Yossi Sheffi named Doctor Honoris Causa by the University of Zaragoza

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ZARAGOZA, SPAIN. FEB 11, 2011

Professor Yossi Sheffi has been awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Zaragoza (UZ) and was presented with it by the Rector Manuel López this morning at the Paraninfo of the University.

He was accompanied by Dr. Eduardo Bandrés (former regional minister of Economy and Professor of the Faculty of Economics) and Dr. José Ramón Beltrán (Vice-rector of Research and Professor at the School of Engineering).

During his ceremony speech Professor Sheffi presented his newest research (logistics clusters) which was inspired by the success of PLAZA and the other logistics activities in Aragon. He was thankful to the University for the Honor and to the Government of Aragon for giving him the opportunity to be involved and contribute, even in a small way, to the great success of the Aragon logistics activities.

Doctor Sheffi’s input was decisive in the setting up of the Zaragoza Logistics Center (ZLC), a research institute located in the heart of PLAZA. In just 7 years, and originally promoted by the GA in collaboration with MIT, the UZ, and local savings banks CAI and Ibercaja, this unique center has become and international reference for research and education in the field of Logistics and Supply Chain Management.

In the course of the ceremony Eduardo Bandrés who was actively involved in the startup of the ZLC mentioned: “Professor Sheffi is a fully fledged entrepreneur, in academia, in research and in both the public and private sectors; because he is a teacher, a discoverer, a catalyst, a chairman, an innovator and a leader. He is without doubt one of the foremost academics who has best created links between research and the application of knowledge in offering a practical solution to complex problems.”

Concurrently, Dr. Mateo Valero Professor of the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya, has also been named Doctor Honoris Causa. Dr. Valero has an active collaboration with the UZ through the Department of Information Technology and Engineering Systems and the BIFI, Institute for Biocomputation and Physics of Complex Systems.

Short Bio
Dr. Yossi Sheffi is a professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he serves as Director of MIT's Engineering Systems Division and the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics. He is an expert in systems optimization, risk analysis and supply chain management, which are the subjects he teaches and researches at MIT. He is the author of numerous scientific publications and a textbook on transportation networks optimization. Under his leadership, the Center launched many new educational, research, and industry/government outreach programs, leading to substantial growth. He is the founder and the director of MIT's Master of Engineering degree. In 2003 he launched the MIT-Zaragoza program, building a new logistics university in Spain based on a unique international academia, government and industry partnership. His latest book "The Resilient Enterprise: Overcoming Vulnerability for Competitive Advantage" was published by MIT Press in September 2005.

Outside the university Professor Sheffi has consulted with governments and leading manufacturing, retail and transportation enterprises all over the world. He is also an active entrepreneur:

In 1987 he co-founded PTCG, the leading supplier of optimization-based decision support systems to the transportation industry. He sold this firm to The Sabre Group Inc. (part of AMR, the parent of American Airlines) in 1996.
In 1988 he co-founded LogiCorp Inc., the first non-asset based 3PLs in the US. In 1994 LogiCorp was sold to Ryder Systems Inc. and is now operating as Ryder Integrated Logistics (RIL).
In 1998 he co-founded e-Chemicals Inc., an electronic commerce company providing Internet-based supply chain management solutions. E-Chemicals was acquired in 2000 by AspenTech of Cambridge, MA.
In 1999 he co-founded Syncra Inc., a software company dedicated to the development of business-to-business collaboration software with an emphasis on the retail industry and the CPFR standard. Syncra was acquired by Retek Inc. in 2004.
In 2000 he founded Logistics.com Inc., a decision support systems provider for the transportation and logistics industry. In 2002 Logistics.com was acquired by Manhattan Associates Inc.

Dr. Sheffi was recognized in numerous ways in academic and industry forums and was on the cover of Purchasing Magazine and Transportation and Distribution Magazine. In 1997 he won the most prestigious recognition given by the Council of Logistics Management - the Distinguished Service Award. In 2002/03 he was on sabbatical in the Judge Institute of Management in Cambridge University, UK. He is also a life fellow of Cambridge University's Clare Hall College.

He obtained his B.Sc. from the Technion in Israel in 1975, his S.M. from MIT in 1977, and Ph.D. from MIT in 1978. He now resides in Boston, Massachusetts. For more information please contact Cristina Tabuenca, Marketing Manager at the Zaragoza Logistics Center by calling at +34 625 510 326 or sending an email to ctabuenca@zlc.edu.es

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