Carnegie Mellon University

Dear Members of the Carnegie Mellon University Community: 

Following an international search, we are pleased to announce the appointment of Michael Trick, the Harry B. and James H. Higgins Professor of Operations Research, as dean of the Carnegie Mellon University campus in Qatar (CMU-Q), effective September 1. 

A member of the faculty at the Tepper School of Business since 1989, Mike brings a wealth of experience in leadership, education and research to the CMU-Q Dean’s Office. Over the past 25 years, he has held numerous leadership positions within the Tepper School, including serving as the senior associate dean for faculty and research for the past three years. In that role, he has mentored and supported faculty and student researchers, advanced strategic initiatives, overseen the promotion and tenure process, and elevated the research reputation of our top-ranked business school. From 2011 to 2014, he provided strategic direction for the business school’s educational mission as its senior associate dean for education. Mike also has been an active member of the broader CMU community and has played key roles on several university committees, including the University Research Council and the Faculty Committee on Diversity, Inclusion and Development. 

Internationally recognized for his contributions in operations research as both a researcher and award-winning educator, his work in computational methods in optimization has had a particularly significant impact across industry and government. He has consulted extensively with the United States Postal Service on supply chain design, with Major League Baseball on league scheduling, and with companies such as Motorola and Sony on machine scheduling. A fellow of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), he is currently president of the International Federation of Operational Research Societies, an umbrella organization of operational research societies whose 51 members represent more than 30,000 academics, professionals and students throughout the world. He received a Ph.D.in industrial and systems engineering and a master’s degree in operations research from the Georgia Institute of Technology. 

As Mike’s close colleague at the Tepper School for many years, Laurie can attest to his long-standing commitment to a nurturing research and learning environment that is driven by excellence and his belief in the power of collaboration to motivate and inspire others. These are values that will serve him well in his new role. As dean, Mike will work closely with CMU-Q faculty and staff and with our partners in the Qatar Foundation to advance CMU-Q’s educational mission. He also will collaborate with faculty and department heads in both Qatar and Pittsburgh to ensure the highest quality experience for CMU students on this international campus. We look forward to working with Mike as he assures our continued success in Education City. 

We would like to thank the following members of the Search Advisory Committee for their service: Randal Bryant, professor, Computer Science (co-chair); Marion Oliver, teaching 

professor, Mathematics, CMU-Q (co-chair); John Lehoczky, professor, Statistics and Mathematical Sciences; Tridas Mukhopadhyay, professor, Business Technologies; Richard Mundy, chief operations officer, CMU-Q; Duane Seppi, professor, Finance; Annette Vincent, assistant teaching professor, Biological Sciences, CMU-Q; and Saquib Razak, associate teaching professor, Computer Science, CMU-Q. 

Mike will succeed Ilker Baybars, who stepped down as CMU-Q dean at the end of the 2016-17 academic year, having served in a leadership role at the CMU-Q campus for the last six years. Ilker, a member of the faculty since 1978, will enjoy a well-deserved sabbatical before returning to the Tepper School as the George Leland Bach Chair of Operations Management. We want to reiterate our gratitude to Ilker for his many years of dedicated leadership to the students and faculty at our Qatar campus. We also are grateful to John O’Brien, who assumed the role of interim dean earlier this summer. 

We look forward to Mike’s official installation ceremony in Doha this fall. In the meantime, please join us in congratulating him on his new position. 

Sincerely, 

Farnam Jahanian 
Interim President 

Laurie R. Weingart 
Interim Provost