Research

Research Interests

    • Topics:  Assortment Planning and Pricing,  Retailing in Distribution Channels
    • Methodologies: Optimization, Game Theory, Deep Learning, Reinforcement Learning

Doctoral Supervision (ATeam)

    • Zhechao Yang (Expected 2025)
    • Honggang Hu (2022, committee chair, first placement: Assistant Professor in Tongji University)
    • Man Xie (2021, committee member, first placement: Assistant Professor in Arizona State University)
    • Hongseok Jang (2021, committee chair, first placement: Assistant Professor in Tulane University)
    • Quan Zheng (2018, committee chair, first placement: Assistant Professor in University of Science and Technology of China)

Publications (*Denote Former or Current Doctoral Student; UTD 24: Top 24 journals for UTD Top 100 Business School Research Rankings)

  1. Z. Atan, D. Honhon, X. A. Pan. 2024. Displaying and Discounting Perishables: Impact on Retail Profits and Waste. Management Science, Forthcoming. (UTD 24)
  2. Y. Li*, G. Li, X. A. Pan. 2023. Optimal Return Shipping Insurance Policy with Consumers’ Anticipated Regret. Production and Operations Management 32(10): 3209-3226. (Second Prize in 2022 POMS-China Student Paper Competition, UTD 24)
  3. Q. Zheng*, H. Hu*, X. A. Pan. 2023. Implications of Product Substitutability in a Distribution Channel. Production and Operations Management 32(6): 1636-1653. (UTD 24)
  4. H. Hu*, Q. Zheng*, X. A. Pan. 2022. Agency or Wholesale? The Role of Retail Pass-Through. Management Science 68(10): 7538-7554. (UTD 24)
  5. Q. Zheng*, H. Jang*, X. A. Pan. 2022. Store Brand Introduction and Multilateral Contracting. Manufacturing and Service Operations Management 24(1): 467-484. (Honorable Mention in POMS-SCM College Best Student Paper Competition, UTD 24)
    • Media Coverage: New research highlights why it’s advantageous to produce store brand products, even those that aren’t popular with customers (Warrington School News, Rearch Roundup)
  6. Q. Zheng*, X. A. Pan, A. Vakharia. 2021. Product Decoys: A Supply Chain Perspective. Production and Operations Management 30(9): 2858-2870.  (UTD 24)
  7. Q. Zheng*, X. A. Pan, A. Vakharia. 2020. Common Retailer Channel Revisited: The Role of Supply Network Size. Production and Operations Management 29(9): 2175-2181. (UTD 24)
    • Media Coverage: New research highlights the impact of product substitutability on retailer and manufacturer profits (Warrington School News)
  8. D. Honhon, X. A. Pan, S. Jonnalagedda. 2020. In-Out Algorithm for Assortment Planning under a Ranking-based Consumer Choice Model. Operations Research Letters 48(3): 309-316. (Department A–/B+)
  9. M. Lin, X. A. Pan, Q. Zheng*. 2020. Platform Pricing with Strategic Buyers: The Impact of Future Production Cost. Production and Operations Management 29(5): 1122-1144. (UTD 24)
    • Media Coverage:  A guide to technology hardware pricing: New research highlights how companies can strategically price products, contrary to conventional pricing wisdom (Warrington School News)
  10. X. Ma*, F. Lu*, X. A. Pan, Y. Zhou*, X. Li, 2019. RetailNet: Enhancing Retails of Perishable Products with Multiple Selling Strategies via Pair-Wise Multi-Q Learning. Proceedings of the 36th International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), Reinforcement Learning for Real Life Workshop. (Top Computer Science conference)
  11. Q. Zheng*, X. A. Pan, J. Carrillo. 2019. Probabilistic Selling for Vertically Differentiated Products with Salient Thinkers. Marketing Science 38(3): 365-561. (UTD 24)
    • Media Coverage:  Probabilistic selling a key for companies selling vertically differentiated products, UF Warrington study finds (Warrington School News)
  12. D. Honhon, X. A. Pan. 2017. Improving Profits by Bundling Vertically Differentiated Products. Production and Operations Management 26(8): 1481-1497. (UTD 24)
  13. X. A. Pan, D. Honhon. 2012. Assortment Planning for Vertically Differentiated Products. Production and Operations Management 21(2): 253-275. (won the Wickham Skinner Award for Best Paper Published in Production and Operations Management during 2012, UTD24)
  14. D. Honhon, S. Jonnalagedda, X. A. Pan. 2012. Optimal Algorithms for Assortment Selection under Ranking-Based Consumer Choice Models. Manufacturing and Service Operations Management 14(2): 279-289. (UTD 24)

Selected Working Papers

  1. D. Wu*, G. Li, X. A. Pan. 2023. Probabilistic Services on a Ride-hailing Platform. Under review.
  2. Q. Zheng*,  H. Hu*, X. A. Pan. 2023. Cross-Brand Pass-Through and Channel Pricing. Under review.
  3. H. Jang*, Q. Zheng*, X. A. Pan. 2023. Supplier Encroachment through an Online Marketplace. Under review.
  4. Z. Yang*, L. Qiu, X. A. Pan. 2023. Corporate Prediction Markets in Hierarchical Organizations: The Impact of ‘yes men’. Under review.