Kaitlin Wowak
- Professor
- IT, Analytics, and Operations
Biography
Professor Wowak’s research interests lie in the field of operations management, with an emphasis on product recalls and inclusive operations (defined as integrating inclusive processes into the daily operations of an organization). Her research has been published in Management Science, Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, Journal of Operations Management, Production and Operations Management, MIS Quarterly, Strategic Management Journal, Decision Sciences, Journal of Supply Chain Management, and Journal of Business Logistics, among others. She is the recipient of the 2019 Journal of Operations Management Jack Meredith Best Paper Award, winner of the 2022 Responsible Research in Management Award by the Academy of Management, winner of the 2025 Responsible Research in Management Award by the Academy of Management, and a finalist for the 2023 MSOM Best Responsible Research Award. Her work was also included in Harvard’s 2024 Women and Public Policy Program’s Gender Action Portal.
She teaches the core operations management class in the MBA program at the University of Notre Dame. She has won the 2017 James Dincolo Teaching Excellence Award, the 2020 Outstanding Professor Award for the MSM program, the 2023 Joyce Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, and the 2023 Joe and Gina Prochaska Family Teaching Award.
She received her Ph.D. in business administration from the Pennsylvania State University; her M.S. in information systems from Johns Hopkins University; and her B.S. in finance from the University of Florida.
Related News & Stories
Analytics & Technology
Product recalls are on the rise, top causes revealed
Kaitlin Wowak, expert in product recalls and supply chain management, discussed rising recall trends and their underlying causes with Newsweek.
Newsweek
Faculty in the Media
Why companies with more female board members have better workplace safety
A new study says companies with more women on their boards—and men who listen to what they say—are better at keeping their employees safe from workplace accidents.
Inc.
Analytics & Technology
Corporate boards with more women in positions of power lead to safer workplaces
Research from the University of Notre Dame takes a first look at how workplace safety is affected by female board representation, finding there are fewer accidents and injuries on the job when boards have more women.