Ethan Lee Copple

Hello, I’m Ethan Copple, a systems scientist with a background in industrial engineering and anthropology, bringing a human-technical approach to supply chains, operations, and industrial strategy. My work applies quantitative modeling, network analysis, and systems science to diagnose inefficiencies and guide decision-making in complex, high-stakes environments.

At the core of my work is a commitment to counteracting entropy: the drift toward disorder and breakdown that plagues everything from factory floors to healthcare systems. I develop metrics and methods that help organizations regain control, structure, and resilience in the face of uncertainty and complexity.

Currently, I’m wrapping up research in Argentina, where I analyzed healthcare delivery as a supply chain challenge, mapping infrastructure gaps, policy constraints, and stakeholder dynamics to guide better interventions. This work required building new performance metrics, modeling complexity emergence, and navigating competing stakeholder interests, skills directly transferable to industrial strategy, supply chain resilience, and manufacturing operations.

I specialize in transdisciplinary problem-solving: bridging the rigor of engineering with the insights of social science to bridge the gap between technical optimization and human realities. The same forces I’ve studied in healthcare, breakdowns in coordination, infrastructure, and human dynamics apply directly to the work of reindustrializing America. I’m drawn to roles that combine systems-level vision with operational action, and I’m looking to bring that mindset to a team building the industrial foundations of the future.

Graduating in September 2025, I’m looking to transition into roles where I can apply my systems expertise to industrial operations, defense supply chains, and reshoring strategy. I’m eager to connect about how my work might support yours.

A Human-Technical Systems Scientist Fighting Against Entropy

Systems Scientist Fighting Entropic Forces

Bio

Ethan Copple is a Ph.D. Candidate and National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow in Industrial Engineering at Oregon State University (OSU).

Copple is a systems scientist specializing in complex systems analysis, data-driven decision-making, and trans-/interdisciplinary problem-solving. His research integrates quantitative modeling and qualitative insights to healthcare delivery in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, with general applications in supply chain management, operations, and strategic planning. Copple has developed performance and adaptability metrics to optimize decision-making and improve interventions applicable across a wide range of systems. His expertise in stakeholder coordination, network analysis, and policy assessment makes him well-suited for tackling challenges both in and out of healthcare.

He has a dual M.S. degree in Applied Anthropology and Industrial Engineering from OSU as well as two B.S. degrees in Anthropology and Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering from Kansas State University.

Key Highlights

Education

Ph.D. Candidate, Industrial Engineering, Oregon State University

M.S. Applied Anthropology and Industrial Engineering, Oregon State University

B.S. Anthropology, B.S. Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering, Kansas State University

Research Highlights

Case Study: Healthcare Delivery in the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Developed a transdisciplinary systems approach integrating engineering and anthropology to analyze complex systems and optimize decision-making.

Designed and implemented a novel metrics to quantify the changeability and complexities of systemic to guide strategic decision-making in operations, logistics, and supply chain management.

Conducted network analysis and modeling to identify key leverage points for improving system efficiency and reducing barriers to healthcare delivery.

Major Awards

2022 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow

2021 & 2022 Evans Family Humanitarian Engineering Fellow

2015 American Legion National Eagle Scout of the Year