In 1999, when Rob Handfield joined the Poole College of Management faculty, he approached Jon Bartley, then dean, to start the Supply Chain Resource Cooperative. His time at NC State began with a question that would shape his career, the college and countless lives of students. 

New institution, new city, new job and Handfield’s first question was, “How can I shape the student experience?”

Twenty-five years, hundreds of projects and millions of dollars in grant funding later, Handfield is still asking questions.

Connecting the Dots

Handfield is the Bank of America University Distinguished Professor of Supply Chain Management, executive director of the Supply Chain Resource Cooperative and a recipient of over $10 million in grant funding from organizations such as USDA, Templeton World Charity foundations and the National Science Foundation.

He is currently working on a grant for the Department of Defense that examines the factors contributing to drug shortages in the United States. With a colleague in Ohio, Handfield is creating a database of the factories that produce active pharmaceutical ingredients, inactive ingredients and finished products.

“Our hypothesis is that a lot of these drugs are produced in factories that have big quality issues. The FDA is writing them letters, and in some cases, issuing severe warnings, which means there’s quality problems that are likely behind these shortages, especially for generic versions of medication like penicillin and Adderall,” he said.

At the conclusion of this project, the team hopes to create a drug shortage risk index to provide early indicators of potential shortages. Additionally, they would like to create policy recommendations about active and inactive pharmaceutical ingredients to bring to this country for domestic production.

“You know where the data is, and you know what the nature of the problem is. A big part of research is, are you asking the right questions?”

A few other research projects, made possible through resources from his distinguished professorship, have informed this one. Handfield led the Ethical Apparel Index initiative, aimed at creating transparency regarding working conditions in low-cost country apparel factories for consumers, and conducted research with five Ph.D. students on how various states’ pharmaceutical policy initiatives impacted the spread of the opioid epidemic.

Doing the Work

But beyond the spreadsheets and the databases, what does research into the supply chain look like? For Handfield’s students, it looks like data analysis, reading, group discussions, interviews of experts and weekly meetings. Handfield describes the research process as very iterative. “It’s progressive improvement. There’s no lightbulb or big a-ha moments. It’s just work, really,” he said.

“You know where the data is, and you know what the nature of the problem is. A big part of research is, are you asking the right questions?” 

The Bank of America University Distinguished Professorship gives Handfield the time and opportunity to ask the right questions — including how to use his expertise, connections and grants to impact the student experience.

“The entire college is really focused on the student experience. While they’re here, what are they learning and how are they learning it? What is their experience in engaging with industry and applying the lessons learned to industry?”

These are questions Handfield has been asking since he arrived at NC State. Using connections he had made from his time teaching at Michigan State, and other industry connections, Handfield founded the Supply Chain Resource Cooperative (SCRC), a program that connects students to industry and enables them to solve real-world problems. Since its inception, over 60 organizations have partnered with the cooperative, gaining access to the up-and-coming workforce.

“You know, it’s funny. We started this up out of nothing, and now each company contributes $30,000 a year to this effort,” Handfield said.

His 25-year old question continues to transform the NC State experience. Handfield reports that students constantly approach him to testify how his classes have taught them how to work and solve problems, not just how to regurgitate a textbook. 

“And I love seeing that. I love staying in touch with my students after graduation because they are going up in the industry and they’re going on to senior executive positions and becoming leaders. It’s really exciting to see,” he said.

Communicating Across Industries

Outside of the classroom, Handfield’s own career remains exciting and his expertise is nationally recognized. In the past five years, media outlets have kept him busy, first calling upon him to discuss supply chain issues as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and again recently to discuss the impact of tariffs on the economy and Americans’ wallets. He has been interviewed by organizations such as NPR, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal and plenty of local news stations. 

Matt Shipman, NC State’s assistant director of research communications, understands the importance of connecting academic expertise to public knowledge.

Shipman said, “Rob’s willingness to share his expertise more broadly helps the public understand how supply chains affect everything from the availability of medicines to the price of groceries. The depth of his knowledge on the subject, and his ability to explain it clearly, is why reporters seek him out so often.”

Beyond his ability to clearly articulate his expertise, the most important part of these appearances for Handfield is to remain objective. “I try to just give the facts,” he said. “Here’s the fact. We pay for the tariffs.”

His various research projects all have a common thread: How can we impact the supply chain to improve life for Americans?

In the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic, Handfield testified before the US Senate Committee for Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs about the need to develop domestic sources of drugs. Under the Biden administration, he was invited to join the White House’s Council of Economic Advisers to assist with developing a pathway to increasing the prevalence of domestic drug production.

“When you support faculty, you are supporting North Carolina.”

A number of his research projects have been funded by federal agencies, something he feels is important for academia and for the nation. 

“Federal funding provides the means to continue research that industry isn’t looking at,” he said. “What is disturbing now, of course, is that federal funding is being cut, which is going to have an impact on academic researchers’ ability to continue exploring these issues.” 

As higher education faces uncertainty about federal funding, private support like the Bank of America Professorship ensures that innovative research continues and NC State remains an attractive institution for top faculty. 

“When you support faculty, you are supporting North Carolina. You are supporting the growth of education, the growth of innovation and the growth of leadership. It’s not just an individual,” Handfield said.

Though faculty support represents more than an individual professor, Handfield has found a lot of gratification being a professor in the Wolfpack for over 25 years.

“You know I just love this community. I love working with the people I work with. I love working with students. It’s such an enriching experience, and I am just really grateful to be here at NC State.”