Research Areas

OptiDec combines operations research, analytics, simulation, and AI to study decisions across complex operational systems.

Projects and publications may connect multiple research areas. Primary classification reflects the operational problem being addressed.

Resilient Supply Chains & Logistics

Freight and supply networks require efficient day-to-day operations and resilience under uncertainty or disruption. My research focuses on optimization, simulation, and data-driven decision support for freight networks, ports, warehouses, and distribution systems. Within this stream, our research group examines disruption-aware freight operations, contested logistics, and rapid operational response.

Key Research Themes

Freight & Network Operations: Ports · Warehousing · Transportation Networks · Distribution
Resilience & Disruption Response: Disrupted Infrastructure · Humanitarian Logistics · Contested Logistics (emerging) · Demand Surges
Network & Flow Optimization: Network Design · Transportation Planning · Inventory & Distribution · Multi-Stage Flows
Operational Decision Support: Forecasting · Scenario Analysis · Simulation · Risk-Aware Planning

Technical Capabilities

Selected Projects

Advancing Anchorage's Freight Transportation Network: A Comprehensive Analysis for Cost-Effective, Safe, and Resilient OperationsAlaska Dept. of Transportation and FHWA · Mar 2026 - Dec 2027
Development of an intelligent truck transport management application for freight and fuel movement through route optimization, scenario analysis, and incident managementAlaska Dept. of Transportation and FHWA · Aug 2023 - Dec 2025

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Researchers Connected to This Area

Soham BasuCurrent Researcher
Negar Jahanbakhsh JavidCurrent Researcher
Busra CelikerCurrent Researcher
Shitao YuPhD Alumnus
Dustin SmithMS Alumnus

Selected Publications

iFreightOps: Platform for Data-driven Freight Transportation Management in Port Operations

IEEE Transactions on Engineering Management · 2026

Integrating drones into post-disaster logistics: a two-echelon location routing model with split deliveries and heterogeneous fleet: publisher page

International Journal of Production Research · 2026

A Simulation-based Evaluation of Warehouse Check-in Strategies for Improving Inbound Logistics Operations: publisher page

Simulation Modelling Practice and Theory · 2019

Improved Lagrangian-relaxation based approaches for multi-period multi-stage fixed charge transportation problem: publisher page

International Journal of Systems Science: Operations & Logistics · 2023

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Advanced Mobility & Logistics Systems

Emerging mobility systems, including drones, electric delivery fleets, and air taxis, are creating new operating models for moving people and goods. My research applies optimization and AI to coordinated ground-air logistics and advanced mobility systems. Current studies address electric truck-drone operations, airspace-aware routing, and integrated fleet and charging decisions.

Key Research Themes

Hybrid Ground-Air Logistics: Truck-Drone Coordination · Flexible Launch/Recovery · En-Route Operations
Electric & Sustainable Mobility: EV Routing · Charging · Energy · Emissions
Advanced Air Mobility: Air-Taxi Demand · Vertiports · Fleet Planning · Infrastructure
Risk-Aware Mobility Decisions: Airspace Constraints · Flight-Sensitive Zones · Multi-Objective Routing · Operational Tradeoffs

Technical Capabilities

Selected Projects

PFI-TT: Cloud-based Route Management Platform for Optimizing Last-Mile Logistics of Electric Truck and Drone OperationsNational Science Foundation · Aug 2023 – Jan 2028
IRES Track 1: International Research Experiences for Students in AI-Enabled Decision Analytics for Advancing Air Taxi and Drone OperationsNational Science Foundation · Apr 2023 - Mar 2026

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Researchers Connected to This Area

Negar Jahanbakhsh JavidCurrent Researcher
Busra CelikerCurrent Researcher
Arash AlizadehPhD Alumnus
Mohamed SalamaPhD Alumnus

Selected Publications

Electric truck–drone routing problem with flight-sensitive zones and partial truck recharging: A multi-objective optimization framework: publisher page

Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review · 2026

Capacitated vertiport and charging station location-allocation problem for air taxi operations with battery and fleet dispatching considerations: a case study of New York City: publisher page

International Journal of Systems Science: Operations & Logistics · 2023

Predicting Demand for Air Taxi Urban Aviation Services using Machine Learning Algorithms: publisher page

Journal of Air Transport Management · 2021

Collaborative truck multi-drone routing and scheduling problem: Package delivery with flexible launch and recovery sites: publisher page

Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review · 2022

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Autonomous & Human-Robot Operations

Warehouses and manufacturing systems increasingly rely on mixed teams of people and autonomous mobile robots (AMRs). My work spans both deterministic planning and adaptive coordination of human and robotic resources. Our research group studies task allocation, interventionist coordination, fleet decisions, and adaptive policies under changing operational conditions.

Key Research Themes

Human-Autonomy Teaming: Collaborative Picking · Task Allocation · Work Sharing
Task Assignment & Dynamic Coordination: Real-Time Assignment · Task Reallocation · Dynamic Sequencing
Fleet & Resource Orchestration: Fleet Size & Mix · Capacity · Routing · Utilization
Adaptive Decision Policies: Adaptive Coordination · Dynamic Assignment · Operational Tradeoffs

Technical Capabilities

Selected Projects

IRES: Advancing Research on Optimizing Collaborative Human-Mobile Robot Operations for Next-Generation Manufacturing and Service SystemsNational Science Foundation · Sep 2025 – Aug 2028
I-Corps: Translation Potential of a Software Platform for Optimizing Collaborative Human-Robot OperationsNational Science Foundation · Feb 2025 – Jan 2026

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Researchers Connected to This Area

Yusuf SalikCurrent Researcher
Soham BasuCurrent Researcher
Arghadeep MitraCurrent Researcher
Shitao YuPhD Alumnus

Selected Publications

Collaborative Human–Robot Teaming for Dynamic Order Picking: Interventionist strategies for improving warehouse intralogistics operations: publisher page

Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review · 2025

Collaborative order picking with multiple pickers and robots: Integrated approach for order batching, sequencing and picker-robot routing: publisher page

International Journal of Production Economics · 2022

Autonomous robot-driven deliveries: A review of recent developments and future directions: publisher page

Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review · 2022

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Intelligent Production & Service Systems

Production and service systems increasingly rely on operational data, predictive models, and intelligent decision support. My research connects AI and operations research with planning and operational decisions. A central theme is predictive-to-prescriptive operations, where forecasts and learned models inform planning and scheduling. Related work considers asset, inventory, and service decisions under uncertainty.

Key Research Themes

Intelligent Scheduling & Resource Orchestration: Order Acceptance · Batching · Sequencing · Integrated Production-Delivery Planning
Predictive-to-Prescriptive Operations: Forecasting · Scheduling · Inventory · Resource Allocation
Adaptive & Uncertainty-Aware Decisions: Uncertainty-Aware Planning · Adaptive Policies · Capacity
Asset & Production Intelligence: Production Planning · Predictive Maintenance · Operational Data
Service & Performance Intelligence: Healthcare Operations · Workforce Planning · Service Responsiveness · GenAI & Text Analytics · Explainable Decisions