Grace Lin

Grace Lin is an INFORMS Fellow and internationally recognized leader in analytics, AI, digital transformation, and supply chain innovation. She serves as Director of Executive Education & Industry Relations and Adjunct Full Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at Columbia University.

With more than three decades of experience spanning academia, industry, and innovation ecosystems, Dr. Lin leads initiatives that connect Columbia's research, faculty expertise, and global industry, government, and academic partners to advance executive education, industry engagement, innovation, and AI-enabled digital transformation. Through executive learning, strategic partnerships, and collaborative initiatives, she helps translate research and emerging technologies into real-world business and societal impact. She is known for bridging strategy, technology, and execution to transform cutting-edge research into scalable solutions while fostering interdisciplinary collaboration and building high-performing teams. She also teaches AI and Digital Transformation and is committed to preparing future leaders to navigate technology-driven change and address complex global challenges. 

Prior to Columbia, Dr. Lin spent more than 16 years at IBM T.J. Watson Research Center and IBM Global Business Services, where she advanced from researcher to IBM Distinguished Engineer, member of the IBM Academy of Technology, and Director & CTO of Innovation and Emerging Solutions. She founded IBM's Value Chain Innovation Center and led transformative supply chain innovation and R&D initiatives for IBM and its business partners. Together with IBM's senior leadership and business units, these efforts delivered more than USD 750 million in savings. Dr. Lin also led IBM's cross-functional team that won the company's first—and still only—INFORMS Franz Edelman Award, widely regarded as the Nobel Prize's of analytics. Dr. Lin later served as Vice President for Advanced Research and Data Analytics at Taiwans's Institute for Information Industry (III) and subsequently as Vice President and Chair Professor at Asia University. She also held Chair Professorships at Soochow University, China Medical University, and Tzu-Chi University. During this period, she built and led an interdisciplinary R&D organization that grew from a small team to nearly 200 researchers and professionals, secured tens of millions of dollars in research funding, and launched major initiatives in big data analytics, AI, smart manufacturing, healthcare, fintech, blockchain, agriculture, and smart cities. Programs under her leadership subsequently received two R&D 100 Awards and numerous international recognitions. 

Dr. Lin has published more than 80 technical papers and is co-inventor of 20 patents. She has served on the INFORMS Board of Directors, major editorial boards, and international research programs, and has chaired the INFORMS Fellows Selection Committee, the Women in OR/MS Award Committee, and numerous major INFORMS and IEEE conferences. She currently serves as Vice President of the Chinese American Academic and Professional Society (CAAPS), a board member of CIE-GNYC and the Chinese Society for Management of Technology (CSMOT), and a member of the CIE U.S. National METS (Modern Engineering and Technology Seminar) Committee. Her honors include the INFORMS George E. Kimball Medal, the INFORMS Franz Edelman Award, the IBM Outstanding Technical Achievement Award, and Distinguished Alumni Awards from Purdue University and National Tsing Hua University.