Academic Leadership & Impact

For more than 50 years, Professor Sheffi has shaped supply chain education at MIT and globally. As Director of the MIT Center for Transportation & Logistics, he has built world-class graduate programs, including the Master of Engineering in Logistics and Master of Applied Sciences in Supply Chain Management, that prepare students and professionals to lead in an increasingly complex industry.

His vision extends beyond MIT's campus. Professor Sheffi has established the MIT Supply Chain and Logistics Excellence (SCALE) network, bringing MIT's educational rigor and research excellence to academic centers across Spain, Latin America, China, and the United Kingdom. Through the MITx MicroMasters® Program, his influence has reached over 1 million enrolled learners in more than 190 countries, democratizing access to MIT-level supply chain education.

His students and graduates are in leadership roles at Fortune 500 companies worldwide. His research and teaching span systems optimization, resilience, risk analysis, and the future of work, addressing both today's challenges and tomorrow's opportunities. For Professor Sheffi, education is not just about knowledge transfer; it's about building leaders capable of transforming industries and solving global challenges.

Yossi and student talking

Academic positions

At MIT, Prof. Sheffi's leadership positions span decades, including his role as Director of the Center for Transportation & Logistics since 1991 and Founder and Director of the Master's Program in Supply Chain Management. He holds the Elisha Gray II Professorship in Engineering Systems and serves as faculty in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering and the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society.
See all of Professor Sheffi's roles and positions
Yossi and student in his office - book signing

Academic Awards and Honors

Prof. Sheffi's academic contributions have been recognized throughout his career through awards honoring excellence in teaching, research, and scholarship. These include MIT's Best Teacher Award (1985), the E. Grosvener Best Paper Award (1992), and multiple Best Paper recognitions in the International Journal of Logistics Management (1996, 2002). His scholarly leadership earned him an honorary doctorate from the University of Zaragoza in 2011.
See all of Professor Sheffi's awards and honors

Guest Lectures & Academic Presentations

Professor Sheffi is a sought-after instructor across MIT's supply chain and logistics programs. He regularly teaches in the Master of Engineering in Logistics Program, SCALE network seminars, GCLOG (Graduate Certificate in Logistics and Supply Chain Management), and executive education courses—bringing his latest research and insights on resilience, optimization, and crisis management directly to students and professionals worldwide.

Recent academic appearances:

  • GCLOG Residential Seminar, Cambridge, MA - July 28, 2026

Professor Yossi Sheffi delivered two lectures:  one on supply chain resilience and another on logistics clusters, for the 30+ MIT Graduate Certificate in Logistics and Supply Chain Management (GCLOG) students attending the summer 2026 residential seminar.

  • MIT SOE Executive Course, Cambridge, MA - July 14, 2026

Professor Yossi Sheffi teaches the the MIT School of Engineering’s Executive Course on risk management in supply chains,  focusing on strategies for identifying and mitigating risks in global supply chains.

See all of Professor Sheffi's appearances and speaking engagements