L. Robin Keller’s research focuses on developing techniques for analyzing decisions. She studies ways to creatively structure decision-making problems, analyze models of perceived risk, and analyze the fairness of the distribution of risks among groups.

She is Editor-in-Chief of Decision Analysis. She is currently serving on the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Ranking FDA Product Categories Based on Health Consequences.  Also, she recently served as an analyst on a select committee for the National Research Council, examining radiation protection in the event of a nuclear incident due to an accident or terrorism.

Professor Keller was named an Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS) Fellow in October 2004 for her contributions to operations research and management science. She is also past president of the organization’s Decision Analysis Society.

She has served as program director for the Decision, Risk, and Management Science Program of the U.S. National Science Foundation, and conducted studies funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Department of Energy. She has also served as a vice president of the Institute of Management Sciences and was a founding director-at-large of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences.

She has published more than 45 journal articles, technical reports, book chapters and reviews.

Professor Keller currently serves as the Director of the Doctoral Program at The Paul Merage School of Business.

AWARDS AND HONORS

• INFORMS Fellow, awarded Oct. 25, 2004, for contributions to Operations Research and the Management  Sciences
• Kimball Medal Recipient for 2006, presented at Pittsburgh INFORMS conference, for distinguished service contributions to Operations Research and the Management Sciences.
• Winner of the “Breaking the Frame Award” at Western Academy of Management meeting in March 2002 by the Journal of Management Inquiry for best paper of 2001, co-authored with Merage/GSM doctoral alumna  Prof. Monika I. Winn of University of Victoria.
• Finalist in Case competition: Tianjun Feng, L. Robin Keller, and Xiaona Zheng, “Home Depot in San Juan Capistrano: Multi-objective Multi-stakeholder Decision Case,” Fall 2005, Presentation at INFORMS conference Case Competition sponsored by INFORMS Forum on Education, recipient of Finalist award.  To obtain case files, see online publication by Feng, T., L. R. Keller, X. Zheng. 2008. INFORMS Trans. Ed. 8(3) 103-114.  http://www.informs.org/site/ITE/article.php?id=66, supplemental files to the published paper include: HomeDepotTeachingNote.pdf (visit the Case Teaching Notes page to download this PDF), HomeDepotCase.xls, SummaryofHomeDepotCase.xls.
• Finalist: Decision Analysis Society of INFORMS, finalist in 1999 student paper competition (for papers with student as lead author) for Guyse, Keller, and Eppel’s “Valuing Environmental Outcomes: Preferences for Constant or Improving Sequences.”
• UCI Merage School of Business Faculty Service Award, June 2008.
• UCI Graduate School of Management Faculty Service Award, May 1993.
• UCI Graduate School of Management Excellence in Teaching Award, to the best teacher of the year, upon vote by students, 1982-83, 1985-86.UCLA Graduate School of Management Outstanding Graduate, 1982-83.  Recognition of academic distinction upon vote by faculty and sponsored by UCLA Alumni Association.
• UCLA Academic Senate's Special Commendation as a Teaching Assistant, 1975-76.
• Member of Beta Gamma Sigma, the national business honorary society.

GRANTS

• National Science Foundation, L R. Keller (PI) and Jay Simon (co-PI), to University of California, Irvine, Proposal ID  SES-0823458, “Doctoral Dissertation Research in DRMS:  Cross-Disciplinary Analyses Using Multi-Attribute Utility Theory,” submitted Feb. 7,  2008, notified of recommended funding 5-28-2008, $5,200. To support Jay Simon’s dissertation expenses.  (Start date 8-1-08, 12 months.)   The e-Synopsis for the project: http://apps.research.uci.edu/awardsynop/. At the prompts, enter the following information:  Award Number:  SES-0823458 , Synopsis Cycle:1.
• National Science Foundation, Research Center to Arizona State University, “Decision Center for a Desert City” for a 5 year Center grant, $6.9 million, Keller serves on decision research team with Craig Kirkwood of ASU, 2004-2009. Supporting doctoral students Tianjun Feng and Jay Simon and partial faculty summer salary.  (Our spatial decision modeling research is supported via summer 2008 consulting funding to the PIs (including me and Craig Kirkwood) of $7,000 each in summer 2008 and $10,000 to Jay Simon as a consultant in summer 2008.)
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, “Identification and Control of Non-Point Sources of Microbial       Pollution in a Coastal Wetland,” Co-Principal Investigator with PI Brett Sanders, UCI Dept. of Civil and Environmental Research, grant R-82801101-0, 8/1/00-7/31/04, $895,234, with $145,020, under Keller’s supervision on stakeholders’ perspectives.  (Supporting Dipayan Biswas, Xiaona Zheng, & Tianjun Feng.)
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, "Assessing Preferences for Environmental Decisions with Long-Term Consequences," Principal Investigator L. Robin Keller, $181,851, 8/1/98 - 7/31/2001, under EPA/NSF STAR Partnership for Environmental Research EPA grant R826611-01-0, and a subcontract to Decision Insights, Inc., Dr. Thomas Eppel.  (Supported Jeff Guyse’s doctoral dissertation work.)
• National Science Foundation Grant #SBR-9605826, “The Chinese vs. North American Perceptions and Decision Making Concerning Fairness and a Framework to Incorporate Culture into Decision Making,” Principal Investigator L. Robin Keller and Co-Principal Investigator Wen-Qiang Bian, $9,030, 1997-98,  (Supported Bian’s doctoral dissertation work.)
• National Science Foundation Grant, "Foundations of Risk Analysis:  Theoretical and Empirical Investigation," Faculty Associate (with Co-Principal Investigators Rakesh K. Sarin and Robert L. Winkler), 1988-90, $119,000.
• U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Policy Analysis grant, "Economic Analysis of Risk toHeart Disease Patients from Exposure to Carbon Monoxide," Co-Principal Investigator, 1985 (with Steven D. Colome).
• National Science Foundation Grant, "Foundations of Risk Analysis," Senior Associate, 1984-86 (with Rakesh Sarin), $82,000.

APPOINTMENTS

• Editor-in-Chief, Decision Analysis, January 2007-Dec. 2009
• Director, Doctoral Program at The Paul Merage School of Business at UC Irvine; July 2009-.
• National Academy of Sciences:

1. Committee  to Assess the Distribution and Administration of Potassium Iodide in the Event of a                 Nuclear Incident, Board of Radiation Effects Research, Division of Earth and Life Studies, National                Research Council of the National Academies, 2003-2004.
2. U. S. National Committee for the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA),                 appointed as member by President of NAS, January 2007-Dec. 2009.
3. Committee on Ranking FDA Product Categories Based on Health Consequences, 2008-09.                  nominated/contacted 6/27/08.

• USC    Appointed Scientific Advisory Committee member, Homeland Security Center for Risk and Economic Analysis of Terrorist Events (CREATE), June 2005-.
• UC Santa Cruz (Proposed) School of Management Academic Advisory Group, 2007-2008.
• NSF    Program Director National Science Foundation, Washington, D.C.; Decision, Risk, and Management Science Program, August 1990 - July 1991; Associate Program Director, August 1989-July 1990.  Managed review of grant proposals from a $3.23 million annual budget and provided direction for research in decision analysis, risk analysis, and management science.
• UCI     Assistant Professor of Social Sciences, School of Social Sciences, 1987-89, courtesy joint appointment.