Originally from China, Yingchao came to the United States to pursue her academic dreams. After obtaining her Ph.D. in Operations Managment from The Ohio State University, she had the opportunity to join faculty at UNL. Yingchao's research focuses on understanding how inter-organizational collaboration can help firms design and deliver products and services efficiently and effectively. In particular, she studies how organizations in healthcare and product development settings can overcome operational challenges when collaborating with multiple partners. This issue is particularly important in today’s globally connected world, where organizations are increasingly collaborating with external partners to create operational competitive advantage. It is increasingly inadequate to think of external partners one at a time as firms’ operations often are intertwined with multiple partners. Her research has appeared in top-tier journals including Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, Production and Operation Management.
Outside of the classroom and research, Yingchao is also an active member of the community. She serves on the editorial review board for Journal of Operations Management and Decision Science, has been consistently invited as a best paper competition judge and panel speakers.
During Dr. Lan’s leisure time, she enjoys traveling and exploring new cultures. She believes that “travel broadens the mind and helps to foster greater understanding and empathy for people from all walks of life."