INFORMS's video: 2020 George E Kimball Medal - Jacobson Acceptance

Sheldon Jacobson University of Illinois Sheldon H. Jacobson is founder professor in computer science, director of the Simulation and Optimization Laboratory, and founding director of the Bed Time Research Institute at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He holds appointments in Industrial and Enterprise Systems Engineering, Electrical and Computer Engineering, Mathematics, and the College of Medicine. He has made several seminal research contributions, all focusing on applying operations research and advanced analytics to address societal problems of national interest. For example, his research on multilevel aviation security passenger screening at airports was the precursor to risk-based security, providing the foundational concepts that informed the design and implementation of TSA PreCheck. His contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including a 2003 Guggenheim Fellowship and the 2018 INFORMS Impact Prize, given biennially to recognize widespread impact of operations research. His research has been widely reported and communicated in the national press, including the Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, and the Boston Globe, editorialized in the New York Times, and discussed in Business Week, Forbes, Kiplinger, and The Osgood Files on CBS radio. He has appeared on CNBC's Street Signs and The Closing Bell, MSNBC's Weekends with Alex Witt, Washington Post Radio, CBS This Morning, and CBC Canada News (television and radio), and BBC World News (television and radio). Professor Sheldon Jacobson's service to operations research and INFORMS spans many dimensions. His notable contributions include serving as INFORMS Treasurer, program director for operations research at the National Science Foundation, serving on National Academy of Science and National Academy of Medicine committees, general chair for the 2022 INFORMS Annual Meeting in Indianapolis, authoring numerous articles for OR/MS Today and recording podcasts for INFORMS, and briefing policymakers about the value of his research on issues of national concern, and working with the media in communicating his research findings to the general public as an expert. His service has helped elevate the recognition of the operations research profession through media and outreach, advanced opportunities for the operations research profession through advocacy and service to national funding agencies and continues to help INFORMS thrive. For his distinguished service to the Institute and the profession of operations research, the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences expresses its sincere appreciation to Sheldon Jacobson by awarding him the 2020 George E. Kimball Medal.