معرفی
Francesca Vocaturo serves as Associate Professor of Operations Research at the University of Calabria's Department of Economics, Statistics and Finance (DESF), where she has maintained continuous academic affiliation since 2003. Her teaching portfolio includes Operations Research for Master's programs in Business Administration and Management, and Mathematical Methods for Economics for undergraduate Economics students, with documented teaching loads of 63+ hours annually through the 2024/25 academic year.
Her research expertise centers on Logistics Optimization with specialized focus on stochastic vehicle routing, urban transportation systems, and crowdshipping applications. Key methodological contributions span combinatorial optimization, dynamic programming, and simulation-based approaches to solve complex logistics challenges under uncertainty. Current projects integrate machine learning with optimization frameworks for sustainable mobility solutions.
Recent publication trends (2021-2025) reveal concentrated advancement in dynamic logistics systems, particularly crowdshipping models, real-time inventory routing, and risk-aware transportation planning. Her work bridges theoretical algorithm development with practical applications in postal services, hazardous material transport, and public transit optimization.
Notable recognition includes:
- Editors' Choice Article selection by the European Journal of Operational Research (2020)
She has supervised 26 Master's theses in Business Administration covering topics from inventory management to green logistics, plus the PhD dissertation of Sara Stoia on crowdshipping. As Local Coordinator for the national PRIN2020 project ULTRA OPTYMAL, she leads research on optimization under uncertainty for urban logistics, while previously contributing to projects like SOLIDO (industrial logistics) and GREENPLAN (workforce optimization).
Vocaturo actively collaborates with the TESEO laboratory (Tecnologie di Simulazione e Ottimizzazione) and the Quantitative Methods for Economics, Finance and Management research group within DESF, maintaining international partnerships through research stays at the University of Montreal, University of Valencia, and teaching engagements in Portugal.
