Rob van der Mei

Rob van der Mei is a Distinguished Full Professor (part-time) at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and a Principal Researcher and Manager R&D at Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI), where he leads research at the intersection of theory and application in Stochastic Operations Research. His work spans emergency response systems, logistics, healthcare, telecommunications, and cybersecurity. He is the chair of the European COST Action ACROSS and co-founder of the spin-off Stokhos Emergency Mathematics.

• PhD in Stochastic Operations Research – Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam
• Senior Researcher – AT&T Labs, USA (1995–1999)
• Senior Researcher – KPN Research (1999–2002)
• Senior Researcher – TNO ICT (2002–2004)

His research focuses on applying mathematical modeling, queueing theory, and data analytics to optimize complex systems. Key areas include emergency response, service logistics, healthcare optimization, and machine learning in telecommunications. He has led numerous projects on data-driven decision-making in healthcare, such as suicide prevention helplines and elderly care systems, and in maritime design under energy transition uncertainty.

The most recent publications reflect a strong trend toward interdisciplinary and socially impactful research, combining optimization, machine learning, and real-time decision systems. Topics include mobile stroke unit deployment, AI-assisted counseling, cyber anomaly detection, and energy-efficient ship design. These works highlight his expertise in translating theoretical models into practical tools.

• Harald W. Kuhn Award 2020 (2021)
• Huibregtsen Award 2021
• First prize for logistic innovation in Covid-19 vaccination strategy (2021)
• Best-paper award, 8th International Conference on Data Analytics (2019)
• Runner-up Huibregtsen-prijs 2014

Rob van der Mei has secured extensive external funding from NWO, EU COST, and industry partners for projects in healthcare logistics, emergency systems, and digital infrastructure. He advises PhD students and collaborates widely across academia and industry. He leads major initiatives such as DOLCE VITA, COCONUT, and ACROSS, and is an active keynote speaker and invited lecturer on data science and optimization. He is affiliated with the Stochastics group at CWI, where he supervises researchers and contributes to national and international research strategy.