Massimo Roma

Massimo Roma is an Associate Professor of Operations Research at the Department of Computer, Control, and Management Engineering "A. Ruberti" of Sapienza University of Rome. He has been with the university since 1996, initially as an Assistant Professor until 2004, and has served as an Associate Professor since January 1, 2005. In April 2021, he obtained the National Scientific Qualification for Italian Universities as Full Professor of Operations Research, indicating his eligibility for promotion to Full Professor. He teaches Operations Research courses in Bachelor's and Master's programs in Management Engineering and Computer Engineering at the Faculty of Engineering.

His educational background includes:

• M.S. degree in Mathematics (summa cum laude) from the University of Rome "La Sapienza" in October 1988
• Ph.D. degree in Operations Research from the University of Rome "La Sapienza" in October 1995

Roma's research focuses on Nonlinear Optimization, with particular emphasis on developing methods and algorithms for solving nonlinear optimization problems. His work has made significant contributions to large scale unconstrained optimization from both theoretical and computational perspectives. He also investigates global optimization and constrained optimization problems with specific structures. A notable aspect of his research involves applying optimization and simulation models to solve real-world problems, particularly in healthcare management and transportation logistics.

His publication record demonstrates a consistent focus on advancing optimization techniques, especially in Newton-Krylov methods, negative curvature directions, and large-scale unconstrained optimization. In recent years, he has expanded his research to include simulation-based optimization applications in emergency department management and cruise ship itinerary planning, showing the practical impact of his theoretical work across multiple domains.

His scientific recognition includes:

• AIRO Best Application 2015 award by the Italian Operations Research Society for "Optimal Deployment of a cruise fleet"

Prof. Roma serves as a member of the advisory board for the Italian Research Doctorate in Automatica, Bioengineering and Operations Research. He regularly advises Bachelor's and Master's degree theses and has been involved in numerous national and international research projects funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research. In 2011, he co-founded the Academic Spin-off ACTOR (Analytics, Control Technologies and Operations Research) between Sapienza University and ACT Operations Research. He is an active member of the Continuous Optimization research group at DIAG, which focuses on various aspects of optimization including exact penalty methods, non-monotone methods, preconditioning techniques, derivative-free algorithms, and applications in diverse fields such as healthcare, transportation, and engineering design.