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Javier Alonso-Mora is a Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at Delft University of Technology, specializing in Learning & Autonomous Control. His research focuses on autonomous systems, robotics, motion planning, and transportation logistics, with applications in mobile manipulation, dynamic environments, and urban mobility. He leads key projects such as INTERACT (Intuitive Interaction for Robots among Humans) and ACT (Perceptive Acting Under Uncertainty), exploring human-robot interaction, autonomous vehicles, and healthcare robotics. Notable achievements include an ERC Starting Grant (2022) and a Veni Grant (2017). His work addresses challenges in robot navigation, control systems, and fleet optimization, with contributions to both theoretical advancements and practical implementations. Projects like TRiLOGy focus on sustainable water transportation, while HARMONY advances assistive robotics in healthcare. Alonso-Mora’s research leverages geometric fabrics for motion planning, probabilistic modeling for dynamic environments, and multi-agent coordination. He collaborates internationally and contributes to open-source frameworks for robotics. His recent publications emphasize safety-aware control, instance-aware semantic mapping, and adaptive systems for cluttered environments.

• Autonomous Systems
• Robotics
• Motion Planning
• +3 more

Prof. Jack van der Vorst is the Personal Professor of AgriFood Supply Chain Logistics at Wageningen University's Operations Research and Logistics Group. Previously serving as a member of the Board of Directors of Wageningen University & Research (until 2024) and General Director of the Social Sciences Group, he leads over 1000 personnel across three institutes. His advisory roles include the Topteam AgriFood (Science Captain), Top consortium for Knowledge and Innovation (TKI), The Sustainability Consortium (TSC), and Florensis BV's Supervisory Board. With 20+ PhD supervisions and 200+ publications, his research focuses on innovative logistics concepts in AgriFood systems, including supply chain resilience, sustainability, and system innovation. His work integrates modeling frameworks with practical industry applications, emphasizing perishable products, horizontal collaboration, and environmental efficiency. Research interests span AgriFood System Design, Supply Chain Strategy, and Performance Management. His recent studies address challenges like postharvest loss reduction in developing countries, CO2 emission minimization in cold chains, and circular economy implementation in mushroom supply chains. Methodologically, he employs multi-criteria decision models, optimization techniques, and simulation to address complex logistics problems. Publications highlight themes such as horizontal collaboration success factors, vulnerability assessment frameworks, and green supply chain design. His work bridges academic rigor with industry needs, often collaborating with policymakers and international organizations to promote sustainable agri-food systems.

• AgriFood Supply Chain Logistics
• Supply Chain Management
• Logistics Network Design
• +4 more

Tim Baarslag is a Senior Researcher and group leader of the Intelligent and Autonomous Systems group at CWI (The Dutch research institute for Mathematics and Computer Science). He holds the title of Professor of Mathematics of Cooperative AI at Eindhoven University of Technology and serves as a Visiting Associate Professor at Nagoya University of Technology, Visiting Fellow at the University of Southampton, and Visiting Scholar at MIT. His research focuses on automated negotiation systems for collaborative decision-making in smart energy trading, IoT, autonomous vehicles, and digital privacy. Education : MSc (cum laude) and BSc (cum laude) from Utrecht University; PhD (cum laude) from Delft University of Technology Tim pioneered the COMBINE project (NWO Vidi grant) for coordinating multi-deal negotiations and developed the widely-used Genius negotiation environment. His work appears in prestigious venues like Science Magazine , Artificial Intelligence , and MIT Technology Review . He also leads the International Automated Negotiating Agent Competition and contributes to policy through memberships in The Young Academy and Netherlands Academy of Engineering . Recent research trends emphasize multi-deal negotiation protocols (2024), preference uncertainty modeling in privacy negotiations (2022), and scalable algorithms for handling outcome spaces as large as 10²⁵⁰ possibilities. His 2023 work on search algorithms for large negotiation domains has applications in energy trading and supply chain management. Scientific Awards : Cor Baayen Young Researcher Award (2017), Springer Theses Award (2016), multiple Best Paper Awards (AAMAS 2022, WI-IAT 2015, IJCAI 2014), and recognitions as Science Talent (2018), Academic Pioneer (2020), and Young Talent (2019) As a grant recipient , Tim leads NWO Vidi project COMBINE and previously held a Veni grant for preference uncertainty research. He mentors through organizing competitions, serving on conference PCs (AAAI, IJCAI), and reviewing in top journals like Artificial Intelligence . His work bridges theory and practice through the Genius framework and real-world implementations in smart grid and vehicular platooning.

