Dr. Soroush Saghafian (Wikipedia) is interested in using and developing operations research, management science, and operations management techniques that can have significant public benefits. He is the founder and director of the Public Impact Analytics Science Lab (PIAS-Lab) at Harvard, which is devoted to advancing and applying the science of analytics for solving societal problems that can have public impact. His current teaching focuses on Machine Learning and Big Data Analytics tools for solving societal problems. He has been collaborating with a variety of hospitals to improve their operational efficiency, patient flow, medical decision-making, and more broadly, healthcare delivery policies. He also serves as a core faculty member for the Harvard Center for Health Decision Science, a faculty affiliate for the Harvard Ph.D. Program in Health Policy, the Harvard Mossavar-Rahmani Center for Business and Government, the Harvard Data Science Initiative, the Harvard Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, the Harvard Center for Public Leadership, is an associate faculty member at the Harvard Ariadne Labs (Health Systems Innovation), and a holds a collaboration appointment at Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH).
Dr. Saghafian's research has appeared in the news, including in pieces and interviews by PBS News, NBC News, US News, NPR, Fast Company, Euronews, The Hill, Boston Globe, National Academy of Medicine, Harvard Gazette, Harvard Crimson, The Independent, Eureka Alert (American Association for the Advancement of Science), Medical Xpress, ABC Channel (TV), and INFORMS.
He has won various awards for his research, including the INFORMS MSOM 2023 Responsible Research Award (second place) “[for] contributing knowledge that may have implications for making the world a better place by informing evidence-based, high-quality, and societally beneficial organizational practices across the business, government, and non-government organizations,” INFORMS MSOM Young Scholar Prize (2021) “[for] outstanding contributions to scholarship in operations management," Inaugural INFORMS 2020 Mehrotra Research Excellence Award "for significant contributions to the practice of health applications through operations research and management science modeling and methodologies," INFORMS 2018 Public Sector Best Paper Award (second place), 2010 INFORMS Pierskalla Award "for the best research paper in healthcare," and 2025 Marquis Who’s Who Honored Listee Recognition.
Dr. Saghafian's research has been supported through various grants from the National Science Foundation (NSF), Department of Defense (Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs), Mayo Clinic, Amazon AWS, and Harvard, among others.
Courses
Empirical Methods II
Academic Journal/Scholarly Articles
Book Chapters
HKS Faculty Research Working Paper Series
Research Papers/Reports
Commentary
Sponsored projects include research, training, convening, and other initiatives externally funded through grants, contracts, and cooperative agreements. Funding sources can include the US federal government, state and local agencies, private foundations, corporations, and foreign entities (public and private).
The below list includes all sponsored projects in progress or completed within the current and past 2 calendar years, administered at the Harvard Kennedy School under the direction of the named faculty member as Principal Investigator. Please note that this list includes only those activities supported by external sponsored funding; other sources of support are not included (e.g., philanthropy, HKS or Harvard internal resources).
Project Title
Sponsor Name
Award Date
Transparent Engagement
Harvard Kennedy School is proud of its energetic involvement in the world. To better understand how to solve public problems by improving policy and leadership, we engage directly with policymakers, public leaders, governments, nonprofit organizations, and for-profit businesses whose activities affect those problems. However, we recognize that such engagement can raise questions about perceived and potential conflicts of interest, so we disclose publicly the key professional activities of our faculty outside the Kennedy School. The activities disclosed below are for the most recent reporting period, as defined by University policy. Some may be paid, some may be unpaid, and others may be in exchange for expense reimbursement only.
Outside Professional Activities For Soroush Saghafian
| Organization | Relationship |
|---|---|
| International Academic Program | Speaking engagement, invited lecture, or presentation |
| Enquire AI | Membership on a scientific or other advisory board |
| Massachusetts General Hospital | Research or teaching appointment |