The Human-Centered AI Society (HCAIS) held a conference recently to honor the 80th birthday and achievements of Dr. Suresh Sethi, Eugene McDermott Distinguished Chair in the Naveen Jindal School of Management and a professor in the Operations and Supply Chain Management (OM) Academic Area.
The conference — Symposium on Intelligent Operations 2025 & International Conference Honoring Suresh Sethi — is the first to honor Sethi in the Asia Pacific region. A 2004 conference at the Jindal School honored Sethi’s 60th birthday and contributions. It featured Nobel laureate Dr. Harry M. Markowitz, who delivered the keynote address. Two others were held in 2005 and 2006. Two others were held in 2025, including one at the Jindal School last September to honor his 80th birthday and lasting impact.
The most recent conference was held Dec. 19-21 at National Economics University, Hanoi, Vietnam. Keynote speakers were Dr. Subodha Kumar, MS’00, PhD’01, who was the first PhD gradute from the Jindal School, a coauthor of Sethi, and is now Paul R. Anderson Distinguished Chair Professor at Temple University’s Fox School of Business; Dr. Hemant Bhargava from the University of California, Davis; Dr. Chung Piaw Teo from National University of Singapore; and Dr. Tony Duan from Southwestern University of Finance and Economics who is founder/CEO of Fotor.
“The celebratory conference highlighted the importance of actively creating magical moments,” Sethi said. “It nurtured memories that brought joy to my academic family — former students, postdocs, and coauthors — and colleagues from all over the world. The gathering served as a powerful, grateful reflection on eight decades of life, emphasizing that wisdom and shared stories are the true treasures of longevity.”
Event organizers billed the event as “a prestigious gathering of scholars and professionals to honor Professor Sethi’s impact on the field, featuring presentations from his former students and coauthors, keynote speeches by distinguished scholars, engaging discussions on cutting-edge topics in intelligent operations, and social gatherings to celebrate his legacy.”
Sethi has been on the Jindal School’s faculty since 1997, when Dr. Hasan Pirkul, Caruth Chair and Jindal School dean, hired him to oversee the founding and development of the OM Academic Area. He is also director of the Center for Intelligent Supply Networks. He has written 11 books and published more than 400 research papers in the fields of manufacturing and operations management, finance and economics, marketing, and optimization theory. He initiated and developed doctoral programs in operations management at both the Jindal School and the University of Toronto.
“The conference inspired me to live with more gratitude and to foster a legacy of meaningful connections with my academic family, and to wish for their academic accomplishments as they go through their lives, Sethi explained. “I would like to leave behind an inspired group of academic descendants and friends who would contribute significantly by their research and service to the profession and society.”