• Automated Negotiation
• Multi-Agent Systems
• Artificial Intelligence
• +4 more

Prof. Iris F.A. Vis is a Professor of Industrial Engineering at the University of Groningen's Faculty of Economics and Business. She specializes in logistics and operations management, focusing on optimizing processes through quantitative and qualitative methods. Her work intersects logistics with sectors like healthcare, education, and energy. She leads major projects such as SMiLES (sustainable mobility-logistics integration) and designs logistics solutions for personalized learning systems in schools. She has advised over a dozen PhD students and collaborates with industry partners globally. Awards include Fellowship in the Netherlands Academy of Engineering. Education: M.Sc. Mathematics (Leiden University), PhD in Operations Management (Erasmus University Rotterdam) Roles: Captain of Science for Topsector Logistics, Member of multiple national advisory boards Research interests span sustainable transportation networks, port optimization, healthcare logistics, and educational logistics. Key projects include LNG supply chain design, offshore wind farm maintenance planning, and synchromodal transport networks. Over 45 peer-reviewed publications and 18 media engagements highlight her impactful contributions. Teaching includes courses on supply chain network design, technology-enabled innovation, and operations management at all academic levels. She advises on industrial partnerships and digital transformation initiatives in the Northern Netherlands region.

• Operations Management
• Supply Chain Design
• Sustainable Logistics
• +5 more

René M.B.M. de Koster is a Full Professor of Logistics and Operations Management at the Rotterdam School of Management (RSM), Erasmus University, where he has been a faculty member since 1995. He holds a PhD from Eindhoven University of Technology (1988) and is a leading expert in warehousing, material handling, and sustainable logistics. PhD, Eindhoven University of Technology, 1988 Professor, RSM, Erasmus University, 1995–present Honorary Francqui Chair, Hasselt University, 2018 His research focuses on warehousing systems , robotics in logistics , container terminals , and behavioural operations . He integrates operations research with real-world logistics challenges, emphasizing sustainability and automation. His work contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals related to responsible consumption and industry innovation. The most recent publications highlight a strong trend toward autonomous systems and AI-driven logistics , particularly in robotic fulfillment, dynamic routing, and human-robot collaboration. These works reflect interdisciplinary engagement with computer science, industrial engineering, and behavioural science. Notable scientific awards include: IISE Annual Conference Best Student Paper Award (2024) Transportation Science Paper of the Year (2023) EJOR Best Paper Award (2023) Best European Journal of Operational Research Review Paper (2022) Best Paper Finalist at major logistics conferences Professor de Koster has supervised over 30 students and is actively involved in editorial service for top journals such as Transportation Science , Production and Operations Management , and International Journal of Production Research . He is chairman of Stichting Logistica and founder of the Material Handling Forum, contributing significantly to both academic and industry advancement in logistics. He leads research in advanced logistics labs focusing on robotic sorting, mobile fulfillment, and sustainable supply chains, often in collaboration with European institutions and industry partners.

