06-10-2025
2025 was a banner year for students in the Daniels School’s Master of Science in Business Analytics and Information Management program (MSBAIM).
The MSBAIM program bakes in opportunities for students to turn learning into impact, paying it forward to companies around the world. Under the mentorship of committed faculty like Matthew Lanham, clinical associate professor of management, they not only helped others with their projects, they swept awards in two separate 2025 competitions: the Midwest Decision Sciences Institute ( MWDSI) Conference and the 2025 INFORMS Analytics+ Conference.
With the representation of students in this year's competition, they had the opportunity to apply their knowledge across various industries. Hard work paid off for these individuals, sweeping multiple categories within these prestigious competitions.
Each team worked together with a real-world businesses, helping them explore fresh solutions to current needs. Students participated in long nights prepping, hours of practice sessions, and mentoring meetings to achieve the success they had. To celebrate, we will showcase various projects and the impact they have created in their respective industries.
MSBAIM Students showcasing their posters at the INFORMS Analytics+ Conference
MWDSI Social Media Award Winners and MWDSI 1st Place Graduate Paper
Out of the 7,000+ languages spoken in our world, only 724 have a full Bible translation. The team, working with SIL International, found a data-driven solution to guide smart resource allocation for translators and its overall global impact. Using HTML and Python while utilizing LLM and Folium, the team created a mapping tool that shares data on the availability of Bible translators and the barriers that hinder their accessibility. Beyond its original use, the tool will be expanded to include tourism and retail, helping other businesses around the world.
INFORMS 2nd Place Winner and MWDSI 3rd Place Graduate Student Paper
Understanding the balance between AI automation for B2B sales efficiency while incorporating the ethical standards of human interaction was the goal for this team. Partnering with Prediction Guard, the team engineered each stage of the sales pipeline, utilizing an LLM-powered agent. Using AI tools, including Composio, they visualized realistic tests the AI agents would perform. Its analysis concluded that AI-powered agents significantly improve outreach volume, but human interaction is essential for relationship-building interactions. Their conclusions not only help improve Prediction Guard but also the future of B2B sales utilizing generative AI.
INFORMS 3rd Place Winner and MWDSI 2nd Place Graduate Student Paper
When consumers visit stores with the understanding that products are available but are not on the shelves, they are victims of phantom inventory. Partnered with Meijer, the team utilized machine learning to identify phantom inventory and forecast future stockouts. Using historical data, the team applied random forest classification and LSTM to identify the key factors at hand. Both models aided the team in identifying proactive inventions, helping Meijer and others continue their strategy of reducing phantom detection in the long term.
MSBAIM students, alongside Matthew Lanham, showcasing their awards at the MWDSI Conference
Lanham, who thrives in mentoring participants, notes that, “Spending time with these students was deeply rewarding. Throughout the semester, we collaborated to design and implement business solutions with corporate partners, ultimately extending the experience by co-authoring an academic paper and presenting our work at a professional conference. As vice president for student engagement with the Midwest Decision Sciences Institute, I saw this as a meaningful opportunity to model the transformative value of mentorship beyond the classroom. Guiding students through this journey not only enriched their development but profoundly impacted me as well. Seven hours together in a car can reveal a lot—and strengthen the bonds that make mentorship truly lasting."
In addition to critical mentorships and the opportunity to compete at a high level, all MSBAIM students unlock industry-focused certifications through the Associate Certified Analytics Professional (aCAP®) Certification. Presented through INFORMS, this unique opportunity prepares entry-level professionals with the credentials that showcase knowledge and qualifications in analytics and data science principles.
Purdue’s MSBAIM students and faculty continually distinguish themselves and experience transformative opportunities for themselves and companies involved, going on to become industry leaders.
If you would like to receive more information about pursuing a business master’s at the Mitch Daniels School of Business, please fill out the form and a program specialist will be in touch!
