Research Interests
My research is concerned with the development of heuristic methods for difficult optimisation problems arising in industry and healthcare. The topic is inter-disciplinary, drawing on Operational Research, Computer Science, and elements of Statistics and Applied Probability.
Research Team
First jobs of former students and research fellows are provided.
PhD Students
- Danielle Notice: A Prediction Model for Algorithm Selection in Solving Combinatorial Optimisation Problems. Started October 2022 [co-supervision with Dr Nicos Pavlidis - Danielle is based within STOR-i and is funded by Tesco] [project] [pdf]
- In 2024, Danielle was supported by her supervisors to visit OPTiMA and spend eight weeks there as an incoming exchange student
- Ke Fang: Optimisation and Simulation for Multi-objective Dynamic Food Delivery Route Planning Problem. Started March 2022 [co-supervision with Dr Christopher Kirkbride]
- Rebecca Hamm: Efficient Design of Grocery Distribution Networks. Started October 2021 [Rebecca is based within STOR-i and is funded by Tesco] [project] [pdf]
- Matthew Davison: Modelling and Solving Generic Educational Timetabling Problems. Started October 2021 [co-supervision with Prof. Konstantinos Zografos and Dr Alexandre Jacquillat (MIT) - this project is funded by STOR-i, EPSRC, and it is in partnership with MIT] [project] [pdf]
- In 2024, Matthew interned at Shell for 4 months as a Data Science Intern and at the Smith Institute for 4 months. During these internships, he applied his knowledge of timetabling and optimisation, particularly using heuristic methods. He advised on how this class of algorithms could enhance their work and provided guidance on effective implementation.
- In 2022, Matthew has won "runner up" in the poster competition held as part of the FST Science Week (there were over 40 PhD students who entered)
- Malek Almousa: Using Optimisation Tools and Heuristic Methods on the Optimal Camera Placement for Surveillance. Started February 2021 [co-supervision with Prof. Matthias Ehrgott]
- Yaroslav Pylyavskyy: An Investigation into OR Techniques for Conference Scheduling Problems. October 2020 - September 2024 [co-supervision with Dr Peter Jacko - this project is funded by Mathematical Sciences, EPSRC] (viva date, 27th September 2024) [project] [pdf] [pic1] [pic2]
- In 2024, Yaro worked as a PhD Intern - Data Scientist at Tesco Technology.
- Matthew Randall: Putting the ping into Online Shopping: Dynamic Heuristics for Vehicle Routing and Slot Offering. April 2021 - July 2024 [co-supervision with Prof. Adam Letchford - Matthew is funded through the STOR-i doctoral training centre and Tesco] (viva date, 23rd July 2024) [project] [pdf] [pic1] [pic2]
MRes Students
- Matthew Bond: The Carbon Footprint of WEEE (Waste Electronic and Electrical Equipment) in the UK – A Case Study based on the UK's Largest WEEE Producer Compliance Scheme. November 2020 - January 2022 [co-supervision with Dr Burak Boyaci, Dr Lingxuan Liu and Dr Alison Stowell - this Masters by Research is a collaborative research project between Centre for Global Eco-Innovation and REPIC Ltd, the UK's largest electrical waste producer compliance scheme. The project is part financed by the European Regional Development Fund] (viva date, 24th January 2022)
- Now: Carbon Consultant at Small World Consulting, UK
Research Fellows
- Rebecca Hamm: AKT project with Optrak on "Heuristics for Commercial Waste Collection with Heterogeneous Electric Vehicles, Time Windows, and Time-Dependent Travel". March 2024 - July 2024
- Dr Istenc Tarhan: EPSRC/GCRF project on "Resilient Emergency Preparedness for Natural Disaster Response through Operational Research (RESPOND-OR)". March 2020 - January 2022 [co-supervision with Prof. Konstantinos Zografos and Prof. Juliana Sutanto]
- Now: Research Associate at Sorbonne University, France THEN Lecturer in Management Information Systems at UCD (University College Dublin)
