Research Interests
Explainable AI, predictive analytics, simulations, decision science, and healthcare
Education
- Ph D: Operations Management, (2010), Department of Management Information Systems, The University of Arizona - Tucson, AZ
Supporting Area: Economics Minor - MS: Management Information Systems, (2005), Department of Management Information Systems, The University of Arizona - Tucson, AZ
- BEE: Electrical Engineering (Honors), (1998), Sirindhorn International Institute of Technology, Thammasat University - Thailand
Biography
Nichalin Summerfield is an Assistant Professor in the Operations & Information Systems Department at UMass Lowell. She received her Ph.D. in Management with a concentration in Operations Management and a master's degree in Management Information Systems from the University of Arizona. Her research interests include explainable AI, predictive analytics, simulations, decision science, and healthcare. Her articles have been published in the European Journal of Operational Research, Decision Support Systems, the Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, and the Journal of the Operational Research Society, among others. Before pursuing her Ph.D., she worked at Accenture (Thailand), where she was involved in various IT process redesign and system integration projects. While studying at the University of Arizona, she worked part-time as a software engineer, developing image compression software used on the Phoenix Mars Lander.
Selected Awards and Honors
- Department's Teaching Excellence Award (2022), Teaching - Operations & Information Systems Department, UMass Lowell
- Runner-up - DSI Regional Best Paper Award (2021), Scholarship/Research - Decision Sciences Institute (DSI)
- Best Application of Theory Paper Award (2021), Scholarship/Research - Northeast Decision Sciences Institute (NEDSI)
- Department's Teaching Excellence Award (2018), Teaching - Operations & Information Systems Department, UMass Lowell
- Thomas J. Higginson Awards for Excellence in Teaching (2016), Teaching - Charlton College of Business, UMass Dartmouth
- CCB Research Award (2015), Scholarship/Research - Charlton College of Business, UMass Dartmouth
- Provost’s Best Practices Awards for Innovative Use of Technology (2015), Teaching - UMass Dartmouth
- Dean’s Research Award (2009), Scholarship/Research - Eller College of Management, The University of Arizona
- Dean’s Teaching Award (2009), Teaching - Eller College of Management, The University of Arizona
- James F. LaSalle Award for Teaching Excellence (2009), Teaching - Eller College of Management, The University of Arizona
Selected Publications
- Nasir, M. (Wichita State University), Summerfield, N., Carreiro, S. (University of Massachusetts Medical School & UMass Memorial Healthcare), Berlowitz, D., Oztekin, A. (2024). A Machine Learning Approach for Diagnostic and Prognostic Predictions, Key Risk Factors & Interactions. Health Services and Outcomes Research Methodology.
- Nasir, M. (Wichita State University), Summerfield, N., Simsek, S. (Montclair State University), Oztekin, A. (2024). An Interpretable Machine Learning Methodology to Generate Interaction Effect Hypotheses from Complex Datasets. Decision Sciences.
- Ahmed, A., Deokar, A., Lee, H., Summerfield, N. (2024). The role of commitment in online reputation systems: An empirical study of express delivery promise in an e-commerce platform. Decision Support Systems, 176 114061.
- Nasir, M., Summerfield, N., Oztekin, A., Knight, M., Ackerson, L.K., Carreiro, S. (2021). Machine Learning-based Outcome Prediction and Novel Hypotheses Generation for Substance Use Disorder Treatment. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association.
- Summerfield, N., Deokar, A., Xu, M., Zhu, W. (2021). Should drivers cooperate? Performance evaluation of cooperative navigation on simulated road networks using network DEA. Journal of the Operational Research Society , 72(5) 1042-1057.
- Nasir, M., Summerfield, N., Dag, A., Oztekin, A. (2020). A Service Analytic Approach to Studying Patient No-Shows. Service Business, 14(2) 287–313.
- Summerfield, N., Zhang, J., Motiwalla, L.F., Mai, T., Mazza, K. (2018). Using Analytics to Predict Project Management Success.
