Ed Watson is Professor and Chairman of the Stephenson Department of Entrepreneurship
& Information Systems. Since 2015 he has led the effort to transform the department,
introducing a new suite of Entrepreneurship programs, revamping the Stephenson Entrepreneurship
Institute, updating the BS ISDS program and MS Analytics program, and introducing
new online degree programs including the Certificate of Analytics, Information Technology
Minor, BS ISDS, and MS Analytics. He teaches Operations and Supply Chain in the MBA
program and manages the internship programs for the department. Previously he served
as Associate Dean and Flores MBA Director and managed the delivery of a nationally
ranked MBA program across four formats: traditional, professional, executive, and
online. He led the MBA faculty team that developed and rolled out the online MBA program,
the first of its kind in Louisiana. Prior to that, in 2002, he founded and managed
the SAP University Competency Program at LSU, hosting over twenty academic subscription
fee programs around the country following a novel cloud-based enterprise computing
paradigm. This effort brought to LSU over a million dollars in funding to support
teaching, research, and outreach activities.
Prior to joining LSU in 1994, he worked as an engineering consultant building computer
models and analyzing the performance of complex systems for many large organizations,
including General Motors, Xerox, Whirlpool, PPG, Tennant, Coca-Cola, and Gates Rubber.
He earned his Ph.D. and M.S. degrees in Industrial and Management Systems Engineering
from Penn State, and his B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research
from Syracuse University. He has published over 50 articles and book chapters in Technology
and Operations Management outlets. He is a member of various professional organizations
and has been a regular contributor, speaker, and organizer at several conferences
and workshops.