- Dr Aleksandr Pirogov: EPSRC/GCRF project on "Resilient Emergency Preparedness for Natural Disaster Response through Operational Research (RESPOND-OR)". February 2020 - January 2022 [co-supervision with Prof. Konstantinos Zografos and Prof. Juliana Sutanto]
- Now: Data Scientist at TESCO, UK
- Dr Abubakr Awad: KTP project with Optrak on "Developing and Implementing Novel and Advanced, Hyper-heuristics based Routing Technologies for Standard and Non-standard Haulage Markets". January 2020 - November 2021 [co-supervision with Dr Ender Ozcan]
- Now: Data Scientist at TESCO, UK
Research Assistants
- Luke Fairley: Catalyst project. January 2024 - May 2024
- Ke Fang: Catalyst project. February 2024 - May 2024
Visiting Students
- Robin Gaborit (PhD. student, Technical University of Denmark (DTU), Denmark): Metaheuristics for Optimising Public Transport Networks. September 2024 - December 2024 [co-supervision with Dr Yu Jiang and Prof. Konstantinos Zografos]
- Muhamad Ali Nayeem (PhD. student, Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Dhaka, Bangladesh): Best Base Locations and Team Configurations for NWAA. October 2020 - December 2020 [Muhamad Ali Nayeem has been awarded a prestigious SPECIES Scholarship award. The scholarship enables winners to spend 3 months at another one of the candidate host institutions, to carry out research, which is all fully funded as part of the scholarship]
- Now: Assistant Professor at Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology, Bangladesh
- Ayse Aslan (M.Sc. student, University of Twente, The Netherlands): Robust Master Surgery Schedules. September 2016 - December 2016 [co-supervision with Prof. Paul Harper]
- Now: Postdoctoral Research Fellow at Edinburgh Napier University, UK
Research Funding
| Title: | STOR-i: A Prediction Model for Algorithm Selection in Solving Combinatorial Optimisation Problems |
| Funding Body: | TESCO |
| Grant Total: | £39,000 |
| Principal Investigator: | Ahmed Kheiri |
| Co-Investigator: | Nicos Pavlidis |
| Project Start Date: | October 2022 |
| Length of Project: | 36 months |
| Notes: | STOR-i, an EPSRC-funded Centre for Doctoral Training in Statistics and Operational Research with substantial industrial engagement |
| Title: | STOR-i: Efficient Design of Grocery Distribution Networks |
| Funding Body: | TESCO |
| Grant Total: | £39,000 |
| Principal Investigator: | Ahmed Kheiri |
| Project Start Date: | October 2021 |
| Length of Project: | 36 months |
| Notes: | STOR-i, an EPSRC-funded Centre for Doctoral Training in Statistics and Operational Research with substantial industrial engagement |
| Title: | Heuristics for Commercial Waste Collection with Heterogeneous Electric Vehicles, Time Windows, and Time-Dependent Travel |
| Funding Body: | Innovate UK KTN - Accelerated Knowledge Transfer (AKT) (Ref 1860) |
| Grant Total: | £33,617 (£30,255 from Innovate UK KTN + £3,362 from Optrak) |
| Industrial Partner: | Optrak Distribution Software Limited |
| Project Start Date: | March 2024 |
| Length of Project: | 4 months |
| KB Supervisor: | Ahmed Kheiri |
| Notes: | Out of 506 applications, our project earned a place among the top 35% successful projects, with a score exceeding 79% |
| Title: | STOR-i: Efficient Network Design with Optimal Slot Offering for Grocery Home Delivery |
| Funding Body: | TESCO |
| Grant Total: | £39,000 |
| Principal Investigator: | Ahmed Kheiri |
| Co-Investigator: | Adam Letchford |
| Project Start Date: | October 2020 |
| Length of Project: | 36 months |
| Notes: | STOR-i, an EPSRC-funded Centre for Doctoral Training in Statistics and Operational Research with substantial industrial engagement |
| Title: | Catalyst Project |
| Funding Body: | LUMS Research Catalyst Fund |
| Grant Total: | £5,814 |
| Principal Investigator: | Ahmed Kheiri |
| Project Start Date: | January 2024 |
| Length of Project: | 4 months |
| Notes: | This is internal funding from LU intended for the development of a research grant proposal and to cover teaching replacement. My project has been recognised as being of strategic importance to the School's key research themes |
