Lila Al-shwaf
PhD Student, Grad Teaching Assistant
Department:
Supply Chain Management
Biography
Lila Al-shwaf is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in supply chain management at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business. She holds a master’s in industrial and systems engineering and a bachelor’s in business administration with a major in global supply chain management and a co-major in university honors, both from Wayne State University. Before beginning her Ph.D., she worked at General Motors in roles spanning value chain engineering, global purchasing and supply chain sustainability.
Al-shwaf’s research explores how public policy influences supply chain outcomes, particularly in the areas of social equity and environmental resilience. She’s interested in how supply chains can be designed to support broader societal goals, from improving representation in logistics roles to reducing risks in global sourcing. “Policy isn’t just reactive — it can be a powerful driver of change,” she says.
In one project, “Rosie, Take the Wheel: Examining EEOC Actions and Gender Diversity in Frontline Logistics Occupations” (co-authored with Alex Scott), she examines whether Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) actions have increased gender diversity in trucking, finding little effect. Surprisingly, companies with more women drivers were more likely to be sued, suggesting unintended consequences. In another study, “Raw Material Supply Risks: Examining Extraction and Geopolitical Conflict,” Al-shwaf investigates how sourcing strategies contribute to geopolitical and environmental vulnerabilities, offering firms a framework for building more resilient networks.
Al-shwaf is driven by the opportunity to use research to solve real-world problems in forward-thinking ways.