Current role
Professor & Department Head
Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management; Head, Department of Marketing, Labovitz School of Business and Economics, University of Minnesota Duluth.
Labovitz School of Business and Economics · University of Minnesota Duluth
Wenqing Zhang, PhD
Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management
Head, Department of Marketing
I use prescriptive analytics, decision modeling, and community-engaged research to improve responsible operations, resilient supply chains, and access to essential resources for underserved communities.
IonE Fellow
Kjell R. Knudsen Faculty Fellow
Labovitz Leadership Academy Coordinator
About
Research with real-world purpose
Wenqing Zhang is a Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management at the University of Minnesota Duluth’s Labovitz School of Business and Economics. He is also an IonE Fellow of the University of Minnesota and the inaugural Kjell R. Knudsen Faculty Fellow for Innovation.
His work combines supply chain optimization, strategic decision making, analytics, sustainability, and community-engaged research, with particular interest in improving access to essential resources for underserved communities.
Read full bio
Wenqing works closely with community partners on projects addressing food security, healthcare access, sustainability, and community resilience. His recent work includes strengthening food security for Indigenous communities through resilient supply chains, developing sustainable supply chains for the milkweed economy, improving rural food access, finding productive uses for surplus textiles, and exploring operational strategies for an age-friendly society.
He is currently leading the LCCMR/Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund–funded Sustainable Food Security, Ecosystem Restoration, and Indigenous Empowerment project, which works with Indigenous communities in Minnesota to strengthen food sovereignty through community-driven agriculture, ecosystem restoration, culturally relevant education, and more effective local food supply chains.
With academic and professional experience spanning the United States, Canada, China, and South Korea, Wenqing brings a global perspective to his research, teaching, and community engagement. He earned his Ph.D. in Management Science/Operations Management from McGill University. Beyond academia, he contributes to the broader community through board service with the American Indian Community Housing Organization and True North Goodwill and previously served on the board of the Minnesota Indigenous Business Alliance.
Education
- Ph.D., Management Science / Operations Management, McGill University, 2012
- M.S., Management Science and Engineering, Nankai University, 2006
- B.S., Information Management and IS, Nanchang University, 2003
Research methods
- Prescriptive analytics
- Algorithm design & machine learning
- Game-theoretical models
- Simulation
- Revenue & service operations
01 · Responsible systems
Responsible Operations & Supply Chains
Research on resilient, sustainable, and strategically designed operations and supply-chain systems.
02 · Community impact
Equitable Access & Community Resilience
Community-engaged work focused on food security, healthcare access, sustainability, and essential resources.
03 · Decision intelligence
Analytics & Decision Modeling
Optimization, simulation, machine learning, and strategic models for complex operational decisions.
Research
Selected scholarship & current work
Peer-reviewed scholarship in operations and supply chain management, complemented by current community-engaged research and applied decision-modeling projects.
Recent peer-reviewed publications
2025
Winning markets via live-streams
Yu, J., Wang, L., Zhang, W., & Zhou, C. (2025). “Competitive manufacturers' channel strategies.” Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 87, 104391.
2024
Supplier R&D collaboration strategy
Yang, J., Zhang, W., & Zhao, X. (2024). “How can suppliers strategically involve downstream manufacturers in research and development collaboration? A knowledge spillover perspective.” European Journal of Operational Research, 314(1), 122–135.
2023
Dynamic decisions in second-hand trading
Gu, W., Luo, J., Yu, X., Zhang, W., & Li, B. (2023). “Dynamic decisions between sellers and consumers in online second-hand trading platforms.” Transportation Research Part E, 177, 103257.
View complete refereed publication list
- Yu, J., Wang, L., Zhang, W., & Zhou, C. (2025). “Winning markets via live-streams: Competitive manufacturers' channel strategies.” Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 87, 104391.
- Yang, J., Zhang, W., & Zhao, X. (2024). “How can suppliers strategically involve downstream manufacturers in research and development collaboration? A knowledge spillover perspective.” European Journal of Operational Research, 314(1), 122–135.
- Gu, W., Luo, J., Yu, X., Zhang, W., & Li, B. (2023). “Dynamic decisions between sellers and consumers in online second-hand trading platforms: Evidence from C2C transactions.” Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 177, 103257.
- Cai, J., Sun, H., Hu, X., & Zhang, W. (2023). “How reverse information sharing supports pricing and sales effort decisions: Signaling game-based incentive mechanism design.” Computers & Industrial Engineering, 177, 108992.
- Rajaguru, R., Matanda, M. J., & Zhang, W. (2022). “Supply chain finance in enhancing supply-oriented and demand-oriented performance capabilities–moderating role of perceived partner opportunism.” Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 37(11), 2396–2413.
- Zhang, X., Hou, W., & Zhang, W. (2022). “Simultaneous or sequential? Multihoming launch strategies for mobile applications with consideration of promotion and switching costs.” International Journal of Production Research, 60(3), 977–998.
- Alemu, A., & Zhang, W. (2019). “Is Sino-Africa Bilateral Trade More than Resource Focused? The Rhetoric and the Reality.” African and Asian Studies, 18(4), 362–394.
- Gu, W., Wei, L., Zhang, W., & Yan, X. (2019). “Evolutionary game analysis of cooperation between natural resource- and energy-intensive companies in reverse logistics operations.” International Journal of Production Economics, 218, 159–169.
- Zhang, W., Padmanabhan, P., Huang, C.-H. (2018). “Firm level offshoring activities, pollution regulation, triple bottom line, and market structure: What do they have in common?” Journal of Cleaner Production, 195, 618–624.
- Zeng, J., Zhang, W., Matsui, Y., & Zhao, X. (2017). “The Impact of Organizational Context on Hard and Soft Quality Management and Innovation Performance.” International Journal of Production Economics, 185, 240–251.
