Brandon McConnell
Director of MEM and Associate Research Professor
- Phone: 919.515.7201
- Email: mcconnell@ncsu.edu
- Office: 4131C Fitts-Woolard Hall
Brandon McConnell is a research associate professor in the Edward P. Fitts Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering (ISE) and the Military and Veteran Liaison for the College of Engineering. After serving as an Infantry officer in the US Army, McConnell now leads the Military Operations Research Group consisting of Operations Research (OR) and ISE students interested in military and national security challenges. He also mentors and advises active-duty and veteran students from OR and ISE. He suffers from a chronic surfing addiction.
Research Interests
McConnell’s research interests broadly include military operations research, decision-support and planning problems, expeditionary logistics with risk, and the application of artificial intelligence (AI) to decision and planning problems. A central theme to his research is making these decisions under conditions of uncertainty or while managing a set of risks. His previous work has included nonstationary queuing theory, scheduling, and forecasting to conduct capacity planning and performance analysis for expeditionary logistics networks with risk, noncombatant evacuation planning and automation to support planning air movement operations.
Education
| Degree | Program | School | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ph.D. | Doctor of Philosophy in Operations Research | NC State University | 2018 |
| MOR | Master of Operations Research | NC State University | 2015 |
| BSOR | Bachelor of Science in Operations Research | United States Military Academy at West Point | 2006 |
Honors and Awards
- 2019 | Richard H. Barchi Prize for Best Paper, Military Operations Research Society
- 2018 | Award for Excellence in Classroom Teaching, NC State University
- 2018 | ISE Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award, NC State ISE Department
- 2018 | Edward A. Shook Mentor Award, NC State ISE Department
- 2017 | Recognition for Excellence in Mentorship, NC State University
- 2015 | Salah Elmaghraby Award, NC State University
Discover more about Brandon McConnell
- New Tool Tackles Uncertainty in Military Logistics Planning
- ISE Stars Shine Bright at the Anderson Awards
- Army Enlists ISE to Strengthen Training
- College Graduate Programs Prioritize Recruiting Students from a Military Background
- New Tool Aims to Assist Military Logistics in Evacuating Noncombatants
- Polish Diplomat Tours ISE, Celebrates Design Endowment
- How the Military Could Speed Helicopter Operations on the Battlefield
- Smooth Transitions: Celebrating Our Faculty and Staff
- Alums Step up to Support Military Students
- ISE Faculty Member Joins Elite Leadership Program
Publications
- Air movement operations planning heuristic improvement
- Nelson, R., Werner, J., Daniels, R., Kay, M. G., King, R. E., McConnell, B. M., & Thoney-Barletta, K. (2025), Journal of Defense Analytics and Logistics, 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/JDAL-02-2024-0003
- Anticipating Household Rescue Demand in Hurricanes Using Socio-Demographic Data and Machine Learning
- Leavitt, P., Livingston, F., McConnell, B., Rachunok, B., Leavitt, P., Livingston, F., … Rachunok, B. (2025, January 1), SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.5799543
- Enhancing Military Load Planning: A Prioritized 2-D Orthogonal Packing Approach
- Kirschenman, W., Heese, H. S., Kay, M., King, R., & McConnell, B. (2025, December 20). , . https://doi.org/10.31224/6041
- Evaluating the Implementation of Operational Readiness and Maintenance Policies in US Army Aviation
- Semmel, A., Heese, H., & McConnell, B. (2025, February 10). , . https://doi.org/10.31224/4362
- Evaluating the implementation of operational readiness and maintenance policies in US Army aviation
- Semmel, A. D., Heese, H. S., & McConnell, B. M. (2025, March 25), The Journal of Defense Modeling and Simulation Applications Methodology Technology, Vol. 3. https://doi.org/10.1177/15485129251328044
- From Hours to Minutes: Transforming Air Movement Planning in Army Aviation
- Nelson, R., Stanfield, J., Espinoza, T., King, R., & McConnell, B. (2025, November), Aviation Digest, 13(3), 34–36.
- Implementing Trades of the National Football League Draft on Blockchain Smart Contracts
- Fukuzawa, M., Kay, M., McConnell, B., Thoney-Barletta, K., & Warsing, D. (2025, February 24). , . https://doi.org/10.31224/4395
- Military maritime load planning instances for prioritized two-dimensional orthogonal packing
- Kirschenman, W., Heese, H. S., Kay, M., King, R., & McConnell, B. (2025), Open MIND. https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.vt4b8gv5z
- The 2-D Orthogonal Packing Problem with Multiple Levels of Prioritization: A Spatial Optimization Perspective
- Kirschenman, W., Heese, H. S., Kay, M., King, R., & McConnell, B. (2025, May 23). , . https://doi.org/10.31224/4647
- Automated Vessel Selection and Combat Load Planning
- Kirschenman, W., McConnell, B. M., & King, R. E. (2024, October), Army Sustainment, 56(4), 58–61. Retrieved from https://www.lib.ncsu.edu/resolver/1840.20/44301
