Oumayma Bouchmal is a Research Fellow in the Department of Electrical Engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology , Netherlands. Her research focuses on integrating Quantum Computing with Optical Networks and 6G Communication Systems to optimize routing and spectrum assignment. Her key research areas include: Quantum Algorithms for Network Optimization Machine Learning in Communication Systems Photonic Systems and Terahertz Technologies Next-Generation Network Design Recent publications analyze quantum computing applications in 6G Optical Networks , Flexi-Grid Networks , and Trustworthy AI for edge computing. She collaborates on projects like SMARTY (2024–2027) and IOTalentum (2020–2025), focusing on quantum cryptography, computation offloading, and AI integration. Email: o.bouchmal@tue.nl
Dr. Michael Dienstknecht is an Assistant Professor in the Operations Department at the Faculty of Economics and Business, University of Groningen. Previously, he served as a Post-doctoral Researcher at the Chair of Production and Logistics, University of Wuppertal, Germany (2019-2023), and completed his PhD there in 2014-2019. He holds a Master's degree in Business Administration with a focus on Supply Chain Management (University of Cologne, 2012-2014) and a Bachelor's in Business Administration (University of Cologne, 2009-2012). Education: PhD (2019), MSc (2014), BSc (2012) His research spans Operations Research and Management Science , with a focus on Construction Logistics , Last-Mile Delivery , and Sharing Economy applications. He has developed optimization models for tower crane positioning, drone resupply systems, and sustainable aviation fuel supply chains. Recent work includes dynamic approaches to carsharing demand imbalance and resource allocation in construction projects. Key publication trends center on optimization algorithms , industrial logistics , and sustainable systems . His work intersects with UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to climate action and industry innovation.
Dr. Javier Sastre Torano is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Chemical Biology and Drug Discovery at Utrecht University's Faculty of Science. He leads the Analytical Glycoscience Group and specializes in advanced analytical techniques for glycan analysis. His research focuses on addressing key challenges in glycomics, particularly the accurate determination of glycan structures and their quantification. Dr. Sastre Torano completed his doctoral studies at Utrecht University, defending his thesis "Analysis of Glycans by Electrophoretic Approaches: Highly Sensitive Capillary Electrophoretic Separation and Ion Mobility-Mass Spectrometric Structure Assignment" in 2020. His academic background is in analytical chemistry, with a strong focus on developing innovative methodologies for complex biomolecule analysis. His research interests span multiple areas of analytical science with emphasis on glycomics . Dr. Sastre Torano specializes in: Advanced glycan structural analysis Ion mobility spectrometry applications Mass spectrometry for biomolecular characterization Capillary electrophoresis techniques Pharmaceutical and bioanalytical method development His publication record demonstrates a consistent focus on developing and applying cutting-edge analytical techniques for glycan characterization. His work particularly emphasizes the integration of ion mobility with mass spectrometry to solve challenging problems in glycomics, including isomer differentiation and structural assignment of complex carbohydrates. Recent publications show increasing sophistication in analytical approaches for glycan analysis, with applications spanning pharmaceutical development, disease biomarker discovery, and fundamental glycoscience. Dr. Sastre Torano is actively involved in teaching within the College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, contributing to both bachelor's and master's programs in Pharmacy and Drug Innovation. He leads the Analytical Glycoscience Group, which focuses on developing novel analytical methodologies for glycan characterization. The group's work bridges analytical chemistry, biochemistry, and pharmaceutical sciences, with applications in drug development and disease biomarker discovery.
