About
Adam Letchford is a Professor of Analytics and Optimisation at the Management School, Lancaster University, and serves as Interim Head of Department. He holds a BA in Linguistics & Psychology from the University of Nottingham (1989), an MSc in Operational Research from Lancaster University (1993), and a PhD in Management Science from Lancaster (1997). His research focuses on optimisation theory and applications, including discrete and nonlinear optimisation, vehicle routing, facility layout, scheduling, and inventory control. His work is interdisciplinary, combining Mathematics (graph theory, linear algebra) and Computer Science (algorithm design, complexity theory).
Prof. Letchford has supervised numerous PhD students on topics such as knapsack problems, resource allocation, and change-point analysis. He is a Fellow of the Operational Research Society, a member of the EPSRC Peer Review College, and serves as an Associate Editor for journals like the EURO Journal on Computational Optimization and the Open Journal on Mathematical Optimization.
His recent research includes advancements in polytope theory, cutting-plane algorithms, and heuristic methods for complex optimisation problems. Notable contributions include work on clique partitioning polytopes and the quadratic knapsack problem. He has been involved in projects such as KTP with Jaguar Land Rover and STOR-i initiatives on waste collection route optimisation.
- External Roles: REF2021 Mathematical Sciences Subpanel Member, UKRI Future Leaders Peer Review College (2018–present)
- Awards: IBM Faculty Award, Fellow of the Operational Research Society (2009)
- Research Groups: STOR-i Centre for Doctoral Training, Centre for Transport & Logistics (CENTRAL)
Prof. Letchford’s publications span topics in optimisation theory, algorithm design, and applications in logistics and telecommunications. His work emphasizes exact solution algorithms for NP-hard problems, with a focus on practical implementations in real-world scenarios.
