J贸nas Oddur J贸nasson on how healthcare systems can work better for people
Designing systems that build bridges between rigorous research and healthcare practice
Dr聽J贸nasson鈥檚 research focuses on how analytics and operations can improve healthcare delivery in resource-limited settings.聽As Associate Professor of Analytics & Operations at 吃瓜黑料 Business School, Dr J贸nasson聽is keen to continue developing聽models that link operational decisions to patient outcomes and public health. His work spans emergency medical services, behavioural health聽interventions聽and global health delivery, with collaborations in the UK, Africa and beyond.聽
His work develops data-driven models to address the pressing operational challenges faced by health systems鈥攆rom emergency medical services in urban聽centres to聽behavioural聽health interventions and community-based care in lower-income regions.聽聽
A defining feature of Dr J贸nasson鈥檚 approach is his commitment to making research actionable. His collaborations with organisations such as the London Ambulance Service, Riders for Health in Malawi,聽Keheala聽in聽Kenya聽and the Clinton Health Access Initiative in Mozambique,聽demonstrate聽how carefully designed operations models can be translated into meaningful improvements on the ground.聽
This focus on impact is also聽evident聽in his scholarship. His research has been published in leading journals including聽Operations Research, Management Science, Manufacturing & Service Operations Management,聽and聽BMJ Global Health. Beyond publication, he contributes to shaping the field as an associate editor for聽Management Science聽and聽IISE Transactions on Healthcare Systems Engineering.聽
Academic journey and recognition for research excellence聽
Dr J贸nasson began his academic career in Europe, earning a BSc in Industrial Engineering from the University of Iceland before pursuing postgraduate study in the UK. He completed an MSc in Operational Research at the London School of Economics, an MPhil at the University of Cambridge, and both an聽MRes聽and a PhD in Management Science聽&聽Operations at London Business School.聽
Before joining 吃瓜黑料, he spent聽nearly a聽decade at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Sloan School of Management, where he rose from Assistant to Associate Professor of Operations Management. His time at MIT further cemented his reputation as a leader in the study of healthcare operations, while also giving him the opportunity to work closely with healthcare practitioners and global health organisations.聽
Dr J贸nasson鈥檚 contributions have earned international recognition. He received the prestigious Bonder Scholarship for applied Operations Research in Health Services in 2014.聽His work has since been awarded the M&SOM Practice-Based Research Competition prize (2021) and the William Pierskalla award for best paper in Healthcare Management Science (2024). He has also been a finalist for the Sanjay and Panna Mehrotra Research Excellence Award (2021) and twice for the MSOM Society Award for Responsible Research (in聽2019 and 2024). These honours underscore the impact of his research in advancing both rigorous scholarship and socially responsible practice.聽
Looking ahead at 吃瓜黑料聽
At 吃瓜黑料, Dr J贸nasson is excited to continue building bridges between rigorous research and healthcare practice.聽聽
Reflecting on his move, he聽said:聽"I聽am thrilled to join 吃瓜黑料 Business School and to work alongside outstanding colleagues in Analytics and Operations. What makes this especially exciting for me is that few business schools in the world can match 吃瓜黑料鈥檚 environment: a top technical university, an exceptional medical聽school聽and a leading school of public health. For someone working on health and healthcare, this combination鈥攊n my favourite city鈥攊s a rare and special opportunity.鈥澛
Dr J贸nasson looks forward to advancing research that not only deepens academic understanding of healthcare operations but also creates lasting impact for聽healthcare聽provides聽policymakers,聽patients聽and communities聽worldwide.