• Logistics
• Operations Management
• Warehousing
• +7 more

Frank Willems is a Full Professor of Systems and Control Technology and Chair of Integrated Powertrain Control at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), holding a part-time position realized with support from TNO. He is affiliated with the Control Systems Technology group within the Department of Mechanical Engineering, and also contributes to EIRES and EAISI research initiatives. Dr. Willems obtained his MSc (1995) and PhD (2000) in Mechanical Engineering from Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). His academic journey continued with a position at TNO Automotive, where he currently serves as a principal scientist in powertrain control. Professor Willems' research focuses on developing optimal and robust control methods for automotive powertrain systems. His work addresses the critical challenge of integrating energy and emission management strategies at the powertrain system level, which is essential as traditional methods become infeasible due to increasingly strict environmental regulations. Key research areas include control-oriented modeling of internal combustion engines, cylinder pressure-based combustion control, and integrated energy and emission management. His research aims to minimize development time and costs through model-based control methods, with the ultimate goal of achieving auto-calibration where powertrain energy efficiency is optimized online using smart sensors and route information. Dr. Willems serves as an Associate Editor for Control Engineering Practice and is an active member of the IFAC Technical Committee Automotive Control. He has participated in numerous international program committees for conferences including the IFAC Conference on 'Engine and Powertrain Control, Simulation and Modeling (E-CoSM)', IFAC Symposium 'Advances in Automotive Control (AAC)', and 'Symposium for Combustion Control (SCC)'. His research has been supported by organizations including the Dutch Technology Foundation (STW) and DENSO Japan. At TU/e, Professor Willems teaches courses on 'Optimal control and reinforcement learning' and 'Advanced control for future heavy-duty powertrains.' His research group, part of the Control Systems Technology group, focuses on developing self-learning powertrain control systems to address the complexity and diversity of future ultra-clean and efficient vehicles.

• Control Systems
• Automotive Engineering
• Powertrain Control
• +5 more

Fiona Sloothaak is an Assistant Professor at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), affiliated with the Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, specializing in Stochastic Operations Research. She holds the Eurandom Assistant Professor title and contributes to the Stochastic Operations Research group. Her research focuses on cascading failures in complex systems, power grids, battery swapping networks, and stochastic processes. Education: Fiona earned a PhD in Stochastic Operations Research from TU/e in 2020 and completed a Master's in Mathematics (2015). Her doctoral thesis, Criticality in power networks: a probabilistic approach , explores cascading failures in power systems. Research Interests: Fiona’s work addresses systemic risk in infrastructure systems, including power grids and transportation networks. She investigates cascading failure dynamics, load balancing in battery swapping stations, and resource pooling strategies. Her studies often employ probabilistic modeling and queueing theory. Key Projects: She co-authored the MARCONI project (2019–2022), focusing on integrated planning for maritime logistics and service systems. This involved optimizing supply chain resilience and remote control tower operations. Scientific Award: Applied Probability Trust Prize (2020) Teaching: Courses include Stochastic Networks, Insurance and Credit Risk, and Probability and Stochastics 1. Grants: MARCONI project funding for maritime logistics optimization. Labs/Teams: Active in TU/e’s Stochastic Operations Research group and Eurandom institute. Collaborations span network topology analysis and interdisciplinary systems research.

• Stochastic Operations Research
• Network Theory
• Cascading Failures
• +6 more

Eduardo Lalla-Ruiz is an Associate Professor in Logistics and Operations Research at the Department of High Tech Business and Entrepreneurship (HBE) at the University of Twente, Netherlands. He serves as educational director for the Industrial Engineering and Management (IEM) bachelor and master programmes. His academic journey includes degrees from the University of La Laguna (Spain): BSc in Industrial Engineering, MSc in Industrial Automation Engineering, MSc in Computer Science & AI, and a PhD with extraordinary distinction. Previously, he worked as a researcher and lecturer at the University of Hamburg’s Institute of Information Systems, where he became an Alexander von Humboldt Foundation Fellow. His research focuses on logistics optimization, mathematical programming, AI applications, and metaheuristics for scheduling and allocation problems. He has published widely, reviewed for journals, and organized academic sessions globally. Awards include his doctoral distinction and Humboldt Fellowship. He actively contributes to interdisciplinary projects at the Digital Society Institute. No specific labs/teams are explicitly mentioned in the provided text.