- Summerfield, N.S., Dror, M., Cohen, M.A. (2015). City streets parking enforcement inspection decisions: The Chinese postman’s perspective. European Journal of Operational Research, 242(1) 149-160.
- Summerfield, N.S., Dror, M. (2013). Biform game: Reflection as a stochastic programming problem. International Journal of Production Economics, 142(1) 124-129.
- Summerfield, N.S., Dror, M. (2012). Stochastic programming for decentralized newsvendor with transshipment. International Journal of Production Economics, 137(2) 292-303.
- Suakkaphong, N., Dror, M. (2011). Managing decentralized inventory and transshipment. TOP - Journal of the Spanish Society of Statistics and Operations Research, 19(2) 480-506.
- Suakkaphong, N., Zhang, Z., Chen, H. (2011). Disease named entity recognition using semisupervised learning and conditional random fields. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 62(4) 727-737.
- Summerfield, N. (2010). Games of Decentralized Inventory Management. The University of Arizona.
- Summerfield, N., Dror, M. (2009). Competition and Cooperation in Decentralized Distribution.
- Dang, Y., Zhang, Y., Suakkaphong, N., Larson, C., Chen, H. (2008). An integrated approach to mapping worldwide bioterrorism research capabilities (pp. 212-214).
Selected Presentations
- Predicting Patient No-shows via a Hybrid Business Analytics Methodology - 2019 INFORMS Annual Meeting, October 2019 - Seattle, WA
- Predicting Patient No-Shows via a Hybrid Business Analytics Methodology - Decision Sciences Institute Annual Conference, November 2018 - Chicago, IL
- Predicting Patient No-Shows via a Hybrid Business Analytics Methodology - INFORMS 13th Data Mining & Decision Analytics Workshop, November 2018 - Phoenix, AZ
- A Holistic Data Analytic Approach to Determine Impacts of the Caregiver Advise, Record, Enable (CARE) Act on Reducing Readmission and Mortality Rates among Older Adults - INFORMS Annual Meeting, November 2018 - Phoenix, AZ
- Using Analytics to Predict Project Management Success - 3rd North American International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management, September 2018 - Washington, DC
- Expected Value of Perfect Information (EVPI) of Demand in Propane Distribution Problem - INFORMS Annual Meeting, 2017 - Houston, TX
- City Streets Parking Enforcement Inspection Decisions: The Chinese Postman’s Perspective - INFORMS Annual Meeting, 2014 - San Francisco, CA
- Biform Game: Reflection as a Stochastic Programming Problem - INFORMS Annual Meeting, 2011 - Charlotte, NC
- Stochastic Programming Framework for Decentralized Inventory with Transshipment - INFORMS Annual Meeting, 2011 - Charlotte, NC
- Biform Game: Reflection as a Stochastic Programming Problem - MSOM Annual Conference, 2011 - Ann Arbor, MI
- Managing Decentralized Distribution: Insights and Incentives for Collaboration - INFORMS Annual Meeting, 2009
- Managing Decentralized Distribution: Insights and Incentives for Collaboration - INFORMS Western Regional Conference, 2009 - Phoenix, AZ
Selected Contracts, Fellowships, Grants and Sponsored Research
- PollWorker Assignment and Voting Machine Allocation across Electoral Precincts (2024), Grant - Internal Seed Funding Program
Fontem, B. (Principal), Summerfield, N. (Co-Principal) - A Holistic Data Analytic Modeling of Health Outcomes for Different Vulnerable Risk Groups (2018), Grant - IDEA Leadership Fund
Oztekin, A. (Principal), Knight, M. (Co-Principal), Evans, K. (Supporting), Summerfield, N. (Supporting), Lee, S. (Supporting), Ackerson, L.K. (Supporting), - The CARE Act: Processes Affecting the Community/Caregiver Perspective of Caring for Older Adults (2018), Grant - Manning School of Business and the Zuckerberg College of Health Sciences
Kronrod, A. (Supporting), Knight, M. (Principal), Evans, K. (Co-Principal), Summerfield, N. (Co-Principal), Abdallah, L.M. (Co-Principal), Oztekin, A. (Supporting)