Lecturer in the Discipline of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research at Columbia University
Headlines & Links
Press coverage, features, and other links spotlighting my work and the people I collaborate with.
IFORS Newsletter: Teaching Operations Research for Public Policy and Social Good
June, 2026
"Welcome to this IFORS Newsletter Tutorial! In this issue we feature a tutorial by Yaren Bilge Kaya of Columbia University's Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research on Teaching Operations Research for Public Policy and Social Good. I hope you enjoy reading this interesting tutorial and put its lessons to good use." - James Cochran
IEOR Students Bring Industry Projects to the Senior Design Expo
May, 2026
On May 7, 2026, undergraduate students from the Department of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research will participate in the annual Senior Design Expo, which showcases student-led innovation, research, and applied problem-solving.
The Senior Design Expo is the culmination of capstone projects in which Engineering students form teams to identify real-world challenges and develop data-driven, implementable solutions. From initial problem framing to final deployment, students engage in the full lifecycle of engineering design—researching, modeling, building, testing, and ultimately presenting their work to faculty, industry partners, and peers.
Professor Yaren Kaya Receives 2025 CEAA Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award
May, 2025
The Columbia Engineering Alumni Association (CEAA) has named Professor Yaren Kaya, Lecturer in the Discipline of Industrial Engineering and Operations Research (IEOR), as one of the recipients of the 2025 SEAS Distinguished Faculty Teaching Award.
Inside IISE Journals: March 2024 Issue of ISE Newsletter Highlights Yaren's Work
March, 2024
This month we highlight two articles from an IISE Transactions (Volume 56, No. 3) special issue on “Analytical Methods for Detecting, Disrupting and Dismantling Illicit Operations.” The editorial of the special issue provides a full account of the articles published therein. The first article explores the complexities of providing essential support services to over 100,000 runaway and homeless youth in New York City. The authors formulated a mixed-integer linear optimization problem, the solution of which allocates service resources to meet the collective needs of runaway and homeless youth at minimal cost. The proposed model integrates the periodicity of service provision and factors in the timing of services. This study bridges the gap between current service capabilities and the critical needs of the city’s runaway youth problem.
2023 COE Outstanding Graduate Student Awards
April, 2023
Awardees of the College of Engineering Outstanding Graduate Teaching Award and the College of Engineering Outstanding Graduate Research Award were selected by faculty members of the students’ department based on the students’ exemplary record in the classroom or laboratory, the contributions made in mentoring peers, or significant accomplishments in furthering research and scholarship.
Halifax Police Board: Slow Rolling Defunding Recommendations, New Budget Process, Confidence in Chief
November, 2022
To start Wednesday’s Police Board meeting, the board received a presentation on participatory budgeting from Tari Ajadi, along with Yaren Bilge Kaya and Dr. Kayse Maass, industrial engineers at the Northeastern University in Boston.
They spoke about the importance of participatory budgeting. And they urged the board to make enough data available to allow for mathematical modelling of different budget scenarios to inform the public.
The Best Paper with Student Presenter Award at the EAAMO 2022 Conference
October, 2022
The 2022 EAAMO Conference organizing committee has chosen "Improving Access to Housing and Supportive Services for Runaway and Homeless Youth: Reducing Vulnerability to Human Trafficking in New York City" by Yaren Bilge Kaya, Kayse Lee Maass, Geri Dimas, Renata Konrad, Andrew Trapp, and Meredith Dank as the best paper with student presenter.
Outstanding Paper Award at ACM Conference on Equity and Access
November, 2022
MIE PhD Candidate Yaren Bilge Kaya and Assistant Professor Kayse Lee Maass received an Outstanding Paper Award at the 2022 ACM Conference on Equity and Access in Algorithms, Mechanisms, and Optimization in the category “Best Paper with a Student Presenter.” Written with collaborators from Worcester Polytechnic Institute and New York University, their paper titled “Improving Access to Housing and Supportive Services for Runaway and Homeless Youth: Reducing Vulnerability to Human Trafficking in New York City” presents an integer linear programming model that provides guidance to stakeholders regarding how to most effectively add capacity to the youth homeless shelter system in a way that meets the actual, rather than presumed, needs of homeless youth.
Two Northeastern Presentations Selected as "Committee's Choice" at INFORMS 2021 Conference
October, 2021
The 2021 INFORMS Annual Meeting organizing committee has chosen two Northeastern University presentations as Committee Choice from more than 5,500 abstracts submitted. “The Committee’s Choice” sessions include a curated list of presentations that call attention to important challenges – climate change and policy, pandemic response, vulnerable populations, disparities and equity in well-being, urban public service, urban sustainability, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Operations Research and Social Justice Lab Website: Meet the Team!
January, 2021
Primary research of ORSJ Lab focuses on the application of operations research methodology to social justice, access, and equity issues within supply chain, humanitarian logistics, and healthcare contexts. Don't forget to sign up for our newsletter!