program from 1999 to 2001. He chaired the MIT Faculty for the 2001–2003 term, became the Abraham J. Siegel Professor of Management in October 1995, took a joint professorship in Mechanical Engineering in 2005, and was interim director of the Engineering Systems Division from September 2012 to December 2013.[1](https://mitsloan.mit.edu/sites/default/files/faculty-cv/2020/05/11/faculty-cv41387.pdf) • [2](https://mitmgmtfaculty.mit.edu/sgraves/about/) • [3](https://idss.mit.edu/staff/stephen-graves/) He is also a faculty affiliate of the Engineering System and Design pillar at the Singapore University of Technology and Design and of the MIT Operations Research Center.[2](https://mitmgmtfaculty.mit.edu/sgraves/about/) • [3](https://idss.mit.edu/staff/stephen-graves/)
## Research and contributions
Graves's research develops and applies operations research models to manufacturing systems, supply chains, and service operations. Documented project areas include strategic inventory positioning in a supply chain, meaning where in a multi-stage supply chain to hold safety stock, and optimizing the design and configuration of an order fulfillment center.[3](https://idss.mit.edu/staff/stephen-graves/) His Google Scholar profile lists his subject areas as operations management, supply chains, manufacturing systems, and supply chain management, and includes the paper "A review of safety stock placement".[4](https://scholar.google.co.il/citations?hl=it&user=F24Sd3YAAAAJ)
A 2017 seed grant from MIT's Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS) extended these methods to food systems, funding the collaborative project "Characterizing Extension Policy and Private Irrigation Supply Chain Linkages: Lessons from Senegal."[5](https://jwafs.mit.edu/people/stephen-graves)
## Key publications
**Handbooks in Operations Research and Management Science.** Graves co-edited Volume 4, Logistics of Production and [Inventory](https://www.edgepedia.org/inventory) (North-Holland, 1993, with A. H. G. Rinnooy Kan and P. H. Zipkin) and Supply Chain Management: Design, Coordination and Operation. The two handbooks gathered work in production planning, inventory theory, and supply chain management into reference volumes.[1](https://mitsloan.mit.edu/sites/default/files/faculty-cv/2020/05/11/faculty-cv41387.pdf) • [2](https://mitmgmtfaculty.mit.edu/sgraves/about/)
**Online retail fulfillment research.** The paper "Making Better Fulfillment Decisions on the Fly in an Online Retail Environment" won the M&SOM Best Paper Award, per INFORMS's award record (listed under 2015).[6](https://www.informs.org/Recognizing-Excellence/Award-Recipients/Stephen-C.-Graves)
**Safety stock placement review.** His Google Scholar profile lists the paper "A review of safety stock placement".[4](https://scholar.google.co.il/citations?hl=it&user=F24Sd3YAAAAJ)
## Honours and the NAE election
Graves is a member of the National Academy of Engineering, as recorded on his curricula vitae and MIT biography.[7](https://meche.mit.edu/sites/default/files/cv/Steve's_Vitae%20April%202019.pdf) • [2](https://mitmgmtfaculty.mit.edu/sgraves/about/) He is also an INFORMS Fellow, a fellow of the [Manufacturing](https://www.edgepedia.org/manufacturing) and Service Operations Management Society (MSOM) and of the Production and Operations Management Society (POMS).[1](https://mitsloan.mit.edu/sites/default/files/faculty-cv/2020/05/11/faculty-cv41387.pdf) • [2](https://mitmgmtfaculty.mit.edu/sgraves/about/) Other honors include the 1999 Billard Award for service at MIT, the 2012 MSOM Distinguished Service Award, the Zaragoza Logistics Center Medal of Distinction (2013), and the M&SOM Best Paper Award.[1](https://mitsloan.mit.edu/sites/default/files/faculty-cv/2020/05/11/faculty-cv41387.pdf) • [6](https://www.informs.org/Recognizing-Excellence/Award-Recipients/Stephen-C.-Graves)
In scholarly publishing, he served as associate editor of Operations Research (1981–1986) and of Management Science (1983–1986 and 2001–2003), and was formerly editor-in-chief of the journal Manufacturing & Services Operations Management.[1](https://mitsloan.mit.edu/sites/default/files/faculty-cv/2020/05/11/faculty-cv41387.pdf) • [8](https://www.informs.org/Explore/History-of-O.R.-Excellence/Miser-Harris-Presidential-Portrait-Gallery/Steve-Graves)
## Practice, consulting and industry impact
Graves has conducted industry-based research projects with AT&T, IBM, Monsanto, Eastman Kodak, Polaroid, Amazon, Intel, General Motors, Boeing, Teradyne, Staples, and Samsung; the INFORMS portrait gallery also lists [Mitsubishi](https://www.edgepedia.org/mitsubishi) among these companies.[2](https://mitmgmtfaculty.mit.edu/sgraves/about/) • [8](https://www.informs.org/Explore/History-of-O.R.-Excellence/Miser-Harris-Presidential-Portrait-Gallery/Steve-Graves) He served on the boards of advisors of the supply chain software firms Optiant and Invistics and was chief science advisor to JDA Software, a supply chain planning company.[2](https://mitmgmtfaculty.mit.edu/sgraves/about/)
## References
1. [Curriculum Vitae — Stephen C. Graves, MIT Sloan School of Management](https://mitsloan.mit.edu/sites/default/files/faculty-cv/2020/05/11/faculty-cv41387.pdf)
2. [Stephen C. Graves — MIT Personal Faculty biography](https://mitmgmtfaculty.mit.edu/sgraves/about/)
3. [Stephen Graves — MIT Institute for Data, Systems, and Society](https://idss.mit.edu/staff/stephen-graves/)
4. [Stephen C. Graves — Google Scholar profile](https://scholar.google.co.il/citations?hl=it&user=F24Sd3YAAAAJ)
5. [Stephen Graves — Abdul Latif Jameel Water and Food Systems Lab (J-WAFS)](https://jwafs.mit.edu/people/stephen-graves)
6. [Stephen C. Graves — INFORMS Award Recipients](https://www.informs.org/Recognizing-Excellence/Award-Recipients/Stephen-C.-Graves)
7. [Curriculum Vitae (April 2019) — MIT Mechanical Engineering](https://meche.mit.edu/sites/default/files/cv/Steve's_Vitae%20April%202019.pdf)
8. [Steve Graves — INFORMS Miser-Harris Presidential Portrait Gallery](https://www.informs.org/Explore/History-of-O.R.-Excellence/Miser-Harris-Presidential-Portrait-Gallery/Steve-Graves)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Physical world and mathematics › Physical and mathematical scientists › Mathematicians and statisticians › Researchers in applied mathematics, optimization, and scientific computing › Discrete optimization and combinatorial optimization*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license