Sepideh Kaffash, PhD

Biography

Professor Kaffash teaches courses in Data and Decision Making, Business Analytics, and Operations Management. Her teaching emphasizes practical applications of advanced statistical tools and modelling techniques to solve real-world business problems, preparing students to make data-driven decisions in dynamic environments. Her research focuses on transportation, sustainability, resilience, sustainable operations, supply chain management, and performance measurement, addressing real-world challenges. Grounded in empirical methods and advanced statistical tools, her work emphasizes the development of practical solutions with policy implications, aiming to enhance operational efficiency, sustainability, and resilience across various industries. Her contributions have been featured in esteemed publications like the European Journal of Operational Research, Journal of the Operational Research Society, and the International Journal of Production Economics.

Prior to her tenure at Suffolk, Professor Kaffash contributed as a researcher and adjunct faculty at the University of Massachusetts, Boston, and East End College in London. She has also held significant positions in the financial sector, such as Global Supply Chain Finance Director at Bank Melli, Iran's premier banking institution. In addition to her editorial role at the Decision Analytics Journal, she actively participates in peer review for various reputable journals, including OMEGA, EJOR, IJPE, and Annals of Operation Research, among others. Professor Kaffash is a member of the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and the Boston chapter of Women's Transportation Seminar (WTS).

Professional Activities

• Associate Editor, Decision Analytics Journal at Elsevier (2023- )
• Committee Communication Coordinator of Standing Committee on Environmental Issues in Aviation (A030) under the Transportation Research Board (2024-)
• Member Review Panel for ACRP University Design Competition for Addressing Airport Needs (2024)
• Mentor, WTS, Boston Chapter of Women's Transportation Seminar (2024-)

Publications

Recent Intellectual Contributions

Kaffash, S. F Chomachaei, E Aktas (2024). The Impact of Financial Performance and Efficiency on Environmental Sustainability Performance: An Empirical Study in the U.S. Airline Industry. Journal of the Operational Research Society.

H Hou, H Kiaei, R Kazemi Matin, S Kaffash . Enhancing Group Efficiency in Two-Stage Data Envelopment Analysis: A Novel Common Set of Weights Approach . INFOR: Information Systems and Operational Research.

Kaffash, S. (2024). Navigating Efficiency: Insights from One-Stage and Two-Stage DEA Modelling in the Airline Industry. Annals of Operations Research.

Khezrimotlagh, D., Kaffash, S., Zhu, J. (2022). U.S. Airline Mergers’ Performance and Productivity Change. Journal of Air Transport Management.

Kaffash, S., Khezrimotlagh, D. (2022). U.S. network and low-cost carriers' performance in response to COVID-19: Strictness of government policies and passengers' panic. Research in Transportation Business & Management.

Kaffash, S., Nguyen, A. T., & Zhu, J. (2021). Big data algorithms and applications in intelligent transportation system: A review and bibliometric analysis. International Journal of Production Economics, 231, N.PAG.

Kaffash, S., Azizi, R., Huang, Y., & Zhu, J. (2020). A survey of data envelopment analysis applications in the insurance industry 1993-2018. EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF OPERATIONAL RESEARCH, 284(3), 801–813.

Kaffash, S., Aktas, E., & Tajik, M. (2020). The impact of oil price changes on efficiency of banks: An application in the Middle East oil exporting countries using SORM-DEA. RAIRO -- Operations Research, 54(3), 719–748.

Kaffash, S., Kazemi Matin, R., & Tajik, M. (2018). A directional semi-oriented radial DEA measure: an application on financial stability and the efficiency of banks. Annals of Operations Research, 264(1/2), 213–234.

Kaffash, S., & Marra, M. (2017). Data envelopment analysis in financial services: a citations network analysis of banks, insurance companies and money market funds. Annals of Operations Research, 253(1), 307–344.

Tajik, M., Aliakbari, S., Ghalia, T., & Kaffash, S. (2015). House prices and credit risk: Evidence from the United States. ECONOMIC MODELLING, 51, 123–135. 

Intellectual Contributions

• Sepideh Kaffash's Intellectual Contributions [PDF]

Professional Memberships

• Member, Production and Operations Management Society (2024–2025)
• Member, Decision Sciences Institute (2023–2024)
• Member, INFORM (2024-2025)

Awards and Honors

• Immersive Learning Teaching Award, Sawyer Business School (Fall 2023 & Spring 2023, Fall 2024)
• Research Grant, Sawyer Business School (2022, 2023, 2024)