Focus on scientific research and keep up with current events
He is a practical scientist who enjoys loneliness.
Playing ball games, traveling, trying out restaurants
He is a post-90s youth who enjoys life.
He dares to explore new areas.
He is optimistic about the long road ahead.
He is a new member of the CoME family——
Zhongbin Wang
"Accumulation and gradual development" are the perception of scientific research and the experience
Compared with other students of the same period, Zhongbin Wang's PhD study was relatively bumpy. In the beginning, he did not understand why his mentor always picked out many problems and gave a lot of feedback for the revision of his research papers. However, in the process of revision and improvement, he accumulated a lot of relevant literature and theoretical knowledge, which deepened his understanding of the research issues and made him gradually realize his mentor's intention. In some cases, the number of papers does not represent all scientific research achievements, which is a process of gradual accumulation and tempering. In constant communication and exchange, as well as many papers input and self-digestion, efforts will surely be rewarded.
At the end of 2015, Wang compiled his accumulated achievements and submitted his papers to Operations Research (one of the two top journals in Operations Management). After nearly four years of revision, he finally received an offer from Operations Research in 2019. At that moment, Wang was excited beyond words. From then on, he became surer of his research direction, and the publication of his papers gradually became smooth. In retrospect, more than four years of accumulation and precipitation was actually more like a practice, and it was also the time when he improved himself the fastest.
"Accumulation and gradual development may be true for many graduate students," Wang said, "If you haven't published a paper in years, don't be hasty. Settle down, find your problems, keep improving, and maybe you'll be pleasantly surprised."
To queue or not to queue? It's a question worth thinking about
Wang's research direction mainly covers operations management, stochastic operations research, and queuing economics, among which queuing economics is a relatively new research field in domestic academic research. The related issues may sound interesting, but it’s challenging to study.
Queuing economics is a research direction to solve some operation management problems through queuing theory and game theory, also known as stochastic service operation management. Queuing at an Internet celebrity restaurant, a milk tea shop, or an amusement park fits into this category. Queuing economics is a good depiction of the effects of randomness, revealing many unexpected consequences in our reality.
For example, why are there so many people in line at an online celebrity store? Let's think about random services, aside from some marketing and network effects. While representing a long wait, a long line signals to customers less familiar with the item is trendy. This signal will stimulate consumers to update their information. The research of MSOM in 2009 studied this phenomenon, and the result is quite surprising. Under Nash equilibrium, consumers who are uncertain about service quality information will always join a longer queue. In queuing economics, we call this equilibrium behavior following the crowd, which is often the case in reality.
Find some interesting problems in your life. You can use your professional knowledge to research and turn it into your scientific research achievements. Both life and study will become interesting.
Life and scientific research are indispensable, but we should grasp the beauty and enjoy life
As a prolific researcher, Wang is not always stuck in the lab. He has many interests in life. During his Ph.D. study, he played basketball and did sports every day. He was also good at finding little-known stores and sharing them with his friends. He often travels with his family and friends during winter and summer vacations to get away from his usual working and living environment and find relax.
Keeping a diary has always been his habit. Simply recording his scientific research and life, honing his toughness, just like, "I reflect on myself three times a day."
Wishes for students
For graduate students, Zhongbin Wang offers a few suggestions.
First, being fit is more important than interest. Different people choose scientific research for various reasons: employment or interest. For no matter which reason, most people gradually become interested and enthusiastic about their research; otherwise, you will be depressed in the future. So, interest can be cultivated, but the right direction must be chosen.
Second, accumulation and precipitation are essential. Don’t be afraid of difficulties and do not rush for success. In continuous setbacks, you will slowly find the cause of your failure and get it solved.
Third, accept failure. When we do research, we often fail. But the fact that we make so many mistakes shows that this problem is complex and that it is not easy for others to do it. That's why the question is all the more valuable. This kind of brainwashing "self-reflection" can be very rewarding and may lead to many achievements.
Profile of new faculty
Zhongbin Wang is an associate professor at the Institute of Systems Engineering, School of Management and Economics, Tianjin University. He has published more than ten high-level papers as the first author or corresponding author, including leading international publications in Operations Research (UTD 24), Management Science (UTD 24), Production and Operations Management (UTD 24), etc. He was awarded the first Prize for Best Paper in Services Science in 2021 from the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) and the Outstanding Research Award for Young Faculty at the 13th Symposium on Behavioral Operations Research and Behavioral Operations Management in 2021.
His research interests include operations management, consumer-driven service operations, and supply chain management in the platform economy. The main technical tools used include queueing theory, stochastic process, and game theory.
He has hosted one National Natural Science Foundation of China project and one postdoctoral project and participated in two National Natural Science Foundation of China projects as the leading participant. He has been a reviewer of several internationally renowned operational research and Management science journals, such as Production and Operations Management, IISE Transactions, European Journal of Operational Research, Naval Research Logistics, and OR Spectrum.
By College of Management and Economics
Editor: Sun Xiaofang
