The MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics (MIT CTL) is part of the Engineering Systems Division in the School of Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.   For more than five decades, MIT CTL has been a world leader in supply chain management education and research. MIT CTL has made significant contributions to supply chain and logistics and has helped numerous companies gain competitive advantage from its cutting-edge research.  Visit our website to learn more about our educational offerings, research initiatives, and outreach opportunities! https://ctl.mit.edu/  

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Issued by Operations Management Research
2025

Best Paper Award

Issued by Harvard Business Publishing
2025

Bestseller Case Study

Women in Supply Chain Award

Issued by International Congress on Project Engineering
2000

Young Researcher Award

Issued by XVII Congress on Project Engineering
2001

First Prize for Innovation in University Teaching

Finalist for the Chan Hahn Best Paper Award

Issued by International Decision Science Institute
2013

Outstanding Reviewer Awards for Excellence

Issued by European Foundation for Management Development
2013

Case Writing Award

Issued by Industrial Engineering and Operations Management Profession
2022 and 2017

IEOM Distinguished Educator Award

MIT Digital Supply Chain Transformation Lab : Director

MIT SCM Masters Programs : Executive Director

MITx PRO : Lecturer

MIT Professional Education : Lecturer

Integrating AI in organizations for value creation through Human-AI teaming: A dynamic-capabilities approach

Human–Artificial Intelligence Collaboration in Prediction: A Field Experiment in the Retail Industry

From natural language to simulations: applying AI to automate simulation modelling of logistics systems

Synchromodal Supply Chains for Fast-Moving Consumer Goods

Introducing synchromodality: One missing link between transportation and supply chain management

Maria Jesus Saenz from MIT joins us to discuss multiple case studies and research on the successful digital transformation journey of many companies. We hear about the impact of the current pandemic on the future of digital Supply Chains.

#42 - The Digital Transformation Journey with Maria Jesus Saenz

Intelligent & Autonomous Supply Chains

Supply Chain Strategy & Network Architecture

SCM.261 Supply Chain Transformation: Case Studies

MIT CTL Executive Education: E2E Autonomous Supply Chains

MITx PRO: COO Supply Chain Management: Leading with AI and Digital Transformation

MIT Professional Education: COO, CDO, CTO Programs

MIT Technology Leadership Program: Leading Supply Chain Transformation

Dr. Maria Jesus Saenz is the Executive Director of the MIT Supply Chain Management Master Programs, a #1 worldwide-ranked MIT degree that allows learners innovative educational paths in the supply chain domain, embracing the MIT experience. Dr. Saenz also serves as the director of the  MIT Digital Supply Chain Transformation Lab. She explores and quantifies how fast-evolving digital technologies and AI reshape E2E supply chains and identifies the new opportunities behind Human-AI collaboration. The Lab applies quantitative research methodologies to assess how data-driven ecosystems create value.

Dr. Saenz, as a senior lecturer at MIT, teaches various courses at the Master's and Executive Education levels on Digital Transformation, Supply Chain Management, AI-driven Supply Chains, and Human-AI Collective Intelligence. Regarding her education, Dr. Saenz is certified in Leadership for Senior Executives and Participant Centered Learning by Harvard Business School. She received Cum Laude and the Outstanding Doctoral Award for her PhD in Manufacturing and Design Engineering from the University of Zaragoza, where she previously obtained her M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering, while she also studied Mathematical Sciences for several years. In 2003, she received her tenure as Associate Professor in the School of Engineering at the University of Zaragoza. In 2004, she founded the research institute MIT Zaragoza Logistics Center as Professor, and she has also served the Center as its Executive Director. She was also the Director of the Spanish Center of Excellence in Logistics. 

Dr. Saenz is a strategic advisor to unicorn startups and also led various international research projects for the European Commission, as well as for companies on Supply Chain transformation, such as Dell, J&J, L’Oreal, Maersk, Coca-Cola Femsa, Mondelez, P&G, Carrefour, DHL, Leroy Merlin, or Caterpillar. She is co-author of more than 100 publications, including books and articles in leading international Journals. Her knowledge transfer work has received 20 awards, and her research was cited in the media, including Harvard Business Review, MIT Sloan Management Review, WSJ, Forbes, Financial Times, and Supply Chain Management Review. She has interacted with business leaders as a guest keynote speaker in more than 15 countries.

Digital Transformation

Scaling E2E Automation

AI-Driven Supply Chain

Supply Chain Resilience

Human-AI Collaboration

Autonomous Operations

English

Spanish

MIT CTL Profile

MIT Profile

MIT Digital SC

Google Scholar

ORCID

How AI is reshaping supply chains

How AI Is Reshaping Supplier Negotiations

Opening pathways for future supply chain leaders

What Is a Digital Twin? And How Can It Make Companies—and Cities—More Efficient?

I Like Quadrants And I Cannot Lie

Human-AI Collaboration: Boosting Supply Chain Performance

Transform Talks explores the latest trends in Supply Chain, Manufacturing and Logistics.

Transform Talks: The Supply Chain Transformation Podcast

[Content to be added]

expert-research-smarter-faster-leaner-optimizing-the-endtoend-supply-chain

Companies can reduce planning delays and improve service levels by using a hybrid metaheuristic approach, achieving near-optimal solutions in minutes instead of hours.

Director, MIT Digital Supply Chain Transformation Lab | Executive Director, MIT SCM Masters Programs

  In a recent Supply Chain Management Review article, the work of Dr. María Jesús Sáenz is highlighted through a project that tackled the challenge of optimizing an end-to-end supply chain for a global consumer goods company. The company’s traditional planning model—based on mixed-integer programming—took nearly two hours to compute a full production and distribution plan, making it difficult to respond to real-time changes such as demand fluctuations or material shortages. Dr. Sáenz and her team recognized that this lack of agility was a barrier to efficiency and competitiveness, particularly in today’s volatile global markets.

