Tariffs to Drive Up Cost of Lab Research, Supply Chain Professor Tells Science

In a recent article in the esteemed journal Science, supply chain expert and Administrative Sciences Associate Professor Canan Gunes Corlu predicted that President Trump’s America First Trade Policy would have a detrimental effect on research laboratories, as a large amount of scientific equipment is manufactured in Canada, China, and Mexico—three nations impacted by tariffs.

The threat of these tariffs, which are expected to drive up costs of imported goods, led many organizations to stockpile resources in recent months, which Dr. Corlu says is not a sustainable solution.

“This will really affect research in some areas in universities,” said Dr. Corlu, the coordinator of the MS in Supply Chain Management program.

Students in BU MET’s Supply Chain Management program learn to apply data analytics, statistical methods, and mathematical modeling to optimize global supply chain operations across culturally diverse and geographically dispersed networks. They develop practical skills in demand forecasting, inventory and delivery optimization, financial analysis, and quality control to support informed, data-driven decision-making.