The Decision Intelligence Lab

Artificial Intelligence

Data Science

Decision Intelligence

Optimization

Analytics

Generative AI

Princeton 20

Business Value

Operations Research

Machine Learning

Change Management

Project Management

Contextual AI

Basketball

Sports Analytics

Kartik Gada

Self-Storage Industry

Genai

Industrial Engineering

Resiliency

The Decision Intelligence Lab explores practical challenges of applying data science, analytics, and AI to drive real-world business outcomes. Hosted by Prof. Michael Watson (Northwestern University) and Prof. Vijay Mehrotra (University of San Francisco) — both seasoned entrepreneurs, consultants, and researchers — this podcast delivers real-world insights for data professionals, business leaders,... more

3 ratings

Publishes	Twice monthly	Episodes	35	Founded	a year ago
Number of Listeners		Categories	EntrepreneurshipBusiness

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Latest Episodes

#34 Geoffrey De Smet: Solving Real-Time Scheduling Problems

Make better business decisions with data and AI—subscribe to The Decision Intelligence Lab Newsletter at ⁠⁠https://decisionintelligencelab.substack.com/⁠⁠.

Geoffrey De Smet built a scheduling solver as a side project and ended up with a NASA supplie... more

5 Aug 2026 • 41 min

#33 Connor Lawless & Madeleine Udell: What Really Slows Optimization Down

. Make better business decisions with data and AI—subscribe to The Decision Intelligence Lab Newsletter at ⁠⁠https://decisionintelligencelab.substack.com/⁠⁠.

Optimization powers decisions in everything from healthcare to logistics, but for most prac... more

22 Jul 2026 • 36 min

#32 James Taylor: Why Your Decisions (Not Your Data) Are the Problem

Make better business decisions with data and AI—subscribe to The Decision Intelligence Lab Newsletter at ⁠⁠https://decisionintelligencelab.substack.com/⁠⁠.

What if the biggest mistake organizations make isn't in their data or their AI, but in never ... more

8 Jul 2026 • 40 min

#31 Meinolf Sellmann: Decision-Making Under Uncertainty

Make better business decisions with data and AI—subscribe to The Decision Intelligence Lab Newsletter at ⁠⁠https://decisionintelligencelab.substack.com/⁠⁠.

Meinolf Sellmann, computer scientist, entrepreneur, and founder/CEO of InsideOpt, joins the D... more

17 Jun 2026 • 40 min

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Recent Guests

Connor Lawless

Lead author on the paper It a Magical Box, Understanding Practitioner Workflows and Needs in Optimization

Stanford University

Episode: #33 Connor Lawless & Madeleine Udell: What Really Slows Optimization Down

Madeleine Udell

Optimization Specialist, co-author of convex.jl

Stanford University

Episode: #33 Connor Lawless & Madeleine Udell: What Really Slows Optimization Down

James Taylor

Expert in digital decisioning, author of Decisional Decisioning

Blue Polaris (Executive Partner); former product at FICO; previously PeopleSoft, E&Y

Episode: #32 James Taylor: Why Your Decisions (Not Your Data) Are the Problem

Meinolf Sellmann

CEO of InsideOpt, computer scientist and solver innovator

InsideOpt

Episode: #31 Meinolf Sellmann: Decision-Making Under Uncertainty

Mike Watson

Co-host/Guest; Professor teaching the Client Project Challenge at Northwestern

Northwestern University, Industrial Engineering and Operations Research

Episode: #30 Mike Watson: Preparing Students for Real-World Problem Solving

Carlos Zetina

Pre-sales consultant/engineer with a background in industrial engineering and data science

FICO

Episode: #29 Carlos Zetina: AI Is Only as Smart as Your Documentation

Ram Bala

Professor at Santa Clara University, co-author of The AI-Centered Enterprise, co-founder of somvide.ai

Santa Clara University; somvide.ai

Episode: #28 Ram Bala: Why Context Is the Missing Layer in Enterprise AI

Tim Varelmann

PhD in chemical engineering from Aachen University; principal of Bluebird Optimization; involved with GamsPy

Bluebird Optimization

Episode: #27 Dr. Tim Varelmann: Primal Solvers, Inventory Agents & the ML-Optimization Stack

Steve Wunker

Author of The Octopus and the AI Organization; innovator on distributed organizations

New Markets Advisors

Episode: #26 Stephen Wunker: Building Distributed, Adaptive Companies

Hosts

Vijay Mehrotra

Host of The Decision Intelligence Lab, professor, and co-host with a focus on decision intelligence, governance, and enterprise AI. Affiliation commonly associated with University of San Francisco and The Decision Intelligence Lab.

