For Ross Collins, joining the MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics (CTL) is not just a professional milestone, it is, as he puts it, “sort of poetic.” His work with MIT CTL started in 2014, when he began teaching in the Graduate Certificate in Logistics and Supply Chain Management (GCLOG) program.
Now, Collins has been appointed Director of Corporate Engagement at MIT CTL, a role that brings him back to the academic community where his career began and positions him at the intersection of research and industry practice. After more than a decade working across global supply chains, from fast-growing e-commerce to medical devices, Collins now focuses on building long-term, mutually beneficial partnerships between MIT CTL and industry leaders.
“I had always wanted to come back,” Collins said, reflecting on his return to MIT. “I started my career in academia, and when I left, I thought, I’m not sure when or how, but I’m going to come back someday.”
That opportunity came sooner than expected. Drawn by the chance to combine the rigor of research with making a real impact on industry, Collins described the role as “a good melding of past experience and where I think I could take my career. This is a uniquely good fit.”
In his new position, Collins works closely with CTL’s Supply Chain Exchange (SCE) corporate partnership program to connect cutting-edge research with pressing, real-world challenges in operations, logistics, sustainability, and digital transformation. His approach to engagement is shaped by years on the practitioner side of the table.
“The key to strong relationship building is to build around long-term mutual value and not be transactional,” he said. “Especially as it pertains to the exchange program and MIT CTL, we need a deep understanding of the problems that our partners are facing and I anticipate doing a lot of listening as opposed to a lot of talking as I’m meeting our partners, understanding their challenges and priorities.”
Collins brings more than a decade of senior operations experience across global supply chains and logistics networks. Prior to joining MIT CTL, he served as Global Head of Supply Chain at Lexington Medical, overseeing end-to-end supply chain operations during a period marked by geopolitical disruption and tariffs. Earlier, he held multiple leadership roles at Wayfair, including GM of North America Logistics for its freight forwarding business and Head of Supply Chain Network Strategy for the company’s 3PL operations.
That hands-on experience informs how he thinks about translating research into practice. In terms of understanding industry partners’ needs, he reflects that, “it can be difficult mentally to make that bridge unless you’ve lived through supply chain challenges [like I have],” Collins said. He emphasized the importance of empathy and real-world context when engaging with industry partners, adding, “I know how hard this time is and how challenging ongoing disruptions can be.”
Collins’ foundation in research plays an equally important role. He earned his Ph.D. in Engineering Systems and an MS in Technology and Policy from MIT, after completing a BS in Systems Engineering at the University of Virginia. His academic work spans sustainability, systems modeling, and complex engineered systems, and he has contributed to international initiatives through the United Nations.
He sees research skills as essential to effective engagement. “Good research comes down to being able to ask very concise and cogent questions and frame up very concise and cogent hypotheses,” Collins said. “That’s difficult, especially if you’re studying complex systems like supply chains, and I aim to bring that into my work with industry partners.”
As he steps into the role, Collins is focused on listening and learning—both from CTL’s partners and its research staff. “I’m very much taking the first weeks, months as listening and digestion mode,” he said. At the same time, he is eager to both strengthen existing partnerships and grow CTL’s corporate network.
At the core of Collins’ career has been a desire to keep learning and to work on complex, evolving problems. “At the end of the day, from a career standpoint I optimize for one thing: to continue to learn and tackle intellectually stimulating problems that I haven’t tackled before,” he said. He added that doing so alongside “really smart, talented, kind, and motivated people” is equally important—qualities he sees evident at CTL.
Looking ahead, Collins is energized “to hit the ground running,” he said. “This role brings together all of my background and experience in a way that very few roles could.”