Dr. Sushil Varma joins from INRIA Paris, where he designed algorithms for online marketplaces and EV-based transportation. Dr. Manhua Wang joins from Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, focusing on trustworthy, adaptive human-AI collaborations in intelligent transportation and automated vehicles.
The University of Michigan (U-M) Industrial and Operations Engineering (IOE) department is welcoming two new faculty this fall; Assistant Professors, Drs. Sushil Varma and Manhua Wang. Their research in dynamic markets, human-AI interaction and future mobility systems will help advance the department’s mission of shaping systems that serve society.
Dr. Sushil Varma joins U-M IOE from INRIA Paris, where he is completing a postdoctoral fellowship, following his PhD in Operations Research at Georgia Tech. His research focuses on designing mathematically grounded, practically implementable algorithms for complex systems such as online marketplaces and electric vehicle-based transportation networks.
By leveraging queueing theory and applied probability, Dr. Varma has developed novel models of matching queues to understand and optimize systems with two-sided supply and demand. His work addresses pricing, charging and matching decisions in spatially distributed platforms, offering scalable solutions for real-world systems.
Dr. Varma has earned numerous accolades, including the 2024 ACM SIGMETRICS Doctoral Dissertation Award, the GT Sigma Xi Best PhD Thesis Award 2025 and the 2021 Stephen S. Lavenberg Best Student Paper Award. His work is published in top journals like INFORMS Operations Research, and he has presented at conferences including ACM SIGMETRICS, INFORMS MSOM and IFIP Performance.
He holds a BTech in Mechanical Engineering from IIT Bombay and dual MS and PhD degrees in Operations Research from Georgia Tech. His industry experience includes work on autonomous vehicle fleet optimization at Tesla. A dedicated educator and mentor, he has received Georgia Tech’s ISyE Outstanding Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA) Award and actively mentored students.
Dr. Manhua Wang joins U-M IOE after deepening her research in transportation safety at the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute as a postdoctoral associate, following her PhD in Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech. Her interdisciplinary research seeks to create trustworthy, transparent, adaptive and affective human-AI collaborations, particularly within the context of intelligent transportation systems and automated vehicles.
Focusing on in-vehicle intelligent agents (IVIAs), Dr. Wang’s work explores how speech styles, embodiment and transparency in AI systems and human emotions together shape driver behavior, trust and safety across varying levels of vehicle automation. Her simulator-based studies and mixed-method evaluations have produced design recommendations for adaptive, explainable AV systems that respond to user needs in real time.
Beyond mobility, Dr. Wang is expanding her work into inclusive technology design, aiming to support neurodiverse individuals across workplace and transportation settings. Her efforts include collaborative projects with subject-matter experts, psychological researchers, and industry partners to promote independence through emerging technologies, accessible driving interfaces, and training programs as the autistic population transitions into adulthood.
She has co-authored peer-reviewed journal articles in Human-Computer Interaction, International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction, Frontiers in Psychology and JAMIA, and presented her work at AutomotiveUI and HFES. Recognized as a 2023 Alphonse Chapanis Best Student Paper Award recipient and a Future Faculty Fellow by IISE, Dr. Wang brings extensive experience in both academic and applied settings, including roles with the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, Explico and Duke University Libraries.
Dr. Wang holds an MS in Information Science from UNC-Chapel Hill and a BS in Psychology from Zhejiang University.