Two Ph.D. students from Columbia University’s Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research (IEOR), Felipe Verástegui and Matias Villagra, were selected to participate in the 2026 IOE–ISyE–MS&E Rising Stars Workshop, a competitive academic event highlighting emerging scholars in industrial engineering, operations research, and management science.
Co-organized by the University of Michigan, Georgia Institute of Technology, and Stanford University, the Rising Stars Workshop brings together promising early-career researchers for research presentations, mentorship, and professional development. The program aims to broaden participation in research and strengthen connections among emerging scholars.
At this year’s workshop, Verástegui and Villagra presented posters showcasing their research and engaged with faculty and peers from across institutions. Verástegui presented research on “Sustainable Investing with Real-Asset Trades,” while Villagra presented “Linear Programming Hierarchies Collapse under Symmetry.”
Villagra was also selected to deliver a 15-minute talk—one of only eight participants chosen for this distinction—and received a People’s Choice Award for his poster, one of seven awards presented at the event.
For more information about these students and their research, please visit:
Felipe Verástegui
Matias Villagra
