I am a fourth-year PhD Student in the Operations, Information and Decisions Department at The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. I am fortunate to work with Professors Serguei Netessine and Christian Kaps.

My research focuses on emerging topics in clean energy, with a particular interest in addressing how to best integrate new technologies in existing energy systems to mitigate the impacts of climate change. I study geographically varying returns from clean energy investments to identify optimal development strategies, and examine new business models and technology innovations that improve developer returns and support more efficient operations of evolving electricity systems.

Prior to my doctoral studies, I graduated magna cum laude from UC Berkeley with a BS in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, where I was advised by Professor Candace Yano. I spent my undergraduate summers working at Tesla Energy and EDF Renewables, and my experiences there helped shape my passion for the energy transition.

Upcoming Talks

May 8, 2026: Annual POMS Conference, Reno
Title: Mobile Energy Storage and the Value of Geospatial Flexiblity
Session Number: 23 (8:00-9:30 AM, Track: Product Innovation and Technology Management)
Location: Room Nevada 3

May 10, 2026: Annual POMS Conference, Reno
Title: Impacts of Data Centers on Energy Operations
Session Number: 380 (3:00-4:30 PM, Track: Energy and Natural Resource Management)
Location: Room Nevada 8

Research

Working Papers

When Where Watt: Harnessing the Value of Time and Location for Renewable Electricity Generation
Vishrut Rana, Christian Kaps, and Serguei Netessine
Available on SSRN
Finalist, INFORMS Society of Location Analysis (SOLA) Best Student Paper Award 2025

Moving Money Around: Mobile Energy Storage and the Value of Geospatial Flexiblity
Vishrut Rana, Christian Kaps, and Serguei Netessine
Available on SSRN
Selected for Best Paper Proceedings of the 2026 Academy of Management Annual Meeting

Grand Challenges for Operations Management: UN Sustainable Development Goal 7
Christian Kaps, Serguei Netessine, Vishrut Rana, and Omer Karaduman
Proposal accepted for M&SOM Special Issue. Draft available on request.

Work In Progress

Watts Behind the AI Revolution: Impact of Data Centers on Energy Operations
Vishrut Rana, Christian Kaps, and Serguei Netessine
Media coverage: Wharton Magazine

Published Papers

Block scheduling in a multi-hospital setting
Vishrut Rana, Candace Yano, Alexandra Newman
Operations Research, Data Analytics and Logistics

Teaching

Teaching Material

Powering the Machine: AI, Energy Supply Chains, and the High-Stakes Race to Meet Surging Demand
Santiago Gallino and Vishrut Rana
Teaching case available here

Teaching Assistant

The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania:

OIDD 6110: Quality and Productivity
MBA Core with Christian Terwiesch
Fall 2025 (Full-time MBA), Fall 2025 (Executive MBA), Spring 2026 (Executive MBA)

OIDD 6730: Global Supply Chain Management
MBA Elective with Santiago Gallino
Spring 2025 (Full-time MBA), Spring 2026 (Full-time MBA)

OIDD 6970: Retail Supply Chain Management
MBA Elective with Santiago Gallino
Fall 2025 (Full-time MBA), Fall 2024 (Full-time MBA)

OIDD 1010: Introduction to Operations, Information and Decisions
UG Core with Gerard Cachon and Sergei Savin
Fall 2023

OIDD 6150: Operations Strategy
MBA Core with Gerard Cachon
Fall 2023 (Full-time MBA)

College of Engineering, University of California at Berkeley:

IEOR 162: Linear Programming and Network Flows
UG Major Requirement with Dorit Hochbaum
Head Student Instructor - Fall 2021