Portrait image for Reza Ahmadi

Reza Ahmadi

Professor of Decisions, Operations, and Technology Management; George Robbins Chair in Management
“It’s my goal to help students learn and empower them to do what they need to do in order to be successful in their professions after graduation.”
(310) 825-2502
Areas of Expertise:
  • Operations Management
  • Product Design and Development
  • Supply Chain Management with Gray Markets
About
 
 

Biography

Reza Ahmadi is a professor of decisions, operations and technology management. His research focuses on a range of topics, including product design and development and supply chain management. His research on pricing and contracting issues in the presence of gray markets was one of the earliest in this area of operations management.

“My research explores the effect of contract design on gray markets and how services can be used as a strategy to address the challenges in these markets. I seek to find solutions to the practical problems faced by industry,” he says.

Ahmadi is widely regarded for his research examining the practice of discounting prices in a B2B setting and is credited for developing a price-bargaining model that enhances pricing decisions in this arena.

In 2015, he received a faculty grant to support his research on fixed price and bargaining. Ahmadi will examine why different price mechanisms are used in B2B settings. His findings will provide insights into when to allow for fewer price negotiations during the product lifecycle, and how this decision affects seller and supply chain profits.

Ahmadi has published more than 35 academic papers in top journals, including Operations Research, Management Science and Productions and Operations Management. He serves on the editorial board of Production, Operations and Management Society as well as the special editorial board of Interfaces.

Over the last 27 years at Anderson, Ahmadi estimates he has taught over 4,000 graduate students. Through the years, he has taught core, elective and Ph.D. courses to students across all MBA programs, including the Global Executive MBA for Asia Pacific and the recently established Fully-Employed MBA Flex option.

As a faculty advisor for the Easton Technology Management Center, he helps create programming that exposes students to the rapidly transforming technology landscape across different verticals. Ahmadi has worked with business schools around the world to organize short educational programs focused on technology management, the information economy, entrepreneurship and globalization. He has taught students from management programs at Korea University Business School, Indian Institute of Management in Bangalore, and Italy’s SDA Bocconi School of Management.

At UCLA, Ahmadi serves on the Council on Planning and Budget, where he assists in the development of strategic recommendations for the allocation of academic resources through the university’s budgetary and planning processes.

Mastery in industrial engineering landed Ahmadi consulting opportunities with various corporations such as IBM, AMD, GM, Rocketdyne, Magic Mountain, Universal Studios and Disneyland. At Rocketdyne, he was tasked with redesigning their space shuttle’s main engine to commercialize the turbo pump of their rockets so they could be produced two times faster and two times cheaper.

Theme park goers have Ahmadi to thank for helping to develop the Fast Pass concept, which manages the constant flow of customers through theme park attractions.

Outside of the classroom, Ahmadi enjoys playing guitar and has a love for sushi, running and classic rock music. He can often be found outdoors maintaining a lush garden filled with fruit trees, vegetables and roses.

 

Education

Ph.D. Operations Management (with honors), 1988, University of Texas at Austin

M.S. Operations Research (with honors), 1984, University of Texas at Austin

B.S. Industrial Engineering (with honors), 1978, New Mexico State University

Publications

Peak-Load Energy Management by Direct Load Control Contracts. A. Fattahi, S. Dasu, R. Ahmadi Management Science 69(5):2788-2813 (2022)

Timing the Price Agreement in High‐Tech Component Procurement W. Zhang, J. Wang, R. Ahmadi, S. Dasu Production and Operations Management (2021)

Mass Customization and the “Parts-Procurement Planning Problem” A. Fattahi, S. Dasu, R. Ahmadi Management Science 68(8):5778-5797 (2021)

The Weighted Nonnegative Least-Squares Problem with Implicitly Characterized Points A. Fattahi, S. Dasu, R. Ahmadi (2019) Operations Research 67(4):1106-1119 

Mass Customization and “Forecasting Options’ Penetration Rates Problem”. A. Fattahi, S. Dasu, R. Ahmadi Operations Research (2019)

Optimal Group Size in Joint Liability Contracts B. Rezaei, S. Dasu, R. Ahmadi Decision Analysis 14(3):204-225 (2017)

Higher Prices for Larger Quantities? Nonmonotonic Price–Quantity Relations in B2B Markets W. Zhang, S. Dasu, R. Ahmadi Management Science 63(7):2108-2126 (2016)

Supply Chain Coordination in the Presence of Gray Markets and Strategic Consumers R. Ahmadi, F. Iravani, H. Mamani 2016

Beyond Price Mechanisms:  How Much Can Service Help Manage the Competition from Gray Markets? F. Iravani, S. Dasu, R. Ahmadi. European Journal of Operational Research, 2016.

