Sarah Halsey
Advisor: Dr. Leila Hajibabai
- Email: shalsey@ncsu.edu
- Office: Fitts-Woolard Hall 4331
Sarah Halsey is a Ph.D. student in the Industrial and Systems Engineering Department, focusing on supply chain and logistics as well as systems analytics and optimization. Originally a pre-law undergraduate, Halsey found an unexpected passion for mathematics through an eye-opening introductory statistics course. Since then, she has been drawn to the problem-solving and real-world application nature of industrial engineering, following a transition from a pure and applied mathematics and statistics viewpoint. Her interests in understanding and addressing complex systems for practical applications have motivated her to pursue a Ph.D. in ISE.
Halsey participated in undergraduate research through an REU held by N.C. State’s Department of Mathematics and Statistics. With her group, they investigated the effectiveness of non-uniform fractionation schemes for patients with brain metastases using mixed integer linear programming. During her senior year, she completed her honors college thesis by predicting the mental health outcomes of Meredith College students using logistic regression and inferential statistics.
Research Interests
Sarah Halsey’s research focuses on applied operations research and spatial optimization, with a particular emphasis on facility location modeling for public services, sustainable infrastructure planning and disaster management.
She has been working with the North Carolina Department of Transportation to develop methodologies for planning and designing an electric vehicle infrastructure network that supports both light-duty and medium- to heavy-duty vehicles. In addition, Halsey collaborated with the Goldsboro Fire Department to develop multiple supply chain network models, identifying optimal locations for fire station expansion by focusing on population growth and development in northern Goldsboro, NC.
Education
| Degree | Program | School | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ph.D. | Expected Graduation | Spring 2027 | |
| M.S. | Industrial Engineering | NC State University | 2024 |
| B.S. | Mathematics | Meredith College | 2022 |
Awards and Honors
- 2022 | Cum Laude Honors, Meredith College
- 2022 | Charles A. Davis Award for Outstanding Senior in Mathematics and Computer Science, Meredith College
- 2022 | Pi Mu Epsilon, Meredith College – Department of Mathematics and Computer Science
- 2021 | Judge Edwin S. Preston and Dorothy K. Preston Scholarship in Statistics, Meredith College
- 2018 | Honors College, Meredith College Honors Program
