Operations · Machine Learning · Causal Inference
Seyed Morteza Emadi
Associate Professor of Operations
UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Associate Professor of Operations
Kenan-Flagler Business School
About
Scholar, teacher, builder
Seyed Emadi is an Associate Professor of Operations at UNC Kenan-Flagler Business School. He holds a Ph.D. from Kellogg School of Management (Northwestern) and B.Sc./M.Sc. degrees in Electrical Engineering from Sharif University of Technology.
His research focuses on theoretical foundations of machine learning and AI, econometric methodology and causal inference, and empirical operations management, particularly understanding consumer decision-making through methods ranging from structural estimation to advanced AI applications. His work appears in top journals including Management Science and Operations Research.
A winner of the 2025 Weatherspoon Award for Excellence in MBA Teaching and consistent Teaching All-Star (2018–2023), Seyed teaches analytics and machine learning courses across EMBA, MBA, undergraduate, and Ph.D. programs.
Before academia, he was CEO of a high-voltage device research company and an electrical engineer.
Research
From service operations to the foundations of AI
Work spans empirical operations management, econometric methodology, and theoretical machine learning, with applications in pricing, call centers, retail, and platform markets.
Theoretical foundations of machine learning and artificial intelligence
Econometric methodology and causal inference
Empirical operations management with focus on consumer decision-making
Service and retail operations, queueing systems, and data-driven policy design
Education
Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
- Ph.D., Operations Management, 2013
- M.Sc., Operations Management, 2011
Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran
- M.Sc., Electrical Engineering, 2004
- B.Sc., Electrical Engineering, 2001
Selected honors
- Weatherspoon Award for Excellence in MBA Teaching, 2025
- Teaching All-Star, Kenan-Flagler MBA students, 2018–2023
- MSOM Meritorious Service Award, 2020
- Management Science Meritorious Service Award, 2017, 2019, 2023
Publications
Research output
Published articles, papers under review, and working drafts. See the CV for invited talks and additional details.
Published articles
Rank-Aware Spectral Bounds on Attention Logits for Stable Low-Precision Training
S. M. Emadi
Accepted at ICML 2026
Diamonds in the Rough: Leveraging Click Data to Spotlight Underrated Products
S. Modaresi, S. M. Emadi, V. Deshpande
Production & Operations Management, Vol. 35, No. 2, 2025
Finalist, MSOM 2020 Data-Driven Challenge (JD.com)
Intertemporal Pricing with Resellers: An Empirical Study of Product Drops
D. Steele, S. M. Emadi, S. Kesavan
Management Science, Vol. 71, No. 9, 2025
Personalized Priority Policies in Call Centers Using Past Customer Interaction Information
B. Hathaway, S. M. Emadi, V. Deshpande
Management Science, Vol. 68, No. 4, 2022
Don't Call Us, We'll Call You: An Empirical Study of Caller Behavior Under a Callback Option
B. Hathaway, S. M. Emadi, V. Deshpande
Management Science, Vol. 67, No. 3, 2021
A Structural Estimation Approach to Study Agent Attrition
S. M. Emadi, B. Staats
Management Science, Vol. 66, No. 9, 2020
Customer Learning in Call Centers from Previous Waiting Experiences
S. M. Emadi, J. Swaminathan
Operations Research, Vol. 66, No. 5, 2018
Impact of Delay Announcements in Call Centers: An Empirical Approach
Z. Aksin, B. Ata, S. M. Emadi, C. Su
Operations Research, Vol. 65, No. 1, 2017
Structural Estimation of Callers' Delay Sensitivity in Call Centers
Z. Aksin, B. Ata, S. M. Emadi, C. Su
Management Science, Vol. 59, No. 12, 2013
Finalist, 2015 MSOM Service Management SIG Prize
Under review & revision
A Copula-Based Methodology for Testing Instrument Exogeneity in Linear Regression Models: Applications in Pricing, Education, and Peer Effects
S. M. Emadi, Rajdeep Grewal
Major revision at Management Science
The Critical Horizon: Inspection Design Principles for Multi-Stage Operations and Deep Reasoning
S. M. Emadi
Under review at Operations Research
Exact Attention Sensitivity and the Geometry of Transformer Stability
S. M. Emadi
Under review at NeurIPS 2026
The Causal Description Gap: Information-Theoretic Separations Across Pearl's Hierarchy
S. M. Emadi
Under review at NeurIPS 2026
Tipping's Hidden Cost: The Role of Tips in Driver Relocation and Implications for Service Equity
Li Ding, S. M. Emadi, Basak Kalkanci
Major revision at Production & Operations Management
Working papers
Identification and Efficient Estimation of Latent Consideration Sets via Partial Observation
S. M. Emadi, Adam Mersereau
Draft in preparation for submission to Operations Research
The Capacity–Adoption Paradox: Why Expanding Training Can Destabilize Labor Markets
S. M. Emadi
Draft in preparation for submission to Management Science
When Predictive Accuracy Misleads Operations: Decision-Aware Statistical Testing
S. M. Emadi, Vinayak Deshpande
Draft in preparation for submission to Management Science
Teaching
Analytics for decision-makers
Courses connect statistical thinking, machine learning, and managerial decision-making across EMBA, MBA, undergraduate, and doctoral programs.
- EMBA: Analytics & Machine Learning for Managerial Decisions (MBA 716A)
- MBA@UNC & Full-time MBA: Data Analytics, Tools and Opportunities (MBA 706)
- Undergraduate: Business Analytics (BUSI 410)
- Ph.D.: Special Topics on Empirical Research in Operations (BUSI 899)
Contact
Get in touch
For research collaborations, speaking invitations, or doctoral advising inquiries, email is best.
Email: Seyed_Emadi@kenan-flagler.unc.edu
Office: McColl 4707, Chapel Hill, NC 27599
Phone: +1 224-425-1043
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/seyed-morteza-emadi
Podcast
Business Research Talk
Conversations with business researchers about how their work actually gets made.
Focused conversations with researchers in business schools and industry about their projects, the questions that drove them, and what they learned along the way. Each episode goes beyond the polished talk to explore what surprised them, what did not make it into the paper, and what comes next.
Visit businessresearchtalk.comMusic
Tisapeh
Creative life alongside academic research.
Tisapeh is where Seyed's work in music lives alongside his research and teaching. Original recordings spanning voice, guitar, bass, drums, and keys. A creative outlet that has run in parallel with his academic career, from opera lessons as a child to the studio today.
Visit tisapeh.band