- Qiu, C., & Zhang, W. (2016). “Managing long queues for holiday sales shopping.” Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, 15(1), 52–65.
- Zhang, W., Padmanabhan, P., Huang, C. (2015). “Sequential capital investment decision making under extreme cash flow situations: evidence using Monte Carlo simulation.” Journal of Business Economics and Management, 16(5), 877–900.
- Zhang, W., Li, S., Zhang, D., & Hou, W. (2014). “On the impact of advertising initiatives in supply chains.” European Journal of Operational Research, 234(1), 99–107.
- Tamburrini, G., & Zhang, W. (2014). “Entrepreneurship in Time of Crisis: The Outsourcing of Services Through Franchise Arrangements in the Italian Food Service Industry.” Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 17(1), 28–47.
- Huang, C., Padmanabhan, P., & Zhang, W. (2013). “Mitigating the Impact of Managerial Anchoring: The Case for Management by Committee for Major Corporate Financial Decisions.” Multinational Finance Journal, 17(1/2), 1–29.
- Awan, M. A., & Zhang, W. (2013). “Export Marketing Performance (EMP) of Pakistan SMEs impacted by the Internet.” GSTF Business Review, 2(3), 174.
- Tamburrini, G., & Zhang, W. (2012). “Startup Strategies: the (International) Franchisor in the Italian Food Service Industry.” Tourism Research, 37(5), 61–92.
- Awan, M. A., Khan, H. U., & Zhang, W. (2012). “A Comparative Study on Online Service Quality Perception of Two Major Regional Economies.” International Journal of e-Education, e-Business, e-Management and e-Learning, 2(6), 529–533.
- Li, S., Zhang, D., & Zhang, W. (2010). “A Study of Corporate Social Responsibility Activities of 12 Giant Food Companies (1980–2008) in Promoting Healthy Food.” Obesity Prevention: The Role of Brain and Society on Individual Behavior. Elsevier Inc.
Current pipeline
Selected working papers
- “A Monte Carlo Simulation Approach to Measuring the Impact of Decision Maker Behaviors on Supply Chain Resilience.”
- “Equitable Resource Allocation: A Prescriptive Model for Mobile Health Clinics in Rural Settings.”
Community-engaged research
Applied projects
- 2025– From Waste Textiles to Paper: Developing a Green Supply Chain for Circular Textile Recycling
- 2025– Information Accessibility and Social Connectedness in Building a Responsive and Age-inclusive Society
- 2025– Cull Cow to Food Shelf: Supply Chain Modeling for Wabasha County
- 2024–2025 Milkweed Economic Network
- 2023– Resilient Roots: Strengthening Food Systems in Indigenous Communities
Teaching
Applied learning for complex decisions
My teaching focuses on decision modeling, operations and supply chain management, and project management across undergraduate and graduate programs, with an emphasis on applied problem-solving and experiential global learning.
Featured experiential course · Summer 2027
Bridging Borders: Exploring International Supply Chains
Japan · South Korea · China · 3 Credits
Experience international supply chains firsthand through corporate visits, university exchanges, cultural immersion, and on-site learning across Asia.
Global classroom
Connect supply-chain concepts to companies, universities, infrastructure, culture, and international business environments.
Advanced elective · Undergraduate
Optimization and Decision Making
Mathematical programming, optimization theory, and computational techniques for complex decision problems.
BBA Core
Production and Operations Management
Process analysis, capacity planning, quality management, supply-chain integration, and operational strategy.
Graduate / Advanced elective
Supply Chain Management
Global sourcing, risk management, sustainability, and competitive supply-chain strategy.
Graduate Core
Decision Making in Operations
Operational trade-offs, uncertainty, process improvement, resource allocation, and alignment with organizational strategy.
Graduate / Advanced elective
Project Management
Scope, schedule, cost, risk, team coordination, stakeholder communication, and project execution.
Teaching archive
Additional courses
Previous offerings in analytics, management science, decision modeling, statistics, international business, and applied research.
View additional & previous course offerings
Advanced Decision Modeling (Undergraduate/Graduate)
Principles of Management Science (Graduate)
Business Intelligence and Analytics (Undergraduate)
Business Decision Analysis (Undergraduate)
Mathematics for Business and Economics (Undergraduate)
Problem Analysis and Decision Modeling (Undergraduate)
Statistics for Business and Economics (Undergraduate)
Applied Research (Undergraduate)
Doing Business in China (Undergraduate)
East Meets West: The Dynamics of Business & Economics (Study Abroad)
Service & engagement
Leadership across campus and community
Academic service, faculty leadership, education-abroad advising, and community board engagement complement my research and teaching.
Academic, professional & student leadership
- Chair, LSBE Intellectual Contributions and Faculty Development Committee (2018–2025)
- Member, Research, Scholarship & Creative Activities Committee, UMD Faculty Governance (2022–2028)
- Member, Education Abroad Faculty Advisory Council, UMD (2022–2029)
- Chapter Advisor, Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society, UMD Chapter (2022–Present)
- Board Member, College of Service Operations, Production and Operations Management Society (POMS) (2022–2024)
- Member, Sustainability Education Committee, UMD (2022– )
Community board leadership
- Board of Directors, American Indian Community Housing Organization (2025–Present)
- Board of Directors, Minnesota Indigenous Business Alliance (2023–2025)
- Board of Directors, True North Goodwill (2022–Present)
Resources
Selected academic & learning resources
Academic tools & projects
Contact
Connect with me
I am available for research collaborations, student research, advising, and media inquiries.
Wenqing Zhang, PhD
Professor of Operations and Supply Chain Management
Head, Department of Marketing
- wqzhang@d.umn.edu
- Phone
- 218-726-6276