Leon Xu is an assistant professor of Supply Chain Management and Analytics at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s College of Business. Prior to joining UNL, he earned his Ph.D. in supply chain management in 2019 from the Smeal College of Business at Pennsylvania State University. His research addresses important and urgent issues facing the U.S. healthcare system, such as exorbitant drug prices, drug shortages, drug innovation and approval, and the opioid epidemic. Leveraging a versatile set of methods including analytical modeling, empirical methods, data analytics and experimental methods, he provides insights and policy implications to address these issues.
Dr. Xu’s research on the FDA drug approval process has been featured in the media and his dissertation regarding emerging challenges of innovation in the U.S. pharmaceutical supply chain was recently selected as a finalist for the 2020 Industry Studies Association (ISA) Dissertation Award. He has published in top operations management journals such as Manufacturing & Service Operations Management. He also serves as an ad hoc reviewer for Production and Operations Management and Decision Sciences.
He teaches Business Analytics/Information Analysis (SCMA 350) and Data Modeling and Computing (SCMA 450). While SCMA 350 focuses on the exploration of meaningful patterns in big data and how to communicate the findings through visualization, SCMA 450 is an introduction to advanced data and modeling techniques for business analytics. In this class, students are introduced to computing tools and techniques using the R programming language as well as Bayesian-thinking concepts to help make decisions in an uncertain environment.
In his spare time, Leon enjoys watching college football. He and his wife recently moved to Nebraska with their adorable one-year-old girl.
For more information, the academic webpage of Dr. Xu is available at: https://business.unl.edu/people/liangxu/