PeopleofSuperintelligence

Researcher

Yuehwern Yih

Yuehwern Yih is an industrial engineer whose work spans AI scheduling, health care engineering and humanitarian logistics. She earned a PhD from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and joined Purdue as an assistant professor in 1989. Her dissertation applied AI to real-time manufacturing scheduling; a 2004 sabbatical at Indianapolis’s VA Medical Center gave her time to study health care processes, and a 2005 information and food-distribution system served HIV patients in western Kenya. She edited the 2011 Handbook of Healthcare Delivery Systems and served as academic director of USAID-funded LASER PULSE. Purdue announced her election to the National Academy of Engineering in 2025 and INFORMS named her a Fellow in 2026; as of October 2026, she is Tompkins Distinguished Professor in Purdue’s Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering.

Badges

Timeline

  1. 1989

    A PhD and Purdue appointment

    She earns a PhD from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and joins Purdue’s School of Industrial Engineering as an assistant professor in 1989.

  2. By 1989

    AI scheduling in manufacturing

    By 1989, she brings doctoral work on AI-based real-time scheduling in manufacturing to Purdue.

  3. 2004–2005

    VA and Kenya health systems

    By 2004, she takes a one-year sabbatical at the Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center in Indianapolis to study healthcare processes and recommend improvements. In 2005, her integrated nutrition information and food-distribution system for HIV patients in western Kenya goes into service and provides food for over 38,000 patients and family members each year.

  4. 2011

    Editing a health care handbook

    She edits the 2011 Handbook of Healthcare Delivery Systems. The 812-page book uses systems engineering methods and case studies to cover design and improvement across healthcare services.

  5. 2019–2022

    Research for Development and LASER PULSE

    At the 2019 Research for Development Conference in Uganda and Colombia, she joins researchers and NGO leaders to consider how evidence-based research can shape policy on education, food security, migration and economic development. By 2022, she serves as academic director of USAID-funded LASER PULSE.

  6. 2025

    National Academy membership

    Purdue announces her election to the National Academy of Engineering’s Class of 2025 for contributions to supply-chain systems in humanitarian relief and health care.

  7. 2026

    An INFORMS Fellowship

    In 2026, INFORMS selects her as a Fellow for contributions to healthcare engineering and humanitarian logistics.

  8. As of October 2026

    Tompkins Professor at Purdue

    At an April 2026 lecture at Arizona State University, she examines how electronic health records and humanitarian aid tracking can diverge from real-world conditions. As of October 2026, she is Tompkins Distinguished Professor in Purdue’s Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering.

Career

  1. Since 1989Purdue UniversityAssistant Professor
  2. 2004–2005Indiana University

Education

  1. 1989University of Wisconsin–MadisonPhD

From the biography.

  1. More people shaping AI studied at Massachusetts Institute of Technology than at any other institutionIncludes Purdue University. We estimate where the people shaping AI studied and where their careers led. Massachusetts Institute of Technology leads with 467 former students, including 291 recorded doctorates.
  2. The company share of AI researchers’ top papers was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974Includes Purdue University. We estimate where the people shaping AI worked when their most-cited papers appeared: the company share was 31% in 2020–2024 and 8% in 1970–1974, and Google led all organizations in 2020–2024.
  3. Google has the highest combined h-index among AI organizationsIncludes Purdue University. We estimate that Google holds the highest combined h-index at 8,016, while universities account for 73% of the deduplicated total across AI organizations.
  4. 11% of AI doctorate holders from 2010 to 2016 founded or led a company or lab by 10 years after graduationIncludes Purdue University. We estimate how often AI doctorate holders founded or led a company or lab by 10 years after graduation, how waiting times compare between founders and top jobs, and which universities trained the most.

Colleagues

People with dated positions at the same organization in the same years.

Sources and credits

Photo: We have no published photo of Yuehwern Yih yet. Send us a free-licensed photo.

  1. LASER PULSE: IE's Yih improving outcomes, one project at a time engineering.purdue.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  2. About Dr. Yuehwern Yih - Smart Operations & Systems (SOS) Lab - Purdue University engineering.purdue.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  3. Handbook of Healthcare Delivery Systems - 1st Edition - Yuehwern Yih - Routledge routledge.com. Checked 20 October 2026.
  4. 6 Purdue engineers elected as National Academy of Engineering members - News - College of Engineering - Purdue University engineering.purdue.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  5. Yuehwern Yih named 2026 INFORMS Fellow - Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering | West Lafayette & Indianapolis - Purdue University engineering.purdue.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.
  6. Lecture asks what happens when data tells the wrong story news.engineering.asu.edu. Checked 20 October 2026.