Katharina Best is the acting associate director of the RAND Army Research Division, and program director within RAND Arroyo Center, the U.S. Army's federally funded research and development center for studies and analysis. She is a senior operations researcher at RAND. Her research interests focus on applications of operations research and mathematical modeling for strategic decision support and effective resource allocation. She is especially interested in understanding and building more quantitative connections between strategic and operational decisionmaking and planning. Her past work includes applications in military force planning and management, manpower and workforce issues, modernization, and acquisition, and examines uncertainties stemming from the global security environment, budget uncertainty, and climate. Prior to coming to RAND, Best studied the dynamics of the college education and lending market in the United States and worked as a corporate risk consultant at Oliver Wyman Financial Services. Best received her Ph.D. and M.S. in industrial engineering from the University of Michigan and her B.S. in systems engineering from the University of Virginia.
Ph.D. in industrial and operations engineering, University of Michigan; M.S. in industrial and operations engineering, University of Michigan; B.S. in systems engineering, University of Virginia
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