| Title: | Best Base Locations and Team Configurations for NWAA |
| Funding Body: | SPECIES (The Society for the Promotion of Evolutionary Computation in Europe and Surroundings) [news] |
| Grant Total: | €2,700 |
| Principal Investigator: | Ahmed Kheiri |
| Project Start Date: | October 2020 |
| Length of Project: | 3 months |
| Notes: | SPECIES offered three competitive scholarships for research students in its areas of interest. Students were asked to select hosts from 18 potential universities, and I was pleased that Lancaster University was one of the three winners |
| Title: | RESilient Emergency Preparedness for Natural Disaster Response through Operational Research (RESPOND-OR) [news1] [news2] [news3] [news4] |
| Funding Body: | EPSRC (Ref EP/T003979/1) |
| Grant Total: | £515,924 |
| Principal Investigator: | Konstantinos Zografos |
| Co-Investigators: | Juliana Sutanto, Ahmed Kheiri and Kevin Glazebrook |
| Project Start Date: | October 2019 |
| Length of Project: | 24 months |
| Other Researchers: | University of Khartoum: Hisham Abushama and Hiba Mohamed Ali. University of Indonesia: Akhmad Hidayatno, Komarudin Komarudin, Heru Suhartanto. Gadjah Mada University: Bertha Maya Sopha |
| Notes: | This project has many stakeholder partners including: From Indonesia: National Disaster Management Authority (BNPB), Disaster Management Agency of the Yogyakarta Special Region (BPBD DIY), Humanitarian Forum Indonesia (HFI) and RedR Indonesia. From Sudan: National Council of Civil Defence (NCCD), Ministry of Water Resources, Irrigation and Electricity, Ministry of Health, Humanitarian Aid Commission (HAC) and Nile Basin Institute (NBI) |
| Title: | Developing and Implementing Novel and Advanced, Hyper-heuristics based Routing Technologies for Standard and Non-standard Haulage Markets [news1] [news2] |
| Funding Body: | KTP Scheme (Ref KTP11692) |
| Grant Total: | £207,627 (£139,110 from Innovate UK + £68,517 from Optrak) |
| Industrial Partner: | Optrak Distribution Software Limited |
| Project Start Date: | May 2019 |
| Length of Project: | 27 months |
| Academic Team: | Ender Ozcan (University of Nottingham) and Ahmed Kheiri |
| Notes: | This is a joint project between the University of Nottingham, Lancaster University and Optrak Distribution Software Limited |
Paid Consultancy
| Title: | Optimising Base Locations: An Evidence-Based Approach to Enhance Accessibility for NWAA Doctors, Critical Care Paramedics, and Charity Staff (via Lancaster University Consultancy Service) |
| Client: | North West Air Ambulance |
| Personnel: | Ahmed Kheiri and Burak Boyaci |
| Project Start Date: | March 2024 (80 hours) |
| Notes: | This consultancy project aims to optimise the location of NWAA offices and bases and study the impact on the staff of NWWA of the merger or relocation of office facilities |
| Title: | Consultancy to Solve Linde's Inventory Routing Problem (via Lancaster University Consultancy Service) |
| Client: | BOC Limited |
| Personnel: | Ahmed Kheiri |
| Project Start Date: | April 2021 (7 days) |
| Title: | Testing a Developed Software Tool for BOC (via Lancaster University Consultancy Service) |
| Client: | BOC Limited |
| Personnel: | Ahmed Kheiri |
| Project Start Date: | November 2020 (4 days) |
| Title: | Finding the Best Base Locations and Team Configurations (via Lancaster University Consultancy Service) |
| Client: | North West Air Ambulance |
| Personnel: | Ahmed Kheiri and Burak Boyaci |
| Project Start Date: | February 2020 (38 days) |
| Notes: | This consultancy project aims to study the impact of having different numbers of helicopters and to consider the most appropriate bases for the aircraft |
Industrial Collaboration
I have extensive links with external organisations, undertaking consultancy and research projects with ORTEC, AirLiquide and more
Examining and Reviewing Duties
PhD External Examiner
- Fatimah Alzahrani: University of South Wales, Wales (2019)
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