Karen Donohue is an expert in supply chain management and behavioral operations. Her research examines methods for coordinating inventory and distribution decisions across supply chains, as well as ways to align supply chain activities to improve environmental outcomes. She draws on a number of different methodologies in her research including stochastic modeling, game theory, empirical methods, and behavioral economics. Donohue’s research is often conducted in concert with partners from industry and governmental organizations, with recent examples including 3M, Best Buy, MNTap, and Medtronic. Her early research was funded through an NSF Career Award.
She holds the Curtis L. Carlson Endowed Chair in Supply Chain at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management. Donohue is also academic director of the master of science in supply chain management program at the Carlson School. Outside of the Carlson School, she holds a joint appointment in the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department (College of Science and Engineering, University of Minnesota), is a Faculty Research Scholar in the Center for Transportation Studies (University of Minnesota), and is a fellow in the Institute on the Environment (all at the University of Minnesota). She also serves as associate editor for the Manufacturing & Service Operations Management journal. She holds BA degrees in mathematics and economics from St. Olaf College, and MS and PhD degrees in industrial engineering and management science from Northwestern University.