Plenary Lecture

Discrete Optimization Methods, the Ameso Class of Problems and their Applications in Logistics and Supply Chains

Professor Michael N. Katehakis
Management Science & Information Systems
Rutgers Bussines School – Newark And New Brunswick
180 University Avenue
Newark Nj 07010
USA
E-Mail: mnk@andromeda.rutgers.edu

Abstract: In this talk we will survey methods of discrete optimization used in areas such as optimal in process operations, logistics, supply chain management, planning and scheduling.
We will review the major recent developments in mixed-integer linear, nonlinear programming and decomposition techniques for solving these problems.

We will next discuss a new class of discrete optimization problems the {\sl ameso} programming problems. We show that:
i) for the one dimensional ameso optimization problems there are simple, to verify, optimality conditions at any optimal point,
ii) one can define the conditional pair of an ameso($C$) pair and this is also an ameso($C$) pair,
iii) (i) and (ii) can be used to construct a procedure that solves ameso optimization problems without necessarily performing complete enumeration.

We will present several applications for logistics planning and scheduling to illustrate the models and methods discussed in this talk.

Brief Biography of the Speaker:
Professor Katehakis is a well known authority on Dynamic Programming and Applied Probability. His work has been published in a variety of professional journals including Probability in the Engineering and Information Sciences, Annals of Applied Probability, Advances in Applied Probability, Management Science, Mathematics of Operations Research ,Advances in Applied Mathematics, and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences U.S.A. He is the winner of the 1992 Wolfowitz Prize. He is a member of the editorial boards of the American Journal of Mathematical and Management Sciences, The Naval Research Logistics and the Journal of Probability in the Engineering and Informational Sciences. In the USA he has taught at several well known Universities including Rutgers the State University of New Jersey, Columbia University, Stanford University and the State University of New York at Stony Brrok.. In Greece he has taught at the University of Crete, Heraklion, University of Athens and the Polytechnic of Crete at Chania.
He received many honors and awards and is included in the “Who's Who Among American Teachers & Educators” Registry.
Professor Katehakis holds a Ph.D. from Columbia University in Operations Research, an M.A. from the University of South Florida in Mathematics, an M.S from Columbia University in Mathematical Methods in Engineering and Operations Research, 1976. and a Diploma from the University of Athens Greece.