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The 2025 State of Supply Chain Sustainability report, produced by the MIT Sustainable Supply Chain Lab and CSCMP, provides a global view of how organizations are turning sustainability commitments into acti

MIT SCM’25 Students Yassine Lahlou-Kamal (left) and Kevin Power (right)

As a college student, Kevin Power never considered working in supply chain management; in fact, he didn’t know it was an option. He earned an undergraduate degree in manufacturing engineering while working full-time at an oil refinery, which demanded a rigorous routine of shift work, long days, and evening classes. 

Researchers from the MIT Emerging Market Economies Logistics Lab (EMeL) have won the 2025 INFORMS Contemporary Operations in Developing Countries Competition. Bringing Contextual Optimization and Agent-Based Simulation for Urban Last-Mile Delivery Efficiency,” a study by lead author Dr. Edgar Gutierrez-Franco with co-authors Dr. Christopher Mejia Argueta and César Alberto Niño Méndez, was selected from a competitive field of 50 submissions and seven finalists.

The U.S. military is mighty, formidable, and singular in influence, stationed in at least 128 overseas bases across 51 countries. Concealed beneath the United States’ biggest investment is a surprise: The military was responsible for the birth of an industry. Today, that industry is essential for its operations.

Dr. Bryan Reimer, a Research Scientist at the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics (CTL), has been awarded the 2025 A. R. Lauer Safety Award by the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES).

The winners of the 2025 MIT Prize for Open Data included Center for Transportation and Logistics researchers Connor Makowski, Tim Russell, Willem Guter and Austin Saragih for their work on SCGraph, an open-source Python toolkit for modeling transportation and logistics networks. SCGraph enables researchers and practitioners to tackle real-world supply chain challenges by running accurate, offline routing simulations across road, rail and maritime networks — without the costs or limitations of commercial APIs.

AI has been hyped as everything from world-saving to world-ending. But beneath the noise lies a more urgent question: is AI actually useful? And if so, useful for what, and for whom?

MIT AgeLab was profiled in an article with the Wall Street Journal, written by Amy Dockser Marcus.

"It took two people to make me feel like I was a woman in my 80s.

Martin Staadecker, a Research Assistant in the MIT Sustainable Supply Chain Lab, has been honored with the MIT-GE Vernova Energy and Climate Alliance Technology and Policy Program Project Award in recognition of his work addressing Scope 3 emissions within supply chains. This prestigious award underscores Staadecker's commitment to advancing sustainable practices and his significant contributions at the MIT Sustainable Supply Chain Lab, which is led by Dr. Josue Velazquez and housed at the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics. 

Managers at small and midsize businesses may perceive automation as too expensive to be feasible, but research has identified strategies that make implementing it possible even on a tight budget. A framework for evaluating the five main factors that can reduce — or increase — the cost of an automation project can help leaders make more informed decisions about whether process automation might be a viable and cost-effective option for their company.

Teaming humans with robots delivers better results for warehouse operations than having only robots, but there are opportunities to improve that collaboration in the face of increasing demands for speed and accuracy in e-commerce fulfillment. Studies have shown that having a mix of humans and robots can lead to greater efficiency, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness compared with full automation alone, but companies must carefully consider the respective roles that humans and robots should play in warehouse facilities. 

AI is revolutionizing supplier negotiations, driven by the need for speed, scalability, and strategic agility in complex supply chains. Initially used for automating low-value tasks, AI can now play a crucial role in a growing number of key procurement decisions.

Loughborough University, which hosts the UK SCALE Centre through a partnership with the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics, won a significant award in higher education.

Despite advances, developing workplace systems that facilitate AI-human working relationships is still in its early stages. Companies need to invest in systems that enable robots and humans to assume more sophisticated roles gradually.                  

By Ken Cottrill, editorial director, MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics

Cambridge, MA —The MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (CTL) mourns the passing of Frederick Smith, founder and executive chair of FedEx, and honors his enduring legacy as a pioneer of innovation in global logistics and a valued friend to the CTL community.

MIT CTL Research Scientists Drs. Inma Borrella and Maria Jesus Saenz, in collaboration with Dr. Elena Revilla, wrote a case study which has been recognized as the top-selling case in Operations Management at Ivey Publishing for 2024/2025. The case study, "Dell: Roadmap of a Digital Supply Chain Transformation," examines a real-world digital supply chain transformation, offering insights into how leading companies are leveraging technology to build more resilient and responsive operations.

How will generative AI aid supply chain practitioners to navigate threats and eliminate risk? MIT Technology Review featured MIT CTL Director of Research Matthias Winkenbach in an article about supply chain resilience in the age of generative AI. 

New technologies and approaches are paving the way to more efficient use of AI systems. 

By Ken Cottrill, editorial director, MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics, published in Supply Chain Management Review May/June 2025

The advent of AI as a widely available business tool has given rise to numerous applications that are proliferating at a dizzying pace. As we strive to stay current with the latest applications, it’s essential not to overlook the ongoing efforts to enhance existing ones. 

Cambridge, MA – The MIT Supply Chain Management Master’s Program has recognized thirty-four exceptional students from nine renowned undergraduate programs specializing in supply chain management and engineering across the United States.

Cambridge, MA – The AWESOME award represents a significant commitment by the MIT Supply Chain Management Master’s Program, the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics, and AWESOME (Achieving Women’s Excellence in Supply Chain Operations, Management, and Education) to encourage students to prepare for and perform successfully in supply chain leadership roles. This fellowship was awarded to two students each year: one from the residential cohort and one from the blended.

By Matt Villano for Business Insider

MIT CTL’s first-ever Emerging Research Showcase brought together early-career researchers and industry leaders at the MIT Museum on March 19, 2025. Organized by Drs. Miguel Rodríguez García and Selene Silvestri, the event served as a platform for researchers to share their work, receive feedback, and foster collaboration between researchers and industry.

The showcase featured a series of compelling presentations tackling inefficiencies, technological advancements, and future challenges in supply chain networks. Presentations included the following: