Laura Albert, Ph.D., is a Professor of Industrial & Systems Engineering at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a recognized thought leader in operations research and analytics. She served as the David H. Gustafson Department Chair from 2021-24 and the President of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) in 2023. Dr. Albert's research focuses on mitigating risks in the public sector through optimization and operations research methodologies, with applications in critical infrastructure protection, public safety, and emergency response. She is a Fellow of both the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers (IISE). Her work has been recognized with numerous accolades, including the INFORMS Impact Prize, a National Science Foundation CAREER award, and a Fulbright Award. An advocate for public engagement, Dr. Albert has penned several op-eds for national news outlets, and she authors the engineering blogs Punk Rock Operations Research (https://punkrockOR.com/) and Badger Bracketology (https://bracketology.engr.wisc.edu/).