Coping with Gray Markets: The Impact of Market Conditions and Product Characteristics. R. Ahmadi, F. Iravani & H. Mamani. (October 2015).  Production and Operations Management

A Hierarchical Framework for Organizing a Software Development Process. F. Iravani, S. Dasu, R. Ahmadi. Operations Research. 2012.

Gray Markets, A Product of Demand Uncertainty and Excess Inventory. S. Dasu, R. Ahmadi, S.M. Carr. Production and Operations Management. 2012.

The Traveling Salesman Problem with Flexible Coloring. T.A. Roemer, R. Ahmadi, S. Dasu. Discrete Applied Mathematics. 160(12): 1798-1814. August 2012.

Distribution Planning to Optimize Profits in the Motion Picture Industry. B. Somlo, K. Rajaram, R. Ahmadi. Production and Operations Management. 20(4): 618-636. July-August 2011.

Models for Concurrent Product and Process Design. R. Ahmadi, T.A. Roemer. European Journal of Operational Research. 203(3): 601-613. June 2010.

Coordinated Scheduling of Customer Orders for Quick Response. R. Ahmadi, U. Bagchi, T.A. Roemer. Naval Research Logistics. 52(6): 493-512. September 2005.

Concurrent Crashing and Overlapping in Product Development R.H. Ahmadi, T.A. Roemer. Operations Research. 52(4): 606-622. July-August 2004.

Flow Management to Optimize Retail Profits at Theme Parks.  K. Rajaram, R. Ahmadi. Operations Research. 51(2): 175-184. March-April 2003.

Structuring Product Development Processes. R.H. Ahmadi, T.A. Roemer, R. Wang. European Journal of Operational Research. 130(3): 539-558. 2001.

Time-Cost Trade-Offs in Overlapped Product Development. T.A. Roemer, R.H. Ahmadi, R. Wang. Operations Research. 48(6): 858-865. November-December 2000.

Parallel Imports: Challenges from Unauthorized Distribution Channels. R.H. Ahmadi, B.R. Yang. Marketing Science. 19(3): 279-294. Summer 2000.

A Mini-Line Approach for Pull Production.  R.H. Ahmadi, H. Matsuo. European Journal of Operational Research. 125(2): 340-358. 2000.

Routing Heuristics for Automated Pick and Place Machines. R.H. Ahmadi, J.W. Mamer. European Journal of Operational Research. 117(3): 533-552. September 1999.

Managing Development Risk in Product Design Processes. R.H. Ahmadi, R. Wang. Operations Research. 47(2): 235-246. March-April 1999.

Design of Electronic Assembly Lines: An Analytical Framework and its Application. R.H. Ahmadi, P. Kouvelis. European Journal of Operational Research. 115(1): 113-137. 1999.

Pricing in Separable Channels: The Case of Parallel Imports.  [Abstract] B.R. Yang, R.H. Ahmadi, K.B. Monroe. Journal of Product and Brand Management. 7(4): 433-440. 1998.

Managing Capacity and Flow at Theme Parks. R.H. Ahmadi. Operations Research. 45(1): 1-13. January-February 1997.

Scheduling in Network Flow Shops. R.H. Ahmadi. Journal of Global Optimization. 9: 293-320. 1996.

Product/Process Design in Mass Placement Printed Circuit Board Assembly.  [Document Request] J.H. Ahmadi, R.H. Ahmadi, J. Rao.Production and Operations Management. 4(4): 401-413. 1995.

Component Fixture Positioning/Sequencing for Printed Circuit Board Assembly with Concurrent Operations.  J.H. Ahmadi, R.H. Ahmadi, H. Matsuo, D. Tirupati. Operations Research. 43(3): 444-457. May-June 1995.

Design of a Testing Fixture for Printed Circuit Boards.  [Document Request] R.H. Ahmadi, P. Kouvelis. IIE Transactions. 27: 81-89. 1995.

Working Papers and Technical Reports

Flattening Energy-Consumption Curves by Monthly Constrained Direct Load Control Contracts, A. Fattahi, S. Ghodsi, S. Dasu, and R. Ahmadi, Operations Research, Under Review 2023.