The George R. Brown School of Engineering at Rice University last year named 10 Future Faculty Fellows from eight departments to support Ph.D. and postdoctoral researchers who plan to apply for tenure-track faculty positions.
The fellows attended faculty panels, workshops, one-on-one coaching sessions and a mock interview designed to support them as they prepare for faculty interviews. A monetary award of $1,000 supported each fellow for attending conferences and university seminars.
Mehdi “Soheil” Hemmati
Postdoctoral research fellow in computational applied mathematics and operations research
What position have you accepted?
I am working as a tenure-track assistant professor in the University of Oklahoma’s School of Industrial and Systems Engineering.
Tell us about your research interests.
I wish to develop novel theories and algorithms to solve challenging optimization problems, and adapt and tailor optimization models for decision-making problems arising in healthcare, particularly cancer care.
What would you like to accomplish in your career?
I envision myself as an academician with a research program devoted to the areas I have outlined.
What impact has the Future Faculty Fellowship had on your career plans?
The role of the FFF program in my success in securing assistant professorship positions was crucial. Indeed, I benefited from all the components of the program during my job search journey, but I particularly learned valuable tips from the goal-oriented workshops on application material preparation, academic interviews and negotiation techniques.
Who were your advisers?
I worked under Andrew Schaefer, Noah Harding Chair and Professor at Rice, and my clinical mentor, Dr. Clifton D. Fuller, professor of radiation oncology at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.