cv

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Basics

Name Sébastien Martin
Label Associate Professor
Email sebastien.martin@kellogg.northwestern.edu
Phone +1 (510) 229-2758
Url https://sebastienmartin.info
Summary I am an associate professor of Operations at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University. My research focuses on the interface of large-scale optimization and operations management, with applications to transportation, the gig economy, public sector operations and AI.

Academic appointments

  • 2025.09 - Current

    Evanston, IL, USA

    Associate Professor of Operations
    Northwestern University - Kellogg
    I teach the MBA course "AI Foundations for Managers, AgentOps".
  • 2020 - 2025.09

    Evanston, IL, USA

    Assistant Professor of Operations
    Northwestern University - Kellogg
    I taught the Operations Management core course in the MBA program.
  • 2019 - 2020

    New York City, NY, USA

    Postdoctoral Fellow
    Lyft, Inc.
    I worked with the Marketplace Innovation Lab to improve dispatch algorithms.
  • 2014.04 - 2014.08

    Berkeley, CA, USA

    Visiting Researcher
    UC Berkeley

Industry and advisory

  • 2026.01 - Current

    North Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.

    Board Member
    ESAB Corporation (NYSE: ESAB)
    Member of the Board of Directors, providing strategic oversight with a focus on innovation, AI adoption, and operational excellence. ESAB is a global leader in fabrication and gas control technology ($3B revenue, 10,000 employees).
  • 2025 - 2025.12

    North Bethesda, Maryland, U.S.

    AI advisor to the CEO
    ESAB Corporation (NYSE: ESAB)
    I served as a strategic advisor to ESAB, working with executive leadership to develop the company's AI strategy, establish its AI steering committee, and train the workforce on leveraging AI agents for innovation and productivity.
  • 2016.06 - 2016.08

    Mountain View, CA, USA

    Software Engineering Intern
    Google
    Successfully passed the Google Software Engineer coding interviews. Worked for Google Maps. Researched, experimented and implemented novel algorithms to improve maps and navigation data using large geolocation datasets (> 100Gb).

Education

  • 2014 - 2019

    Cambridge, MA, USA

    Ph.D.
    Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    Operations Research
  • 2011 - 2015

    Palaiseau, France

    B.Sc. & M.Sc.
    Ecole Polytechnique
    Applied Mathematics

Awards

  • 2025
    Poets and Quants Best 40 Under 40 MBA Professors
    Poets and Quants
    Awarded to 40 best business school professors under 40 years old every year
  • 2026
    INFORMS Journal on Computing Meritorious Reviewer Award
    INFORMS
    For my service as a reviewer for INFORMS Journal on Computing in 2025.
  • 2025
    INFORMS Journal on Computing Meritorious Reviewer Award
    INFORMS
    For my service as a reviewer for INFORMS Journal on Computing in 2024.
  • 2024
    Chair Core Course Teaching Award
    Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
    For "teaching excellence" in Kellogg's core course Operations Management
  • 2024
    Transportation Science Meritorious Service Award
    INFORMS TSL Society
    For my service as a reviewer for the journal Transportation Science.
  • 2024
    Distinguished Service Award, Operations Research
    INFORMS, Operations Research Journal
    For "extraordinary reviewer work for the journal".
  • 2024
    Best Student Paper Award
    MIT ORC
    For my paper "Two-Sided Flexibility in Platforms", the student is my co-author Kamessi Zhao.
  • 2023
    Franz Edelman Award Laureate (with Lyft)
    INFORMS
    Most important award for applied operations research, for my work on reinforcement learning with Lyft.
  • 2022
    Daniel H. Wagner Prize Finalist
    INFORMS
    Award for "strong mathematics applied to practical problems", for my work on platform equilibrium optimization with Lyft.
  • 2021
    RMP Student Paper Award Finalist
    INFORMS
    Award for the best student paper in revenue management and pricing for my paper on labor cost free-riding in the gig economy. The student was Zhen Lian.
  • 2019
    George B. Dantzig Dissertation Award
    INFORMS
    For my PhD dissertation. The George B. Dantzig Award is given for the best dissertation in any area of operations research and the management sciences that is innovative and relevant to practice.
  • 2019
    TSL dissertation prize
    INFORMS Transportation Science and Logistics Society
    For my PhD dissertation. Oldest dissertation INFORMS prize, in the general area of transportation science and logistics.
  • 2019
    Franz Edelman Award Laureate (with Boston Public Schools)
    INFORMS
    Most important award for applied operations research, for my work on bus routing optimization with Boston Public Schools.
  • 2019
    Doing Good with Good OR award, Second Place
    INFORMS
    For my paper "optimizing schools’ start time and bus routes".
  • 2018
    Best Student Paper Award
    MIT ORC
    For my paper "optimizing schools’ start time and bus routes".
  • 2018
    Best Presentation
    LIDS
    For my paper "Online Vehicle Routing: The Edge of Optimization in Large-Scale Applications".
  • 2017
    Boston Public Schools Transportation Challenge Winner
    Boston Public Schools
    Winner of a $30,000 contest to optimize school bus routes and school schedules.
  • 2013
    Zodiac Aerospace – Gerondeau Innovation Prize
    Zodiac Aerospace & Ecole Polytechnique
    Won a €10,000 prize for most innovative start-up, using machine learning to build a smart bicycle that automatically shifts gears.
  • 2012
    French Medal of National Defense, Bronze level
    France
    I received this French military honor for my cumulated time in external operations during my year of service as a military firefighter.

Publications

Press

Languages

English
Fluent
French
Native speaker
Spanish
Intermediate