Dr. Rafael Diaz

Dr. Rafael Diaz

Professor, MIT-Zaragoza Program, Research Affiliate, MIT CTL and PhD Program Director

Professor of Supply Chain Management at the MIT-Zaragoza Program

Rafael Diaz is PhD Program Director and Professor of Supply Chain Management at the MIT-Zaragoza International Logistics Program. He is also a Research Affiliate at the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics. Previously, he has been a Research Associate Professor at Old Dominion University’s Virginia Modeling, Analysis, and Simulation Center (VMASC).

He has a Ph.D. degree in the field of Modeling and Simulation Analytics focused on Operations and Supply Chains Management and an M.B.A degree in financial analysis and information technology from Old Dominion University. He holds a B.S. in Industrial Engineering from Jose Maria Vargas University, Venezuela.

Prof. Diaz’s research interests lie in the general area of supply chain management, logistics, production planning, lean manufacturing systems, and the intersection between operations management and information and technology. He studies the intersection between sustainability, product innovation, and information/operations technology (Industry 4.0). He is also interested in researching healthcare management, humanitarian logistics, and lean production systems.

Dr. Diaz’s publications have appeared in several prestigious peer-reviewed journals including Production and Operations Management (POM), International Journal of Production Economics (IJPE), Computers and Industrial Engineering (CAIE), and Transportation Research Part A and Part E. Over the years, his research has been supported by a number of sponsors including National Institutes of Health (NIH), Virginia Department of Emergency Management (VDEM), U.S. Housing and Urban Development (HUD), and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL).

Prior to his academic career, Dr. Diaz worked for seven years as a process engineer and management consultant in the international consulting arena.

Research Areas

Projects

Análisis de incentivos y riesgos de la cadena de suministro para combatir la resistencia a los fármacos

Descripción del proyecto La aparición de la resistencia a los fármacos representa una amenaza importante a los programas mundiales de erradicación de enfermedades. Este fenómeno se sitúa dentro de las cadenas de suministro de fármacos globales, que inherentemente tienen más riesgos que las cadenas de suministro nacionales, a causa de los numerosos vínculos que entrelazan […]

Publications

Evaluating Strategic Remanufacturing Supply Chains Decisions

Diaz, R., Marsillac, E. Evaluating Strategic Remanufacturing Supply Chains Decisions. International Journal of Production Research, Volume 55 (9), 2017, pp. 2522-2539

Inter – and Intra-regional Evacuation Behavior during Hurricane Irene: Results from a Large-Scale Phone Survey

Ng ManWo, Diaz R., Behr Joshua. Inter – and Intra-regional Evacuation Behavior during Hurricane Irene: Results from a Large-Scale Phone Survey.Journal of Travel Behaviour and Society, Vol. 3, 2016, pp. 21-28

Health Service Utilization and Poor Health Reporting in Asthma Patients

Behr JG, Diaz R., Akpinar-Elce, M. Health Service Utilization and Poor Health Reporting in Asthma Patients. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2016. Vol. 13 (7), art. 645

Using dynamic demand information and zoning for the storage of non-uniform density stock keeping units

Diaz, R. Using dynamic demand information and zoning for the storage of non-uniform density stock keeping units. International Journal of Production Research, Vol. 54 (8), 2016, pp. 2487-2498

Emergency Department Frequent Utilization for Non-Emergent Presentments: Results from a Regional Urban Trauma Center Study

Behr JG, Diaz R. Emergency Department Frequent Utilization for Non-Emergent Presentments: Results from a Regional Urban Trauma Center Study. PLoS ONE , 2016, Vol. 11 (1): e0147116

Population vulnerability to storm flooding in Coastal Virginia, USA

Hua, L., Behr, JG., Díaz, R. Population vulnerability to storm flooding in Coastal Virginia, USA. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management. Vol 12 (3). July 2016, pp. 500-509

Analizing a lost-sale stochastic inventory model with Markov-modulated demands: A simulation-based optimization study

Diaz, R., Bailey, M.P., Kumar, S. Analizing a lost-sale stochastic inventory model with Markov-modulated demands: A simulation-based optimization study, Journal of Manufacturing Systems, Vol. 38, 2016, pp. 1-12

Quantifying the economic and demographic impact of transportation infrastructure investments: A simulation study

Diaz, R., Behr, J.G., Ng, M. Quantifying the economic and demographic impact of transportation infrastructure investments: A simulation study. Simulation: Transactions of the Society for Modeling and Simulation International, Vol. 92 (4), April 2016, pp 377–393

Modeling chronic disease patient flows diverted from emergency departments to patient-centered medical homes

Diaz, R., Behr, J., Kumar, S., Britton, B. Modeling chronic disease patient flows diverted from emergency departments to patient-centered medical homes. IIE Transactions on Healthcare Systems Engineering. Vol. 5, 2015, pp. 268-285

Managerial Publications