Dr. Ellen-Wien Augustijn is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Geo-Information Processing, Faculty of Geo-Information Science and Earth Observation, University of Twente. She combines teaching, research, and international capacity development projects, focusing on GIS, agent-based modeling (ABM), and geocomputation for health applications. Her work bridges technical innovation with real-world problem-solving in coastal management, disease diffusion, and educational technology. Research Interests: Ellen-Wien specializes in spatial agent-based models integrating geographical environments and human behavior. Her keywords include Agent-Based Modeling, Geocomputation, and Disease Modeling, with current projects applying artificial intelligence to ABMs for behavior change analysis. She uses methods like Self-Organizing Maps (SOMs), Bayesian Networks, and clustering for spatiotemporal disease pattern detection. Recent Publications: Her 2025 work on wastewater-based epidemiology frameworks and beach visitation patterns highlights trends in collaborative modeling and sustainable coastal design. Earlier studies (2024-2023) cover topics like visceral leishmaniasis in Kenya, recreational risk perception, and AI-enhanced disease simulations. Scientific Awards: 1st place: TU Delft | Water for Impact Best Paper Award (2024) Education & Capacity Development: She contributes to the Living Textbook project and has developed MOOCs and international courses in India, the Netherlands, and beyond. Her educational work spans GIMA, GFM, and ITC E-Core modules, emphasizing innovative teaching methods for geospatial concepts. International Projects: Active in Asia and Africa, she designs GIS curricula and delivers training on GeoHealth applications. Recent assignments include a Nuffic refresher course in India (2016) and sabbaticals at Purdue University (2013).
Richard J. Boucherie is a Full Professor at the University of Twente, affiliated with the Digital Society Institute, TechMed Centre, and the Department of Mathematics of Operations Research. His work integrates operations research, stochastic modeling, and queueing theory to optimize complex systems in healthcare, transportation, and logistics. Research Interests: Prof. Boucherie's expertise spans: Healthcare Logistics : Bed census forecasting, patient flow optimization, and clinical scheduling Stochastic Systems : Queueing networks, Markov decision processes, and distributionally robust optimization Applied AI : Reinforcement learning, data mining, and predictive analytics for service systems Publication Trends: His recent articles (2023-2025) demonstrate a strong focus on pandemic-responsive healthcare optimization, including dynamic bed allocation, laboratory workflow design, and fairness in resource distribution during crises. Methodologically, they advance stochastic programming, queueing theory, and Bayesian inference for clinical applications. Awards & Honors: Canadian OR Society Practice Prize (2012) ORTEC Excellence in Advanced Planning Award (2012) Academic Leadership: He has supervised 37 research projects and contributes to institutional initiatives through the TechMed Centre (health innovation) and Digital Society Institute (data-driven solutions).
Mark de Berg is a Full Professor at TU/e and the chair of the TU/e Algorithms Group, focusing on algorithms and spatial data structures. His research spans computational geometry, FPT algorithms, and geometric networks, emphasizing practical applications in complex networks and design. He holds a PhD from Utrecht University (1992) and is co-author of seminal textbooks on computational geometry. Department: Mathematics and Computer Science Institute: EAISI Research Groups: Algorithms, EAISI Foundational His work addresses algorithmic challenges in spatial data efficiency, with over 225 publications and notable grants like the VICI grant and leadership in the Gravitation Program Networks. He serves on editorial boards and conference committees, advancing algorithmic research globally. Recent work explores approximation algorithms for geometric coverage, truthful budget aggregation mechanisms, and geometric network optimization. His contributions bridge theory and application, influencing both academic and industrial domains. Awards: VICI grant from NWO Teaching includes courses on algorithms, geometric algorithms, and discrete mathematics. His research extends to motion planning for robots and diverse combinatorial solutions, showcasing interdisciplinary impact.
Daan van den Berg is a Lecturer in the Faculty of Science at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, with a focus on Artificial Intelligence. He is also affiliated with the Network Institute. His research interests include metaheuristic optimization, evolutionary algorithms, and computational intelligence. Recent work focuses on improving benchmark testing for algorithms, protein conformation sampling, and fractal analysis of computational problems. He has collaborated internationally on projects involving hybrid algorithms and entropy analysis. Education details are not explicitly provided in the text. His research output includes 22 publications, with recent works appearing in Springer Nature and conference proceedings like IJCCI and PPSN. He has contributed to studies on algorithm performance, problem instance complexity, and explainable optimization techniques. No scientific awards are listed. His advising and grant activities are unspecified in the text. He is actively involved in computational intelligence research groups and has collaborated across disciplines including bioinformatics and mathematics.
