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Bio

Jan C. Fransoo is Professor of Operations and Logistics Management at the School of Economics and Management of Tilburg University in Tilburg, the Netherlands. He has conducted research across a wide variety of domains and methodologies, all related to supply chain and operations management, and published extensively in many journals in operations management, operations research, industrial engineering, and transportation. He currently serves as Associate Editor of Operations Research, and Production and Operations Management. In recent years, his research has mainly focused on retail operations in developing countries and other emerging markets. Much of this research is conducted in collaboration with Consumer Packaged Goods companies, technology startups, and intergovernmental agencies such as the World Bank and the Interamerican Development Bank. Apart from this line of research, he also has active research lines on omnichannel retail, intermodal transportation, and urban logistics.

Expertise

Professor Fransoo conducts both model-based and empirical quantitative research. His current research studies in particular the operations and supply chains of the 50 million mom-and-pop stores (which he denoted as "nanostores") that serve much of the population in the developing world. His book "Reaching 50 million nanostores" is the first extensive study documenting this very large retail channel. Furthermore, he currently also studies omnichannel grocery retail, hinterland container supply chains, and urban logistics.

In his prior work, he has studied inventory, production planning and transportation models. He holds particular domain expertise of the grocery retail, chemical, pharmaceutical, and consumer packaged goods (FMCG) industries.

Professor Fransoo frequently appear in Dutch, German, Belgian, and international media to inform the general public and comment on current affairs related to his expertise. 

November 2020 - current: Full Professor, Tilburg University, Tilburg School of Economics and Management, Department of Management, Research Group Information & Supply Chain Management. Member of the BETA Research School for Operations Management and Logistics.
January 2018 - current: Research affiliate (honorary), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center for Transportation and Logistics.
January 2018 - current: Full Professor (honorary/visiting), Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, School of Industrial Engineering, Group of Operations Planning, Accounting, and Control.
January 2018 - August 2020: Full Professor, Kuehne Logistics University, Department of Logistics.
January 2018 - August 2020: Dean of Research and Member of the Executive Board, Kuehne Logistics University.
September 2003 - December 2017: Full Professor, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, School of Industrial Engineering. 
January 2014 - October 2017: Deab, Graduate School, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven.
January 2014 - April 2014: Director, Stan Ackermans Institute (SAI), Technische Universiteit Eindhoven.
January 2014 - October 2017: Director, 4TU-SAI, Federation of Technical Universities in the Netherlands.
February 2006 - December 2013: Program Director (2-year) MSc program in Operations Management & Logistics.
February 2012 - September 2012: Interim Chairman, unit (Capaciteitsgroep) Operations Planning, Accounting and Control.
February 2011 - July 2011: Visiting Professor, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Center for Transportation and Logistics, Engineering Systems Division.
February 2006 - September 2006: Interim Program Director, MSc program in Innovation Management.
September 2003 - January 2006: Program Director, Industrial Engineering Programs, Department of Technology Management, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven.
January 2000 - August 2003: Associate Professor, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, Department of Technology Management, Subdepartment of Operations Planning and Control.
April - June 2003: Visiting Scholar, The John E. Anderson Graduate School of Management, University of California at Los Angeles (USA).
March 1996 - December 1999: Assistant Professor, Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, Department of Technology Management, Subdepartment of Operations Planning and Control.
March 1993 - February 1996: Research Fellow, Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences; as such employed at Technische Universiteit Eindhoven.
August 1995 - February 1996: Visiting Fullbright Scholar, Stanford University (USA), Department of Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management.
February 1989 - January 1993: Research Assistant (PhD Candidate), Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Science.
August 1991 - December 1991: Visiting researcher / Lecturer, Clemson University (USA), Department of Management.

