New PhD Students in SC&IS

James Duane Abbey

James Abbey received his M.S. in Business from Iowa State University in 2008 and B.S. degrees in Economics & Statistics from Iowa State University in 2001 and 2005.   He served as Technology Officer for Abbey & Abbey, Consultants, Inc., from 1999-2008 and Graduate Teaching Assistant and NSF VIGRE Fellow, Department of Statistics, Iowa State University, 2005-2008.  James received a Graduate Research Fellowship from Penn State University for the 2008-2009 academic year.  His research interests include demand estimation, demand management, inventory control, MRP systems, lead-time related issues, computational statistics, and manufacturing sourcing systems.

Kaitlin Dunn

Kaitlin Dunn recently graduated from Johns Hopkins University with a masters in Information Technology and Telecommunication Systems for Business. While at Hopkins, she was a research assistant for Dr. Toni Ungaretti and worked on the Carey Business School’s new learning assurance initiative and learning agenda. Before Hopkins, she received an undergraduate degree in Finance from the University of Florida

Maurice Johnson

Maurice N. Johnson or Maurice X would describe himself as “just a big ole’ country boy.”  Originally from Newport News, VA, Maurice attended UNC-Greensboro where as an exchange student he traveled to the United Kingdom and majored in International Business Studies.  After 8 years in the New York Metropolitan area working in shipping and as an elementary school teacher, Maurice returned to the south to attend North Carolina Central University in Durham, NC.  In 2008, he received an MBA and MIS degree with honors.

Hiroko Okajima

Hiroko Okajima  was born in Miyagi, Japan, in 1975.  She received her B.A. in Economics in March 1998 and MBA in March 2000 from Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan.  From 2000 to 2003 she studied management information systems in the doctoral program at Tohoku University and held a teaching assistant position in operations research.  She has been in the United States with her husband since 2005.  Her research interests are supply chain management, ERP and healthcare industry.

Yang Zhang

Yang Zhang is currently a doctoral-track student in Smeal College of Business, with focus on supply chain academics. He simultaneously works in the LEMA (Laboratory for Economics Management and Auctions) as a research assistant. Before joining Penn State, he gained his bachelor degree of management (industrial engineering) at Xi’an Jiaotong University, where he won numerous awards for his student performance. Yang Zhang’s research interests basically include info sharing mechanism of supply chains, supply chain network and its modeling, and network theory and its application in operations research.

Yang ZhangYang Zhang is currently a doctoral-track student in Smeal College of Business, with focus on supply chain academics. He simultaneously works in the LEMA (Laboratory for Economics Management and Auctions) as a research assistant. Before joining Penn State, he gained his bachelor degree of management (industrial engineering) at Xi’an Jiaotong University, where he won numerous awards for his student performance. Yang Zhang’s research interests basically include info sharing mechanism of supply chains, supply chain network and its modeling, and network theory and its application in operations research.