(2/52) Alok Patel - 14 December 2023

Introduction
As I listened to Alok’s story over a warm cup of coffee, I couldn’t help but feel a renewed sense of purpose for this project. Every story and each shared experience deserves its moment and Alok’s story is a testament of determination and warmth. Widely recognized as ‘OR Guru’ within the LinkedIn community, Alok serves as a Lead Operations Research Scientist at Udaan, a vibrant startup in Bangalore, India.

Early Life
Our conversation drifted back to the year 2003 in a small village nestled in the forests of Odisha. 15-year-old Alok cycled 5 kilometers to school every day. He inherited his love for mathematics from his father, nurtured through fun brain teasing sessions at the dinner table every night. The family’s pride swelled as Alok topped the 10th standard exams in his school. But his life took an unforeseen turn following the sudden demise of his father. As the only child, the responsibility to provide and support his mother fell upon his shoulders. He took up a job at his uncle’s transportation company, crunching numbers through the day and studying by the night. Even through these hardships, he continued to excel academically, securing a spot among the top 10 students in his high school. As Alok prepared for a life of clerical work, an opportunity knocked at his door. A friend introduced him to a “Mathematics and Computing” course at the Institute of Mathematics, which was still accepting late applications. Alok seized the chance and convinced his uncle to support him through this 3-year course.

Undergraduate Years
Alok’s strong foundation in theoretical mathematics was laid down during these years, proving immensely valuable during his PhD. A pivotal moment came in the summer of his 1st year when he participated in Mathematics Training at Talent Search program (MMTS) at IIT Guwahati. Inspired by the sports facilities and academic environment surrounding him, he set his sights on pursing graduate education at an IIT. At a modest stipend, he joined the MSc + PhD program in Operations Research at the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay in 2009.

PhD Years
As a programming enthusiast with a goal to join industry, he shifted gears to work on applied problems in OR. During his PhD, he worked on a government funded project centered on Road Traffic Signal Optimization, aiming to determine the optimal green time for each signal at an intersection using real time data to maximize flow and reduce congestion. He validated his algorithm on a traffic flow simulator, and the solution is currently being deployed in multiple cities across India. Despite his strong grasp of mathematics, Alok faced financial constraints that required him to divide his time wisely. He spent most of his day outside juggling multiple jobs , teaching mathematics and C++ to school and college students. At night, his hostel room became a hub for collaborative problem-solving. Fondly reminiscing his PhD days, he remembered how he also spent a significant amount of time playing football and even saved money for occasional trips – simple pleasures he couldn’t afford earlier in life. We shared a good laugh recalling memories of our alma mater, talking about some odd courses, quirky professors, and the ever-popular snack - vada pav. Alok also met his wife there, who was pursuing her PhD at the same time, and they got married in 2015.

Professional Experience
Despite his PhD supervisor’s lack of enthusiasm for internships during the doctoral program, Alok managed to secure an unpaid remote opportunity at the TCS Transportation Lab. The opportunity proved invaluable for him, leading to the publication of multiple papers. The following year, he also worked at XEROX Research Center for 3 months. He emphasized the importance of gaining industry experience before or during PhD to understand and solve real-world challenges. Guided by his desire to work in a research-driven environment, he started his career at the TATA Research Development and Design Centre (TRDDC). He spent a productive year there working on batch job scheduling problems, contributing to research publications, and playing football. Alok then took on a key role at ExxonMobil, responsible for setting up a new OR team in India and leading the entire recruitment effort. This experience also served as an inspiration for ‘OR Guru’, as it enabled him to understand the problems faced by students interviewing for OR-related positions. Reflecting on his experience at ExxonMobil, Alok felt a deep sense of accomplishment, having contributed to diverse projects including production optimization, lubricant pricing, vessel scheduling and routing problems.

OR Guru
Launched over 3 years ago as a simple LinkedIn page, Alok started ‘OR Guru’ as a hub to share insightful blogs. The aim was to bridge the often wide gap between theoretical academia and practical industry skills essential in operations research. To help students and nurture OR talent in the country, Alok actively engaged with colleges across India to host workshops focused on modelling and programming. Today, his efforts have reached a global scale, impacting thousands of students through online courses, talks, workshops, individual mentorship, and a wide-reaching network. The OR Guru page has evolved into a go-to resource for OR-related blogs, courses, and job opportunities. Looking to the future, Alok is focused on expanding OR Guru’s scope and reach, constantly innovating to meet the changing needs of the professionals in the field. With anticipation building, he hinted at a major upcoming project on the horizon, under works at the time.

Concluding Remarks
In our final conversation, Alok reflected on the breadth of experiences he has gathered in the startup environment at Udaan. Working in close collaboration with the operations teams, he realized the essential role that interpersonal skills play in our field. He strongly believes in the power of having a genuine intention to help people – terming it “influence without authority” – as the key to building trust and effectively engaging with stakeholders. The success of any project hinges on our ability to convince stakeholders of the value of our solution. And it is through careful listening and understanding the perspectives of those directly involved in day-to-day operations that one can gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and nuances involved.

His calm demeanor and raw enthusiasm left a lasting impression on my mind as we said our goodbyes. His resilience and undeterred spirit in the face of challenges, accompanied by his unwavering smile, were not only inspiring but also a vivid reminder of the human element that drives innovation and progress in this ever-evolving world.