John Medhurst, Director at Larrainzar Consulting Solutions Ltd
The field of Operations Research (OR) is an ever-evolving discipline that plays a central role in tackling complex real-world problems.
This year, the OR Society proudly hosted its flagship annual conference, OR65, in collaboration with the University of Bath’s School of Management. This three-day conference brought together a diverse gathering of hundreds of academic and professional operational researchers and analysts, all eager to share the latest developments in OR and explore its real-world applications.
Celebrating 75 Years of OR Excellence
The conference kicked off with a warm welcome from Conference Co-Chairs Christos Vasilakis, Melih Celik and Mithu Norris and the University’s Dean, Stephen Brammer. However, the real highlight was the announcement by the OR Society’s President, Gilbert Owusu that the society is commemorating its 75th anniversary and has launched a new campaign ‘This is OR,’ aimed at increasing awareness of OR and its profound impact across various industries.
With the growing demand for individuals skilled in data analytics, mathematics, and computer science, the campaign will highlight the diverse and attractive career opportunities within the OR field. It targets students, graduates and postgraduates in business
management and sciences, as well as professionals already working in data science and analytics. It will also highlight that the OR Society can provide a huge range of resources, courses, scholarships, publications, and networking opportunities to support those working in this exciting field.
A heartfelt thank you was also extended to the conference sponsors, without whom such an event would not have been possible. Sponsors and exhibitors included Datasparq, the School of Mathematics at the University of Edinburgh, the Consumer Data Research Centre (CDRC), Smith Institute, Simul8, Dstl (Defence Science and Technology Laboratory), the School of Management at the University of Bath, Sirius Analysis, The JGA Group, Jumping Rivers, Government Operational Research Service (GORS) and The Royal Statistical Society.
World-Class Speakers
OR65 featured an impressive lineup of plenary speakers, each contributing their unique insights and expertise to the conference.
Prof. Dr. Erik Demeulemeester, a distinguished researcher in project scheduling and healthcare planning, took the stage to discuss ‘Proactive and Reactive Resource-Constrained Project Scheduling’. His presentation focused on proactive and reactive resource-constrained project scheduling—a challenging area where project activities’ durations are marked by uncertainty. Prof. Demeulemeester explored the intricacies of proactive scheduling, which aims to construct robust baseline schedules capable of withstanding potential disruptions during project execution. He also delved into reactive scheduling procedures designed to mend schedules when unexpected events change the original plan. He provided insights into cutting-edge approaches in proactive and reactive project scheduling, and valuable glimpses into the future of this critical field.
We also heard from Prof. Maria Besiou, Dean of Research and Professor of Humanitarian Logistics at Kühne Logistics University on the fascinating ‘Impact of OR in Humanitarian Operations.’ She discussed the complex challenge of using OR research to plan for humanitarian disasters that are unknown and simply can’t be planned. One of the key challenges in humanitarian OR is demonstrating impact. Therefore, Prof. Besiou gave a comprehensive review of the literature that currently exists on measuring research and practice impact, offering guidance on analysing papers in humanitarian operations and practitioner conferences. Her presentation shed light on the challenges and opportunities in achieving broader impact and strengthening the connection between research and practice.
On the final day, we heard from Mauricio G. C. Resende, Ph.D. on ‘Bridging Academia and Industry.’ Mauricio is an Affiliate Professor of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Washington, and he shared insights from his remarkable four-decade-long career journey, and how he has personally bridged the gap between academia and industry. Mauricio is most renowned for his work in metaheuristics and algorithm engineering, making significant contributions to optimisation. He shared his experiences collaborating with industry giants such as Fairchild Semiconductors, AT&T Bell Labs, and Amazon Research. He also highlighted the inception of GRASP and BRKGA, two pivotal algorithms that were rooted in these collaborations. His inspiring story highlighted the dynamic nature of the OR field, emphasising the importance of maintaining connections with academia while working successfully in industry.
