Dr. Maria Mayorga has been named as the Goodnight Distinguished Chair in Operations Research at North Carolina State University.
Mayorga has led the University’s Operations Research Graduate Program (OR) since August 2023, after serving in the role on an interim basis.
Mayorga is a University Faculty Scholar and professor of personalized medicine in the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering. She joined NC State in 2013 as a Chancellor’s Faculty Excellence Program cluster hire in personalized medicine. She is also part of the Healthcare Systems Engineering group in the Fitts ISE Department.
Her research focuses on analytical modeling of real-world health and service systems including the development of predictive health models and the allocation of resources in emergency and disaster situations. Mayorga also holds a joint faculty appointment in the Poole College of Management.
“I am honored to receive this professorship; the Goodnight funds will greatly enhance the operations research program, allowing us to increase student support, outreach and recruitment, among other activities that add value to the program,” Mayorga said.
Prior to joining NC State, Mayorga was on the faculty at Clemson University in the Department of Industrial Engineering for seven years. A Fellow of the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineering, her research has been supported by the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation (NSF), among others, and includes a distinguished NSF CAREER Award for her work to incorporate patient choice into predictive models of health outcomes.
Mayorga obtained her B.S. degree in mechanical engineering at the George Washington University and her M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in industrial engineering and operations research from the University of California at Berkeley.
The position was made possible by a gift from NC State alumni Dr. James and Mrs. Ann Goodnight. The Goodnights support more than 250 North Carolina students each year through the Goodnight Scholarships program, which they established in 2008 and expanded in 2017 to include transfer students from the state’s community colleges. The Goodnights also have generously strengthened centers, programs and additional scholarship opportunities across NC State. Their commitment to faculty excellence has resulted in the creation of named faculty positions, including a deanship, as well as a program to invest in early-career faculty and support for additional endowed professorship funds. In 2022, the Goodnights increased their support to include graduate students, creating the Goodnight Doctoral Fellows for Ph.D. candidates in STEM and education.
Dr. Goodnight ⎯ the CEO and founder of SAS ⎯ earned his B.S. in applied mathematics in 1965, his M.S. and doctorate in statistics in 1968 and 1972, respectively, and the university conferred an honorary degree to him in 2002. Mrs. Goodnight earned her B.A. in political science in 1968 and works as the senior director of community relations at SAS. The Goodnights have received numerous university honors, including the Watauga Medal (Dr. Goodnight, 2002) and the Menscer Cup (2007). Mrs. Goodnight’s leadership roles include serving on the Board of Trustees and as a founding member of Wolfpack Women in Philanthropy at NC State.
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