Susan M. Sanchez
Distinguished Professor Emerita
Operations Research Department
Naval Postgraduate School

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Prof. Susan Sanchez

Operations Research Department
Naval Postgraduate School
Monterey, California 93943

Office: Glasgow Hall 273
Email: ssanchez@nps.edu
Google Scholar page

SEED Center website: https://harvest.nps.edu

The OR Department was the 2013 recipient of the INFORMS UPS George P. Smith Prize for strengthening ties between academia and industry.

Susan M. Sanchez

Distinguished Professor Emerita
Ph.D.,Cornell University, 1986

Susan M. Sanchez is a Distinguished Professor Emerita at the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS) in Monterey, California. Her home is the Operations Research Department, where she has served terms as Associate Chair for Instruction and Associate Chair for Research. Before retiring, she also had a joint appointment in the Department of Defense Management and an affiliation with the MOVES Institute. Dr. Sanchez taught courses in simulation analysis and statistics, and served on thesis committees for over 70 students on a variety of topics in defense and homeland security.

Professor Sanchez's research interests include design of experiments, data-intensive statistics, and robust selection, with applications to simulation experiments, military operations, manufacturing, and health care. Her research has been supported by grants from the National Science Foundation, Agency for Health Services Research, and many of the leading analytical organizations in the U.S. Department of Defense. She has published extensively and received numerous awards for research and professional service, including recognition as a Titan of Simulation (2016), an INFORMS Fellow (2016), and the recipient of the 2025 J. Steinhardt Prize for Outstanding Contributions to Military Operations Research (life work).

Professor Sanchez came to NPS on a Senior Postdoctoral Fellowship from the National Research Council in 1999, and joined the NPS faculty in 2000. Previously, she was on the faculty of the University of Arizona and the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

In May 2006, Professor Sanchez and Co-Director Professor Tom Lucas established the SEED Center for Data Farming at NPS to advance the development and use of simulation experiments and efficient designs to provide decision-makers with timely insights. The SEED Center enhances our nation’s security by providing unique research and support for faculty and students, U.S. armed forces, and our international allies.

Material contained herein is made available for the purpose of peer review and discussion and does not necessarily reflect the views of the Department of the Navy or the Department of Defense.