Niratcha Grace Tungtisanont

Niratcha "Grace" Tungtisanont is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Logistics, Business & Public Policy at the Robert H. Smith School of Business. Grace was involved with 2011 Thai flood disasters, where she gained her first-hand experience in assisting flood victims. She observed the complex operational problems associated with flood disaster ranges from unstructured service volunteers to garbage management. As a result of this experience, she was motivated to conduct scholarly research related to humanitarian operations strategies of natural disasters and ground it within the theoretical lens of service operations strategy. Her primary research goal is to identify what strategic factors (e.g. resources, investments, policies, etc.) should be prioritized prior to and during a flood event in order to enhance the overall effectiveness of the recovery process—the humanitarian relief area with the least amount of documented research to date. Her research findings draw upon macroeconomics and service strategy literature to consider the role of various stakeholders— individuals, communities, and governments in the co-production disaster relief services and activities. Grace holds a Master of Science in Agricultural and Resource Economics and a Bachelor of Art in Economics and Mathematics from the University of Arizona.