Railinc today announced the next phase in its research with Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business, a relationship focused on the responsible application of advanced analytics to strengthen the North American rail network.
This initiative builds on Fuqua’s Master of Quantitative Management (MQM): Business Analytics program, one of the nation’s leading graduate platforms for applied data science and involves faculty leadership from Michael Aguilar, Adjunct Professor of Business Administration at Fuqua and former Staff Economist for the U.S. Congressional Budget Office. Aguilar’s expertise in macroeconomics, asset pricing, and time-series modeling brings a national-policy and capital-markets perspective to industrial analytics and infrastructure intelligence.
“This project represents the intersection of real-world logistics and advanced decision science,” said Michael Aguilar. “Our goal is to explore new ways to translate complex operational data into insights that improve economic understanding and operational resilience. The rail system connects everything; its rhythms mirror the broader economy.”
Fuqua MQM students and Railinc data science teams will engage in joint exploratory work to identify how transportation data can illuminate macro-sector linkages and potential indicators of economic activity. The work centers on developing transparent, academically rigorous frameworks that can inform policy, investment, and operational decisions across supply chains.
This marks the second of three planned collaborations between Railinc and Duke.
The initiative underscores Railinc's role as a trusted technology partner to the freight rail industry, supporting safer, smarter, and more efficient operations across the continent. It also reaffirms Duke’s Fuqua School of Business as a national leader in applied analytics education, linking research to tangible industrial and economic outcomes.
About Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business
The Fuqua School of Business at Duke University prepares leaders who thrive in diverse teams, drive global impact, and lead with purpose. Consistently ranked among the top business schools worldwide, Fuqua fosters collaboration between academia and industry to advance practical research and evidence-based management. Its faculty expertise spans finance, strategy, decision sciences, and operations, combining rigorous quantitative training with a focus on real-world application.
Learn more at www.fuqua.duke.edu.
About the Master of Quantitative Management (MQM): Business Analytics Program
The MQM: Business Analytics program at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business is a 10-month, STEM-designated graduate degree designed for students seeking to bridge data science, business strategy, and leadership. The program emphasizes analytical rigor, team collaboration, and ethical decision-making, preparing graduates to apply quantitative techniques to complex business problems across industries including finance, consulting, healthcare, and logistics.
More information is available at www.fuqua.duke.edu/programs/mqm/business-analytics.