Albert Schrotenboer is an Assistant Professor of Transport and Logistics at Eindhoven University of Technology . He holds a PhD in Operations Research from the University of Groningen (2020), with research focused on algorithmic solutions for emerging logistics challenges like renewable energy transition and omnichannel retail operations. His work integrates mathematical programming, AI, and domain expertise to address societal issues in transportation and supply chain management. Affiliations: EAISI Mobility, Operations Planning & Control group, and EIRES Research Visiting Scholarships: Georgia Tech & Loyola University Chicago Research interests include vehicle routing optimization , stochastic inventory systems , green hydrogen logistics , and AI-driven decision-making . Current teaching focuses on artificial intelligence for logistics , urban mobility innovation , and transport design principles . Recent articles (2023–2025) emphasize multi-stage stochastic programming for hydrogen networks, exact Benders decomposition in routing problems, and reinforcement learning applications in inventory systems. His work is published in top journals like Transportation Science and Operations Research . Active in industry collaboration through Optiflow Solutions , advising on supply chain optimization strategies. Supervises 10 PhD students focusing on cutting-edge logistics challenges including green hydrogen logistics, omnichannel fulfillment, and megacity delivery algorithms.
Dr. Marcel van Kooten Niekerk serves as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Information and Computing Sciences within the Faculty of Science at Utrecht University. His academic appointment focuses on the Simulation of Complex Systems subgroup, where he applies computational methods to solve challenging transportation problems. He also maintains a professional connection with the transportation industry as a Consultant Logistics and Innovation at Qbuzz BV, demonstrating his commitment to bridging academic research with practical applications in public transport. Van Kooten Niekerk's research spans two primary domains: transportation optimization and theoretical computer science. His more recent work centers on public transportation systems, particularly focusing on the integration of electric vehicles into existing public transit networks. His expertise encompasses complex scheduling challenges including electric bus operations, platform assignments across multiple stations, and the integration of timetabling with vehicle scheduling. Earlier in his career, he made significant contributions to theoretical computer science, particularly in graph theory and combinatorial optimization problems such as partitioning graphs into triangles. His publication record reveals a clear evolution from theoretical computer science toward applied transportation research, with a growing emphasis on sustainability. The most recent publications demonstrate sophisticated approaches to handling uncertainty in electric bus operations, optimizing platform assignments across multiple bus stations in Utrecht, and developing comprehensive frameworks for reliable and sustainable public transport systems. His work consistently applies operations research methodologies, particularly integer linear programming and stochastic optimization techniques, to solve real-world transportation challenges. Van Kooten Niekerk has established himself as a researcher who effectively bridges theoretical computer science with practical transportation applications. His work has gained significant attention, with some publications accumulating over 100 citations and reader captures, indicating substantial impact in the transportation research community. His doctoral thesis on optimizing for reliable and sustainable public transport represents a comprehensive contribution to the field of electric vehicle integration in public transportation systems.
Herbert Hamers is a Full Professor of Game Theory and Operations Research at the Department of Econometrics and Operations Research of Tilburg University . His expertise spans both pure and applied research in Game Theory and Operations Research , with additional interests in Mathematics , Statistics , and Health Care Management . Education : Mathematics degree from University of Nijmegen; PhD in Operations Research from Tilburg University His research focuses on: Cooperative game theory applied to operations research problems (sequencing games, Chinese postman games, traveling salesman games, assignment games, lot sizing games, spanning tree games) Practical applications of game theory in cost allocation, logistics, development economics, and transportation networks Optimization problems involving time-consuming function evaluations using simulation tools (FEM, CFD) Recent publications show trends in: Game-theoretic analysis of network structures Approximation methods for complex optimization problems Applications to agriculture, security, and economics He has developed three textbooks and taught mathematics and statistics courses while contributing to educational program design.
Tim Benning is an Assistant Professor at the Erasmus School of Health Policy & Management , affiliated with the Health Systems and Insurance (HSI) department at Erasmus University Rotterdam. His academic work bridges health policy, behavioral economics, and educational practices in higher education. Research Focus Benning specializes in Addressing free-riding behavior in group projects Designing academic writing curricula Modeling healthcare insurance preferences through discrete choice experiments Understanding student preferences in collaborative learning environments Publications Recent works span 2021-2025 and include journal articles on educational group dynamics, policy analysis, and health economics. His publications often employ econometric modeling (e.g., logit models) and preference analysis methodologies.
