Morgan Wood

About

I am Morgan Wood (previously Morgan Smith), an Assistant Professor of Business and Data Science at North Carolina Wesleyan University. I am passionate about developing data-driven methods that improve decision-making in service systems, particularly in settings where data is noisy or limited. My recent work focuses on tracking and forecasting customer flows and understanding the role of data quality in real-time operational decisions, motivated largely by an ongoing collaboration with a major international airport. Beyond research, I am actively involved in launching NC Wesleyan’s new Data Science program, designing and teaching courses across analytics, data visualization, statistical computing, and information technology.

I hold a PhD in Statistics and Operations Research from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, as well as MA and BS degrees in Mathematics from East Carolina University and an MS in Statistics and Data Analytics from UNC Chapel Hill.

I have taught and supported instruction across a range of undergraduate and graduate courses in data analysis, statistics, decision sciences, and discrete mathematics. For information about the courses I am currently teaching, please see the “For Current Students” tab.

Recent Talks

"Making Sense of Messy Data: Tracking and Forecasting Airport Passengers" at UNC Chapel Hill's annual Data Science Day in Chapel Hill, NC
When: Tuesday, September 23, 2025 10:10 a.m. - 10:20 p.m.
Room: Carolina Club Ballroom

"Data-driven Population Tracking in Large Service Systems" at Kellogg's Operations Management Rookiepalooza in Evanston, IL (Job Talk)
When: Monday, October 28 and Tuesday, October 29, 2024

"Structural Forecasting of Arrivals to Scheduled Services" at the annual INFORMS meeting in Seattle, Washington (Original presenter was Fernando Bernstein; I will be presenting our work, instead.)
Session: Data Analytics and Technology in Operations Management
When: Tuesday, October 22, 2024 4:00 - 5:15 p.m.
Room: Summit 444

"Data-driven Population Tracking in Large Service Systems" at the annual INFORMS meeting in Seattle, Washington (Flash Talk)
Session: APS PhD Student Showcase 1
When: Tuesday, October 22, 2024 10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room: Summit - Ballroom 1 
I am also happy to continue discussing my work at the following poster session:
Session: APS Poster
When: Tuesday, October 22, 2024 2:15 p.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Room: Flex C 

"Data-driven Population Tracking in Large Service Systems" at the annual INFORMS meeting in Seattle, Washington (Job Talk)
Session: Bora Keskin's RM&P Session (Prominent Students incl. Job Market Candidates)
When: Sunday, October 20, 2024 10:45 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Room: Summit 336