Impact on Society
One of the major benefits of a career in OR is the positive impact OR can have on society. By improving systems and processes, OR professionals help save costs, increase efficiency, and improve decision-making in both public and private sectors. This supports sustainable development, better resource management, and social welfare.
Diverse Career Opportunities
Operational research offers various career paths, including:
- Business Analyst: Helping businesses make better decisions about products, pricing, and more.
- Operations Research Analyst: Using mathematical models and optimisation to improve efficiency.
- Data Scientist: Applying data science and machine learning to solve complex problems.
This year The OR Society, celebrating its 75th anniversary and is dedicated to promoting OR and attracting new specialists. One way of doing this is by highlighting stories of career success.
Dr. Lucy Gullon's career in Operational Research
One success story is Dr. Lucy Gullon, an operational researcher and statistician who works at BT. Lucy’s impressive career in OR started in academia before she joined BT. In her role as an AI and Modelling Research Specialist, Lucy uses OR techniques to help BT make evidence-based decisions about its network. She is helping BT to develop new ways to optimise its network, reduce energy consumption, and improve customer service.
Lucy is a mathematics graduate and wasn’t familiar with OR until she started her PhD at Lancaster University. She always had a keen interest in statistics and problem-solving and was immediately drawn to the field's focus on solving real-world problems. During her PhD, Lucy researched new methods for improving simulation as a decision-making tool by reducing error. Her thesis was presented with the best thesis award by The OR Society. After gaining her PhD, Lucy remained in academia and worked as a lecturer in simulation and stochastic modelling at Lancaster University before she joined BT in 2021.
Lucy said, “I would encourage anyone from a maths, data science or numerical background to investigate the various career opportunities in OR. With OR, you can work in any industry from energy and aerospace through to Formula One and fashion as they all have problems to solve and need to make improvements and efficiencies. Working with my team at BT, there are many opportunities to apply the various techniques and knowledge that I have learnt about optimisation, simulation, or modelling – it’s fascinating to use these techniques on real-world problems."