Centre for Logistics & Heuristic Optimisation

 

The aims of the centre are:

• To concentrate on new applied research developments in the area of logistics using heuristic search and practical optimisation at Kent Business School to tackle real-life problems arising both in the public and the private sectors. Some of these applications include scheduling and routing, production, facility location, network security enhancement. Other areas such as data mining and aspects of health management and medicine, finance and the environment are also considered.
• To be at the forefront of theoretical research in the general areas of heuristic search: design of new facets within heuristics, construct efficient data structures and appropriate neighbourhoods, deal with robust optimisation, use of information, combine exact and heuristics, analysis of heuristics, among others.
• To act as a focal point to attract visiting scholars, research fellowships, PhD and MSc by research in the areas of heuristics and practical optimisation for combinatorial and global optimisation with special emphasis in logistic research.
• To assist companies in tackling complex strategic, tactical and operational problems that require modelling and expertise in quantitative techniques such as optimisation in general and heuristics in particular, especially in the area of logistics.