Joel Sokol

Dr. Joel Sokol, the Harold E. Smalley Professor at Georgia Tech's H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial and Systems Engineering, has established himself as a transformative figure in analytics education and research. As the founding Director of Georgia Tech's interdisciplinary Master of Science in Analytics program, both on-campus and online, he has shaped the future of analytics education. His groundbreaking LRMC method for NCAA basketball tournament predictions has become an industry standard, while his consulting work spans all three major American sports leagues. After earning three bachelor's degrees from Rutgers University in mathematics, computer science, and applied sciences in engineering, he completed his Ph.D. in operations research from MIT. His research portfolio extends beyond sports to include health analytics, supply chain logistics, and military applications, earning him the EURO Management Science Strategic Innovation Prize and a Cozzarelli Prize finalist position. His dedication to education has garnered recognition from the National Academy of Engineering, IISE, INFORMS, and EURO, along with Georgia Tech's highest teaching honors. He served two terms as INFORMS Vice President of Education and pioneered the development of Georgia Tech's online analytics program, which has grown to serve hundreds of students. His work in personalized medicine, particularly in organ transplant optimization, demonstrates his commitment to applying analytics for societal impact.