Michael Watson

Co-host and host with extensive experience in data science, optimization, and industry practice; frequently speaks to how decisions are designed and implemented in real-world settings.

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Apple Podcasts	#108	Mexico/Business/Entrepreneurship
Apple Podcasts	#225	Saudi Arabia/Business/Entrepreneurship

Talking Points

Recent interactions between the hosts and their guests.

#32 James Taylor: Why Your Decisions (Not Your Data) Are the Problem

Q: How should organizations handle data quality concerns when the decision is well-defined?

If the decision is well-scoped, you can determine which data inputs are essential and which can be supplemented or inferred. You may find you don't need perfect data for every input; you can implement fallback rules and still automate the decision effectively, improving business outcomes even with imperfect data.

#32 James Taylor: Why Your Decisions (Not Your Data) Are the Problem

Q: What distinguishes genuine digital decision-making from simple task automation?

Digital decision-making treats the decision as a discrete, time-bound, data-driven choice that can be automated, while tasks in a process are often stitched together without isolating the decision. This allows reusability, auditing, and targeted automation of the core decision rather than wiring through a long chain of fragmented steps.

#11 Carolyn Mooney: DecisionOps, Testing, and Iterative Development

Q: How would you describe Decision Ops and who is the primary user?

Decision Ops is a tooling-and-process framework that helps turn decision models into live, testable systems, with the main users being operations research or decision science teams, sometimes called data scientists with optimization focus, who need to deliver tangible business outcomes to their end users.

#25 Justin Trombold: The Biggest Mistake Companies Are Making with GenAI

Q: How do you recommend leaders structure pilots to ensure they move from 'what the technology can do' to 'what we will do and what outcomes we will achieve'?

Lead with processes and problems, run end-to-end pilots that test the entire value chain, and ensure leadership is aligned on the problem to solve, not just the tool; use a risk-managed vendor collaboration to accelerate validated use cases.

#25 Justin Trombold: The Biggest Mistake Companies Are Making with GenAI

Q: What are the biggest blind spots and potential negative consequences you see in companies adopting GenAI?

Common blind spots include overestimating GenAI capabilities (mistaking it for AGI) and underestimating the importance of beliefs, behaviors, and results alignment; pilots often stop at the technology level without linking to outcomes, delaying or diluting value realization.

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Frequently Asked Questions About The Decision Intelligence Lab

What is The Decision Intelligence Lab about and what kind of topics does it cover?

The show focuses on turning data, analytics, and AI into practical business outcomes through decision-centric thinking. Across episodes, topics include decision framing, enterprise AI governance, optimization and ML integration, change management, and building scalable decision systems inside large organizations. Guests range from industry practitioners to researchers, sharing real-world case studies in logistics, healthcare, manufacturing, and software to illustrate how disciplined problem framing, governance, and human-centered design unlock value. A standout pattern is blending rigorous theory with hands-on deployments, emphasizing governance, culture, and collaboration as critical success factors for AI-enabled decision making.

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Which podcasts are similar to The Decision Intelligence Lab?

These podcasts share a similar audience with The Decision Intelligence Lab:

1. Hard Fork
2. The Journal.
3. The Ezra Klein Show
4. Founders
5. The Daily

How many episodes of The Decision Intelligence Lab are there?

The Decision Intelligence Lab launched a year ago and published 35 episodes to date. You can find more information about this podcast including rankings, audience demographics and engagement in our podcast database.

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What guests have appeared on The Decision Intelligence Lab?

Recent guests on The Decision Intelligence Lab include:

1. Connor Lawless
2. Madeleine Udell
3. James Taylor
4. Meinolf Sellmann
5. Mike Watson
6. Carlos Zetina
7. Ram Bala
8. Tim Varelmann

To view more recent guests and their details, simply upgrade your Rephonic account. You'll also get access to a typical guest profile to help you decide if the show is worth pitching.

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