When MAJ Will Kirschenman arrived at NC State, he brought years of Army experience and questions worth exploring. However, he also found something essential for ambitious research. He found mentors willing to invest in his ideas.

That support helped Kirschenman complete his Ph.D. in NC State’s Operations Research Graduate Program. It also helped produce research with direct military applications. Now, the national operations research community has recognized that work.

Kirschenman received the Seth Bonder Scholarship in Applied Operations Research in Military Applications. The INFORMS Military and Security Society awards the scholarship to only one researcher nationwide each year.

For Kirschenman, however, the recognition also reflects the people who helped him reach that point.

“Being selected is a tremendous honor,” Kirschenman said. “I am humbled to join past recipients whose work is well known in the military operations research community.”

An Idea Takes Shape

Kirschenman’s research journey began during his first semester in the OR Ph.D. program. He entered Seb Heese’s seminar with a military problem he wanted to explore.

“The general problem was there, and it was clearly important and relevant to the military,” Heese said.

The seminar helped Kirschenman transform that broad problem into focused research questions he could investigate. Meanwhile, a paper he read for the seminar helped shape the direction of his work.

“The seminar is designed to transform a general idea into well-defined and manageable research projects or dissertation chapters,” Heese said. “And that’s what we did.”

Kirschenman credits Heese’s early encouragement with helping him recognize the idea’s potential. However, that mentorship continued well beyond his first semester.

Brandon McConnell was also a major reason Kirschenman chose NC State. His military background gave Kirschenman an advisor who understood both operations research and military challenges.

Russell King and Michael Kay also helped Kirschenman develop his research. Together, his committee offered different perspectives while meeting with him weekly during much of the project.

“To me, the award recognizes the contributions and military relevance of my doctoral work,” Kirschenman said. He added that it also recognizes “the support I received at NC State.”

Becoming a Researcher

That support gave Kirschenman room to develop his own ideas. At the same time, his advisors expected him to take ownership of his research.

“From day one, Will was an exceptional doctoral student,” McConnell said. “He is naturally curious, loves to learn, and he enjoys the process of working on a hard problem.”

McConnell also saw an uncommon balance in Kirschenman.

“Will is special in that he is deeply coachable and completely independent at the same time,” McConnell said.

Heese noticed those qualities early as well.

“It didn’t take long for me (and others) to notice Will’s exceptional abilities,” Heese said.

According to Heese, Kirschenman combined talent with hard work, organization and a willingness to learn from others.

“He absorbed and carefully processed everything he was taught or told by his advisors over the past years,” Heese said.

That combination helped Kirschenman turn his military experience into research with practical applications.

Research With a Mission

Kirschenman built his research around challenges he encountered while developing wargames at Army Futures Command.

Amphibious operations require troops, vehicles and equipment to move from ships onto shore. However, planners must carefully decide how that equipment arrives and in what order.

Poor sequencing can create delays or congestion. In a contested landing zone, those problems can also increase the risk to soldiers.

Kirschenman studied ways to connect vessel selection, equipment placement and arrival sequencing with the mission waiting on shore. Therefore, his research gives military planners another way to evaluate important choices before an operation begins.

“The goal is to help planners get critical equipment off quickly, keep units together, and understand the tradeoffs,” Kirschenman said.

Ultimately, he hopes the research helps planners develop stronger plans while reducing risks to military forces.

Passing It Forward

Kirschenman has now moved from NC State student to faculty member at the Naval Postgraduate School. However, he plans to bring more than just his research to his new position.

He also wants to continue the mentorship that shaped his own NC State experience.

“I know how much it matters to have someone believe in an idea before you know where it will lead,” Kirschenman said.

McConnell believes that commitment to others may become one of Kirschenman’s greatest contributions.

“Will is a natural leader and a gifted mentor,” McConnell said. “Throughout his time at NC State he constantly worked to lift up the other military officers in the program.”

Kirschenman now hopes to provide that same encouragement to his own students. In his new role as a faculty member at the Naval Postgraduate School, he can put that commitment into practice. In addition, he plans to continue researching and teaching computational methods.

“I’m especially excited to help students pursue meaningful problems they are passionate about,” Kirschenman said.

His former mentors expect that influence to continue growing. As Heese said, “He truly deserves the Bonder Scholarship, and I look forward to seeing what he will achieve in the future.”

The Bonder Scholarship recognizes what Kirschenman has already accomplished. More importantly, his next chapter could extend that impact far beyond one researcher.

At NC State, mentors helped Kirschenman transform an idea into meaningful research. Now, he has the opportunity to help someone else do the same.