Supply Chain Management
PHD Students
Lila Al-shwaf
PhD Student, Grad Teaching Assistant
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.
Ahnna Ju
PhD Student
Ahnna Ju is a doctoral student in the Department of Supply Chain Management at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. She earned an MBA with a specialization in Supply Chain Management and Business Analytics from Iowa State University, and completed her undergraduate studies in International Logistics and Chinese Language and Literature at Chung-Ang University in Seoul, Korea.
Qingyu Liu
PhD Student
Qingyu Liu is a doctoral student in the Department of Supply Chain Management at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He holds a master’s degree in Supply Chain Management from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Before joining the doctoral program, Qingyu worked in regional logistics planning at FORVIA HELLA.
Vlada Snyder
PhD Student, Grad Teaching Assistant
Vlada Snyder is a fourth-year doctoral candidate in the Department of Supply Chain Management at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Haslam College of Business. Prior to joining the doctoral program in 2022, she received an MBA and an honors bachelor of science degree in biomedical sciences from Marquette University. Her research background in organic chemistry and passion for sustainability inspired her research in sustainable supply chain management.
Snyder’s research explores how supply chains can become more sustainable from both an environmental and social perspective. From an environmental perspective, Snyder examines how organizations adapt to evolving stakeholder expectations to create sustainable supply chains. From a social perspective, Snyder explores the role of labor as a critical supply chain resource and the importance of ethical labor practices in supply chain relationships. In her current and future projects, Snyder seeks research opportunities that support purpose-driven supply chain management practices.
Snyder is also involved in activities that support her continued development as a scholar, including serving as an ERB member for the Journal of Supply Chain Management. Snyder is also committed to fostering a collaborative and supportive emerging scholar community, having previously served as an inaugural Co-Chair of the Communications Committee for the Academy of Management’s Connect Student Community. She is dedicated to continuing to serve the greater student and research communities in her future endeavors.
Nadja Vorontsova
PhD Student, Grad Teaching Assistant
Nadja Vorontsova joined the doctoral program in the Department of Supply Chain Management at the University of Tennessee Knoxvilles Haslam College of Business in 2022. She received a Master of Science in Integrated Supply Chain Management from University of Tennessee, Knoxville, and a Bachelor of Science in marketing from Western Carolina University. Prior to joining the program, Nadja held analytical and leadership roles in U.S. corporate and startup retail operations that span fashion and consumer packaged goods industries. Nadjas current research interests are in behavioral aspects of sustainable supply chain management with focus on consumer-facing operations. Her research is largely practice-driven with the goal to broaden the theoretical body of knowledge by focusing on understudied and unexplained industry phenomena.
Huajun (Sean) Wen
PhD Student
Huajun (Sean) Wen is a doctoral student in the Department of Supply Chain Management at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business. Prior to joining the doctoral program in 2025, he earned a Master of Science in Marketing & Marketing Analytics from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration with Research Distinction from The Ohio State University, where he specialized in Logistics Management and Operations Management.
Parker Whiting
PhD Student
Parker Whiting is a doctoral student in the Department of Supply Chain Management at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Before joining the department in 2025, Parker worked for five years as a capital capacity manager and materials program planner at Intel Corporation and Axon Enterprise, respectively. Parker holds a Bachelor of Science in Global Supply Chain Management from Brigham Young University in Utah, with a minor in French studies.
Jifei Yu
PhD Student
Jifei Yu joined the doctoral program in the Department of Supply Chain Management at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville’s Haslam College of Business in 2024. She earned a master’s degree in logistics from The Ohio State University. Before entering the Ph.D. program, she worked in the automotive industry. Her research interests focus on behavioral operations and planning decisions in supply chains.