Real-World Career Guidance for Practice-Oriented Early-Career Professionals

The Early Career Professionals’ Network (ECPN) is a group designed to help recent graduates, soon to be graduates, or anyone newly entering the field of analytics/O.R. to build their professional networks and learn the practicalities of working in the field from experienced practitioners. The ECPN Workshop was created to reflect the fact that analytics work in the real world is challenging in ways that aren’t always taught in analytics and O.R. degree programs. The Workshop is held annually at the INFORMS Business Analytics Conference with a carefully selected cohort of attendees. Highlights from the program include how to land your first job, a panel of analytics executives giving perspective on their career and the marketplace, and a role-playing exercise working with “clients.”

All participants will receive a modest stipend to assist with travel and conference attendance costs (conference registration is mandatory for all ECPN participants). The actual amount will vary based on sponsorships but has in the past been as much as a few hundred dollars.

When

Sunday, April 3, 7:30am-3pm

Where

Marriott Marquis
1777 Walker St
Houston, TX 77010

Eligibility:

Participants must be enrolled in or have graduated from a graduate degree program in analytics, operations research, management science, or a related field.
The event is geared to Master’s, Ph.D. students and recent graduates working in the analytics/OR field.
Participants must be nominated by their university program/department or a representative from their employer.
A department or employer may nominate multiple students or employees. When nominating multiple students or employees, the department or employer should indicate a rank-order preference of nominees in the event that total nominations exceed the event’s attendance limit.
Please note that previous attendees of the IPC, ECC or ECPN are not eligible to attend

Nomination Deadline:

Monday, February 28, 2022 11:59PM EDT

Nominations are closed at this time.

Notification Date: March 8, 2022

Nomination Package: This should be completed and uploaded by the department chair, program director, or supervisor. Packages are due by midnight on Monday, February 28, 2022 and must include the following information in the format specified:

Letter of recommendation from the department chair, program director, or supervisor.
Statement of purpose from the nominee including description of career and research interests.
Resume or CV.
Nominee’s name, mailing address, email address and phone number.
Other required information to include in the submission: nominee’s major field of study, expected degree (M.S., PhD, MBA, etc.), expected date of graduation, thesis/dissertation title (or area of concentration if nominee’s program does not require a thesis), and current employer and position.
Estimate of financial aid requested.
Note: Award amounts will be determined after sponsorships have been confirmed. If this request is not included in the nomination package, no consideration will be given for financial aid.

Testimonials from Previous Attendees

Jose Eduardo Oros, M.S.

Pandora

The INFORMS Professional Colloquium is an all-around analytics experience. You are provided with the opportunity to interact with highly regarded experts in diverse fields of analytics, from groundbreaking research to managerial experts. Furthermore, the small size of the colloquium group gives you the chance to closely interact with speakers, and have one-to-one sessions with a senior mentor, assigned based on your interest and experience. It provides a unique chance to meet and network with peers from the best analytics programs in the country and exchange ideas, questions and contacts.

Vijaya Priya Rama Vijayasarathy, B.E.

Heinz College, Carnegie Mellon University

The INFORMS Analytics Conference in Las Vegas (2017) was my first conference during my graduate education. I was deeply interested in connecting with young professionals from interdisciplinary backgrounds with an interest in analytics, operations research, and management science. The Early Career Professionals’ Network (previously referred to as the INFORMS Professional Colloquium or IPC) was a perfect platform that brought together 20 exceptionally talented students (graduate & PhD) with similar interests from across the U.S. & Canada. In addition to the exceptionally talented peers, the panelists were amazing, and the Career Fair was extremely useful. Most of all, the professional network at INFORMS IPC is one of the best I’ve ever experienced. I am still in touch with my cohort of IPC attendees. IPC has transformed my learning experience and inspired me to learn more through fun learning experiences. Thank you, INFORMS. I strongly recommend IPC to any career-driven, analytically inclined, and ambitious young professional. Good luck!

Yulia Vorotyntseva, M.S.

The University of Texas at Dallas

I went to the IPC 2017 because I had too little exposure to the industry during my PhD program, and I wanted to learn about possibilities of research collaboration and career opportunities that industry provides. My colleagues who had participated in this colloquium in the past, highly recommended it to me, and I am happy that I took their advice. In just one day my perspective on the practice of analytics broadened tremendously. Most importantly, thanks to the comfortable networking environment, I met influential industry practitioners and enjoyed time with my peers. I strongly believe that participating in IPC is simply a good idea for everyone who is considering a career in a field related to business analytics.

Nitish Ghosal

Data Scientist, Ameritas Life Insurance Corporation

I had the opportunity to be part of the ECPN colloquium last year and attend the INFORMS Analytics conference. The event provided me with an opportunity to not only connect with peers from the top analytics programs in the country but also a chance to gain insights & perspectives from highly distinguished panelists which included Edelman laureates, Analytics practice leaders from Fortune 500 companies & eminent analytics practitioners & academicians. Not only this, I also got to attend the Career Fair & Edelman Gala and listen to the track sessions which were hosted by industry experts from top organizations on the most cutting edge topics. Overall, I would highly recommend this event to anyone who is starting their career in analytics and looking to build a strong & influential professional network.

The chair of the ECPN event is Alan Briggs, CAP, Concurrent Technologies Corporation.

For more information, email [email protected]