• Logistics
• Operations Research
• Mathematical Programming
• +4 more

Eric C. van Berkum is a Full Professor at the Digital Society Institute and Transport Engineering and Management. His research spans Artificial Intelligence, Mobility and Transport, and Intelligent Transport Systems, with a focus on optimizing traffic networks, public transport efficiency, and railway maintenance scheduling. He contributes to UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related to environmental resilience and social safety in transport systems. Expertise in Equilibrium Traffic Models and Stochastic Modelling Active in Data Mining, Machine Learning, and Network Analysis Key themes: Dynamic Traffic Management, Infrastructure Optimization, and Passenger Behavior His recent work addresses railway maintenance scheduling, shared demand-responsive transit, and passenger rerouting in capacitated systems. He has received a Best Paper Award (2017) and served on editorial boards, including Tijdschrift vervoerswetenschap (2014–2017). He organized the E-COST Summer School on Autonomous Road Transport Systems (2014) and contributed to IEEE conferences as a program committee member.

• Artificial Intelligence
• Mobility and Transport
• Traffic (road)
• +13 more

Martijn Mes is a full professor of Transportation and Logistics Management and chair of the Industrial Engineering & Business Information Systems section at the University of Twente, Netherlands. He leads research and education initiatives that integrate AI, simulation and optimisation into logistics and supply-chain innovation. Education: Ph.D. in Operations Research, University of Twente – 2008 M.Sc. in Applied Mathematics, University of Twente – 2002 Post-doctoral researcher, Princeton University, Dept. of Operations Research & Financial Engineering Research focus: Mes develops quantitative models and AI techniques for strategic, tactical and operational logistics challenges. His work spans three application pillars: Emergency & humanitarian logistics – rapid relief distribution with trucks and UAVs Urban logistics – city distribution, self-organising systems and last-mile innovations Sustainable logistics – synchromodal transport, green ports and electric/autonomous fleets Methodologically he combines approximate dynamic programming, reinforcement learning, multi-agent simulation, discrete-event simulation and stochastic optimisation to create decision-support tools for industry and government. Publications trend: Recent articles (2025-2022) exhibit a strong emphasis on integrating reinforcement learning and stochastic optimisation into dynamic vehicle routing, drone-assisted delivery and post-disaster inventory allocation, signalling a shift towards data-driven, real-time logistic systems. Grants & projects: Mes has coordinated and participated in numerous national and European projects on sustainable logistics, urban distribution, port optimisation and healthcare logistics, frequently collaborating with industry partners and public bodies. Teaching & supervision: He coordinates and lectures in the BSc and MSc programmes Industrial Engineering & Management, offering courses on simulation, queueing theory, dynamic programming, Markov chains, transportation management and technology management. He has authored a widely used Plant Simulation tutorial and supervises PhD candidates working on AI-driven logistics, autonomous vehicles and digital twins.

• Transportation and Logistics Management
• Artificial Intelligence for Logistics
• Synchromodal Transport
• +11 more

Peter J.H.J. van der Waerden is a University Lecturer in the Department of Urban Planning and Transportation at Eindhoven University of Technology. His work focuses on sustainable urban mobility systems, transportation modeling, and public transport efficiency. He has been involved in projects such as the Urban Mobility Changemaker initiative (2022-2022) and OSCAR, exploring off-street parking solutions for carsharing. His research integrates choice experiments, spatial analysis, and environmental impact assessments to address urban challenges. Van der Waerden has contributed to over 191 research outputs, including articles on light-rail transit environmental effects, cycling infrastructure innovations, and climate change adaptation strategies. He teaches courses like Big Data for Urban Analysis and Geographic Modeling, emphasizing data-driven approaches to urban development. His datasets include drone-based spatial analyses for 3D urban modeling. Recent work explores participatory urban planning methods and citizen engagement in climate resilience initiatives. He actively participates in peer-review activities for journals like the Journal of Public Transportation and Journal of Cycling and Micromobility Research. Collaborations span institutions globally, addressing topics like parking system compliance, intersection design for cyclists, and multi-state supernetwork analysis for transport systems.