PhD supervision

• Guan-Yuan Wang (TiU) Operations in nanostore logistics (primary advisor) (since June 2023)
• Iman Moosavi (TiU) Human/AI decision making in supply chains (since
September 2022) (primary advisor)
• Joan Stip (TUE) Human/AI decision making in supply chains (part-time, 
external, since 2021) (primary advisor)
• Simone Balvers (TiU) Operations in nanostore logistics (since 2021) 
(primary advisor)
• Emily Dickey (KLU) The role of compassion in supply chain decisions on 
decent work (since 2020) (second supervisor)
• Rafael Escamilla (TiU and KLU) Finance and logistics in nanostore supply 
chains (since 2018) (primary advisor)
• Navid Mohamadi (KLU) Food waste in retail supply chains (2018-2023) 
(second supervisor)
• Nayeli Hernandez (TUE) Social Responsibility in Agricultural Supply Chains (2017-2023) (promotor - supervision)
• A. Acocella (MIT) (2020-2021) (committee member)
• C. Imdahl (KLU) (2018-2021) Data-driven Tools and Human Decision 
Making in Operations Management (committee chair - second supervisor)
• N.A. Kurdhi (TUE) Revenue Management and Strategy for the
Refurbishing Economy (2017-2021) (promotor – co-supervision)
• A. Snoeck (MIT) Flexibility in urban logistics networks (2016-2020) 
(committee member - co-supervision)
• J. Ge (TUE) Traditional Retail Distribution in Megacities (2013-2017) (promotor - supervision)
• T. Soltani (TUE) Risk management at the interface of operations and finance (2013-2017)  (promotor - co-supervision)
• H. Cetinay (TUE) Integrated operational and financial decision making (2010-2016) (promotor - co-supervision)
• M. Jaksic (TUE) Inventory Model with Uncertain Supply (2006-2016) (external candidate - promotor – supervision)
• A. Franceschetti (TUE) Sustainable City Logistics: Fleet planning, routing and scheduling problems (2011-2015) (2nd promotor – co-supervision)
• R. van den Berg (TUE) Strategies and new business models in intermodal hinterland transport (2nd promotor – co-supervision)
• K. van der Vliet (TUE) Concepts and trade-offs in supply chain finance (2011-2015) (promotor - co-supervision)
• M. Udenio (TUE) Inventory dynamics and the bullwhip effect: studies in supply chain performance (2010-2014) (promotor – supervision)
• S. Fazi (TUE) Mode selection, routing and scheduling for inland container transport (2010-2014) (promotor – co-supervision)
• K. Sharypova (TUE) Optimization of Hinterland Intermodal Container Transportation (2009-2014) (promotor – supervision)
• F. van den Heuvel (TUE) Co-location in logistics (2009-2013) (2nd promotor – co-supervision)
• A. Pufall (Nokia / TUE) Ramp-up Performance in Consumer Electronics (2006-2013; external candidate) (promotor – supervision)
• K. Hoen (TUE) Design and Control of Carbon Aware Supply Chains (2009-2012) (2nd promotor – co-supervision)
• M. Raskovic (University of Ljubljana) Managing supplier-buyer relationships as a source of competitive advantage in transnational companies (mentor - co-supervision) (2009-2012)
• M. Jansen (TUE) Hierarchical supply chain planning under dynamic demand (2007-2012) (2nd promotor – co-supervision) - Finalist, BETA PhD Award 2013.
• A. Curseu (TUE) Retail inventory management with lost sales (2005-2012) (promotor – co-supervision)
• Y. Boulaksil (TUE) Supply Chain Planning in Outsourced and Partnered Supply Chains (2006-2010) (promotor – supervision) - Finalist, BETA PhD Award 2012
• U. Özen (TUE / University of Tilburg) Modeling supply chain collaboration using game theory in multiple newsvendor situations (2003-2007) (promotor)
• B. Selçuk (TUE) Dynamic performance of hierarchical planning systems (2003-2007) (2nd promotor - supervision)
• A.G. Robinson (Stanford University) Available to Promise concepts in the automotive industry using variable due dates.(2002-2005) (member of reading committee - de facto co-supervision).
• J. Spitter (TUE) (2004-2005; involved at later stage) (2nd promotor)
• C.V. Ivanescu (TUE) Order Acceptance and Capacity Planning in Batch Chemical Industries (2000-2004) (member of reading committee – de facto promotor -supervision)
• A.J. Schalla (TUE) Hierarchical Planning in Advanced Planning Systems (supervision and committee member as copromotor 12/01)
• E.G. Negenman (TUE) Improved Aggregate Decision Making in Complex Manufacturing Systems (co-supervision and committee member 04/00)
• W.H.M. Raaijmakers (TUE) Order Acceptance and Capacity Loading in Batch Process Industries (supervision and reading committee member as copromotor 09/99)

PhD committee member

• Camilo Mora Quinones (Tecnologico de Monterrey) (committee member) (since 2021)
• Naghmeh Khosrowabadi (since 2019) (second supervisor)
• Juan Esteban Muriel (Deakin University Melbourne) (since 2019) (External Research Supervisor)
• Ksenija Obid Krzisnik (University of Ljubljana) The supply uncertainty 
perception as a determinant of the ordering decision in a supply chain (since 2018) (committee member)
• J. Paul (RSM Erasmus University), committee member (03/22)
• N. Bombaij (Tilburg University), committee member (04/21)
• J. Heinen (KLU), committee member and chair (12/19)
• S. Aggarwal (IE Business School), member of committee (suspended due to personal situation of candidate)
• B. Acero (Zaragoza Logistics Center / University of Zaragoza), alternate 
member of committee (06/19)
• Y. Huang (Tsinghua University), member of committee (06/18)
• N. Ziengs (University of Groningen), member of committee (04/18)
• D. Inghels (VU University Amsterdam), member of reading committee
(06/16)
• M. Rowshannahad (École des Mines de Saint-Étienne), member of jury
(05/15)
• N. Salimi (TUE), member of committee (10/14)
• S. Wruck (VU University Amsterdam), member of reading committee (06/14)
• M. van Elzakker (TUE), member of committee (11/13)
• F. Liao (TUE), member of committee (11/13)
• F. Karsten (TUE), member of committee (11/13)
• J. Velazquez Martinez (ITESM), member of committee (06/13)
• Y. Bouchery (Ecole Centrale de Paris), member of jury (11/12)
• B. Vermeulen (TUE), member of extended committee (06/12)
• O. Kilic (Univ of Groningen), member of reading committee (10/11)
• K. Alterndorfer (Univ of Vienna), external reviewer (01/11)
• C. de Snoo (Univ of Groningen), member of reading committee (01/11)
• J. Larco (Erasmus Univ Rotterdam), member of reading committee (11/10)
• O. Gabali (TUE), member of core committee (11/10)
• Y. Feng (Université Laval, Québec), member of jury (09/10)
• E. Engebrethsen (BI Business School, Oslo), first opponent (12/09)
• N. Agatz (Erasmus Univ Rotterdam), member of extended committee 
(04/09)
• E. Krauth (Erasmus Univ Rotterdam), member of extended committee 
(12/08)
• M. Mes (University of Twente), member of reading committee (03/08)
• P. van der Vlist (Erasmus Univ Rotterdam), member of reading committee (06/07)
• R. Akkerman (Univ Groningen), member of extended committee (01/07)
• J. Smaros (Helsinki University of Technology), external examiner and 
opponent (09/05)
• M.F. van Assen (Erasmus University Rotterdam), member of extended 
committee (05/05)
• C.A. Soman (Univ Groningen), member of reading committee (01/05)
• B.J C. Claessens (TUE), member of extended committee (10/04)