Under Dr. Sáenz’s direction, the research team redesigned the process using a hybrid meta-heuristic approach that combined Genetic Algorithms (GA) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). By breaking down the overall planning task into smaller, more manageable segments, they were able to generate high-quality, near-optimal plans in a fraction of the original computation time—reducing the process from hours to mere minutes. This demonstrated how advanced analytical methods can dramatically improve responsiveness and performance across a company’s entire supply chain.


More broadly, Dr. Sáenz’s work underscores that end-to-end optimization is not just a technical challenge but a strategic one. She advocates for supply chains that are not only data-driven but also interconnected across all functions—from sourcing to delivery—so that decisions align with the organization’s overall objectives. Her approach combines operational excellence with digital innovation, showing how companies can build more agile, resilient, and intelligent supply networks capable of thriving amid constant disruption.

 The SCM thesis Smarter, Faster, Leaner: Optimizing the End-to-End Supply Chain was authored by Javiera Arancibia and Fernanda Esparza and supervised by Dr. María Jesús Sáenz  and Dr. Jaime Macías Aguayo. 

Dr. María Jesús Sáenz is available to speak with reporters regarding this important research - simply click on her icon now to arrange an interview today.


#Expert Research: Smarter, faster, leaner: Optimizing the end-to-end supply chain

Drawing on her MIT research, Dr. María Jesús Saénz explains how to design effective human–AI partnerships in supply chains. She outlines where AI adds the most value (forecasting, learning loops, autonomous negotiations), how to build the right data and talent foundations, and practical ways to optimize long-term performance while proactively managing human and algorithmic bias. Watch the full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ij0b9-Xkqk

In this video, MIT's Maria Jesus Saenz talks about how data and technology are changing supply chain relationships – and how this is having a profound effect on the way we do business. As companies move away from traditional methods of doing business and towards ecosystems and data-driven approaches, supply chain relationships are changing dramatically. Sanez shares with you some of the consequences of this shift, and discuss the ways in which companies are preparing for the future. Watch the full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EeY4s8L-2qU

Revolutionizing Supply Chains: How MIT Harnesses Data and Tech w/ Maria Jesus Saenz

Sáenz shares examples of how companies may use AI and ML to collaborate on data models and leverage publicly available data to craft more accurate forecasts or discover hidden efficiencies. Watch the full episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNWzjt2j7KU

Key Performance and Key Learning Indicators in Digital Transformation

Website: https://dpw.ai/

The true power of AI lies in its ability to perceive, interact, adapt, and continuously learn. But unlocking this potential requires carefully designed human-AI collaboration, specially within supply chains. Drawing on her MIT research, María Jesús Saénz will explore how to structure these partnerships to maximize mutual learning, optimize long-term performance, and proactively manage biases—whether human or algorithmic.

Speaker:
- Maria Jesús Saénz, Director Digital Supply Chain Transformation Lab, MIT

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00:00 Introduction
01:38 Agenda Overview and AI's Evolution in Supply Chains
02:31 AI Ecosystem & Application Areas in Supply Chains
05:45 Differentiating Automation, Augmentation, and Autonomy
09:04 Discovering and Optimizing Through Learning
10:56 Human-AI Collaboration in Demand Forecasting
12:01 Insights from Demand Forecasting Experiments
16:31 Framework for Demand Forecasting Deployment
19:43 Human-AI Teaming in Autonomous Negotiations
21:24 Final Remarks & Cautions

#dpwnewyork #digitalprocurement #procurement #supplychain #ai

Revolutionizing Supply Chains: How MIT Harnesses Data and Tech w/ Maria Jesus Saenz

Website: https://conference.dpw.ai/

In this video, MIT's Maria Jesus Saenz talks about how data and technology are changing supply chain relationships – and how this is having a profound effect on the way we do business. As companies move away from traditional methods of doing business and towards ecosystems and data-driven approaches, supply chain relationships are changing dramatically. Sanez shares with you some of the consequences of this shift, and discuss the ways in which companies are preparing for the future.

Speaker: Maria Jesus Saenz, Director of the Digital Supply Chain Transformation Lab, MIT

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La directora ejecutiva de los programas de máster en gestión de la cadena de suministro del MIT y directora del laboratorio de transformación de la cadena de suministro digital en el centro de transporte y logística del MIT, abordó las actuales tendencias y claves en la transformación de la cadena de suministros.

María Jesús Sáenz (MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics) en el #CollaborateZaragoza24

Today, on MIT Supply Chain Frontiers, editorial director, Ken Cottrill speaks with Maria Jesus Sáenz, director of the MIT Digital Supply Chain Transformation Lab, about how companies use artificial intelligence and machine learning to identify key performance and key learning indicators during digital transformations.

Sáenz shares examples of how companies may use AI and ML to collaborate on data models and leverage publicly available data to craft more accurate forecasts or discover hidden efficiencies. Learn more about how AI and machine learning are used in digital transformations at digitlsc.mit.edu

Full transcript available at https://ctl.mit.edu/podcasts/key-performance-and-key-learning-indicators-digital-transformation

Maria Jesus Saenz, Executive Director of the MIT Supply Chain Management Master’s Program & Director of the Digital Supply Chain Transformation Lab, MIT

See Maria's full playlist here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLJvJ-6UyehQAEWf0AdVuyagt4Df1g183V

Read Maria's story here: https://ilp.mit.edu/maria-jesus-saenz

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