Dr. Nickolas K. Freeman is a Professor of Operations Management at The University of Alabama and a major contributor to the NSF-funded STANDD initiative, which develops advanced analytics techniques for combating sex trafficking. This work has been recognized as a finalist for three awards offered by INFORMS, with related research published in Production and Operations Management, Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, INFORMS Journal on Applied Analytics, and Scientific Data. Dr. Freeman serves as an Associate Director of the Institute of Data and Analytics, Co-coordinator for the Master of Science in Business Analytics program, and Associate Editor of INFORMS Journal on Applied Analytics. His broader expertise spans mathematical modeling, simulation, network modeling, and applied predictive modeling, with additional publications in INFORMS Journal on Computing.