Albert Wagelmans is a Professor of Econometrics (Management Science) at the Department of Econometrics, Erasmus School of Economics (ESE), Erasmus University Rotterdam. He is affiliated with ERIM (Erasmus Research Institute of Management) and focuses on Logistics & Information Systems. His research emphasizes optimization methods for production, public transport, and healthcare planning, with notable contributions to supply chain coordination, inventory management, and healthcare logistics. He has held leadership roles, including Director of the Econometric Institute (2006–2014), Vice-President of EURO (2016–2020), and currently serves as President of the Dutch OR Society (NGB). Wagelmans co-founded the Erasmus Center for Optimization in Public Transport (ECOPT) and the Erasmus Center for Healthcare Logistics (EHCL), collaborating with organizations like NS Dutch Railways, Schiphol Group, and the Dutch Transplant Foundation (NTS). His research interests span optimization techniques applied to real-world problems, including healthcare logistics systems, public transport efficiency, and inventory management under uncertainty. Notable projects include the ESCH-R initiative for circular healthcare systems and mobile screening strategies for disease eradication. Wagelmans has advised over 15 PhD students and received awards for teaching excellence. His work has been published in top journals like Operations Research , Transportation Science , and Production and Operations Management .
Remy Spliet is an Associate Professor in the Department of Econometrics at Erasmus School of Economics, Erasmus University Rotterdam. His research lies at the intersection of operations research, logistics, and mathematical optimization, with a strong emphasis on real-world applications in transportation and supply chain systems. His primary research interests include: Vehicle Routing Problems under uncertainty Stochastic demand modeling in logistics Dynamic time slot management for attended home delivery Inventory control strategies to reduce food waste Mathematical programming techniques such as column and row generation Integration of machine learning in operational decision-making The most recent articles highlight a consistent trend in solving complex logistical challenges using advanced optimization and data-driven methods. His work often addresses scalability, computational efficiency, and practical feasibility in dynamic environments, particularly in last-mile delivery and retail operations. Collaborations with researchers like N. Agatz and T. Visser indicate an active research network in transportation science. Remy Spliet has contributed to high-impact journals including Transportation Science , European Journal of Operational Research , and Omega . While no formal awards are listed in the provided text, his publications have accumulated citations and engagement across academic platforms. He is actively involved in supervising academic work, with five supervised projects documented. His research is applied in nature, often targeting improvements in service efficiency, cost reduction, and sustainability in logistics and retail. He has also presented his findings at academic events, such as a 2017 oral presentation on a branch-and-cut algorithm for time window assignment in vehicle routing. Remy Spliet is part of a vibrant research ecosystem at Erasmus School of Economics, contributing to both theoretical advances and practical implementations in operations research and econometrics.
Dinard van der Laan is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Operations Analytics within the School of Business and Economics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He holds a PhD from Leiden University (2003). His research focuses on dynamic programming, Markov decision processes, optimization of queueing networks, and dynamic pricing, contributing to UN Sustainable Development Goals through operations research applications. Key research interests include decision rule engineering, stochastic optimization, and queueing network control. His work applies to resource allocation, server systems, and dynamic pricing strategies. Recent publications address parallel server assignment, call center control, and auction mechanisms. Teaches courses including Operations Research and Thesis supervision. Engaged in academic activities such as peer reviewing for Operations Research , visiting research at the University of York (2016–2018), and presenting on sequential assignment algorithms at international conferences.
Cristian Dobre is an Associate Professor at the Tilburg School of Economics and Management , affiliated with the Department of Econometrics and Operations Research at Tilburg University. His research focuses on Semidefinite Programming , Operations Research , and Combinatorial Optimization . Research Interests: Specializing in symmetry exploitation in copositive programs, semidefinite relaxations for combinatorial problems, and applications in matrix algebra. Publications: His work includes key contributions to Mathematical Programming and Discrete Applied Mathematics , with a doctoral thesis on structured combinatorial optimization. Projects: Participated in semidefinite programming research projects between 2006 and 2011 as a researcher.