• Transportation Planning
• Urban Mobility
• Transportation Economics
• +3 more

Melvin Wong is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Urban Planning and Transportation within the Built Environment school at Eindhoven University of Technology. His research focuses on transportation engineering, machine learning applications in urban mobility, reinforcement learning for traffic systems, and sustainable transportation solutions. He utilizes advanced computational methods including graph neural networks, generative AI, and physics-informed models to address challenges in traffic prediction, electric vehicle infrastructure, and urban design. His research interests encompass transportation optimization, spatiotemporal modeling, generative design methods, and behavioral analysis in urban systems. Recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on AI-driven solutions for traffic management, battery-swapping systems, and multimodal design optimization. Dr. Wong has received recognition including the Best Research Paper Award (2024) and Swiss Government Excellence Scholarship (2020). He contributes to academic activities through conference presentations, peer reviews, and course development in urban mobility and big data analytics.

• Transportation Engineering
• Machine Learning
• Urban Mobility
• +2 more

Alessandro Bombelli is a Professor at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the field of Aerospace Engineering, Operations & Environment . His research bridges operations research, logistics, and transportation systems, with a focus on air transport, maritime logistics, and optimization frameworks. He actively collaborates with colleagues like I.A. Parmaksizoglou, A. Sharpanskykh, and B. Atasoy to innovate transport solutions. Recent research emphasizes multimodal collaboration in marine terminals, air cargo resilience during disruptions (e.g., extreme weather, pandemics), and interactive learning for optimization. His work spans technical domains like vehicle routing , distributed constraint optimization , and complex network theory , addressing real-world challenges in transport efficiency. Scientific Awards : TU Delft Educator of the Year 2023 Open Education Stimulation Fund 2022 Bombelli contributes to open-access publications and datasets, including the Air Cargo Transport Network (ACTN) Dataset , demonstrating his commitment to accessible research. His recent articles highlight interdisciplinary approaches to logistics and optimization, with applications in both aerial and maritime domains.

• Operations Research
• Logistics
• Air Transport Management
• +5 more

Laurens Bliek is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences, Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e). He specializes in combining artificial intelligence (AI) with optimization techniques for computationally intensive problems, focusing on sustainable applications such as public transport, electric vehicles, and CO 2 reduction. Education: MSc in Applied Mathematics (2014), PhD in Systems & Control (2019) from Delft University of Technology. Prior Role: Postdoctoral researcher at the Algorithmics group, Delft University of Technology. Research Interests: His work addresses AI-driven optimization of expensive cost functions, particularly in logistics, communications, and healthcare. He develops methods to handle computationally intensive simulators and digital twins, emphasizing real-time decision-making and sustainability. Recent Publications: His research spans predictive maintenance using Fourier graph neural networks, real-time container yard allocation, and 5G network optimization. Articles appear in journals like IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems and Computer Networks . Collaborations: Laurens collaborates with industry partners (LioniX, Dutch Railways) and organizations (European Supply Chain Forum, Logistics Community Brabant). He co-leads the 12-PhD program AI Planner of the Future and participates in AI sustainability working groups. Supervision: Co-promotor of PhD students Ya Song and Abdo Abouelrous, focusing on AI applications in routing and maintenance logistics.

• Artificial Intelligence
• Optimization
• Sustainable Logistics
• +5 more

Marco Schutten is an Associate Professor at the Digital Society Institute of the University of Twente, affiliated with the Industrial Engineering & Business Information Systems department. His work bridges Artificial Intelligence , Transportation , and Operations Research , focusing on optimizing complex systems. Expert in Urban Logistics and Freight Transport Specializes in Mathematical Programming and Optimization Research interests include Vehicle Routing , Machine Scheduling , and Agent-Based Simulation . Key trends in his 15 most recent articles (2015–2025) involve: Dynamic scheduling under time constraints Urban logistics and smart city applications Heuristics for combinatorial optimization Integration of MILP and Simulation models No scientific awards, formal supervisory roles, or part-time appointments are explicitly mentioned.

• Artificial Intelligence
• Smart and Service Industry
• Mobility and Transport
• +5 more