Himani Ananthula
PhD Candidate, Operations Management
Advisor: Prof. Achal Bassamboo
Contact Information
Northwestern University
2211 Campus Drive
Overview
I am a final year PhD Candidate in Operations Management at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University, where I am fortunate to be advised by Prof. Achal Bassamboo and Prof. Milind G. Sohoni. My thesis committee also includes Prof. Robert Bray and Prof. Sébastien Martin. Before pursuing my PhD, I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, with a minor in Electrical Engineering, from the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in 2016.
My research examines how evolving workforce models, such as the rise of on-demand and flexible labor, transform traditional supply chains and shape modern service operations. I combine empirical analysis and analytical modeling to study labor supply dynamics and design optimal service strategies for providers, using methods from econometrics, optimization, and applied probability theory.
I am on the 2025–2026 academic job market.
Research Interests/Methodologies: Gig Economy, Transportation & Logistics, Service Operations, Empirical Operations, Stochastic Modeling, and Large-Scale Optimization
5Upcoming Talks
- INFORMS Annual Meeting 2025, Atlanta, GA| Sunday, October 26, 2025 | Time: 1:15-1:33 pm | Room: Building A Lvl 3 A314
Title: Adapting Strategies for Trucking Platforms in the Gig Economy (Job Market Paper) - INFORMS Annual Meeting 2025, Atlanta, GA| Sunday, October 28, 2025 | Time: 5:00-5:15 pm | Room: Building B Level 3 B305
Title: Division of Labor and the On-Demand Economy: Implications for System Design
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DSI Annual Conference 2025, Orlando, FL|Saturday, November 22, 2025 |Time: 1:00 -2:30 pm | Room: TBD
Title: Adapting Strategies for Trucking Platforms in the Gig Economy (Job Market Paper)
Research
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Adapting Strategies for Trucking Platforms in the Gig Economy with Milind Sohoni and Achal Bassamboo. (Resubmitted to MS, Sep 2025)
*Accepted at MSOM SIG Conference 2025, Supply Chain Management track.
*Finalist, POMS Annual Meeting 2025, College of SCM best student paper award. - Division of Labor and the On-Demand Economy: Implications for System Design with Achal Bassamboo and Milind Sohoni. (Work in Progress)
- A modified Benders algorithm for relay network design resilient to supply shocks with Milind Sohoni and Achal Bassamboo. (Work in Progress)
- The Cost of Work-Life Balance: Earnings Trade-offs for Long-Haul Truckers with Milind Sohoni and Achal Bassamboo. (Work in progress)
Additional details are on my Personal webpage.