Dr Vedat Bayram

Dr Vedat Bayram is a Senior Lecturer in Business Analytics at the Department of Analytics, Operations, and Systems at Kent Business School. He holds a PhD Degree in Industrial Engineering from Bilkent University, an M.S. degree in Operations Research from U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and a B.S. degree in Systems Engineering from the Turkish Army Academy. 

Dr Bayram joined Kent Business School in January 2023. Prior to his current position, he was an Assistant Professor of Operations Research at TED University, Department of Industrial Engineering and a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Waterloo, Faculty of Engineering, Department of Management Sciences. He held a long-term position as a Senior Operations Research Analysis Officer at the Scientific Decision Support Center and the Project Management Divisions of Turkish General Staff Headquarters. 

His research investigates the integration of large-scale optimization algorithms with data-driven learning approaches for decision support in complex systems. He develops and applies these methods to improve resilience and efficiency in disaster response, optimize transportation network performance, and enhance logistics operations. 

Dr Bayram is a member of the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences – INFORMS, INFORMS Transportation Science and Logistics Society, INFORMS Section on Public Sector Operations Research, INFORMS Section on Location Analysis, EURO Working Group on Humanitarian Operations (HOpe), and Operational Research Society of Turkey. He is also a member of the Editorial Board of the Sustainability Analytics and Modelling Journal (IFORS, Elsevier). 

Vedat has refereed for several leading Operations Research and Management Science journals, including Transportation Science, Production and Operations Management, European Journal of Operational Research, INFORMS Journal on Computing, Transportation Research Part B, C, E, IISE Transactions, Computers and Operations Research, Networks, Omega, Computers and Industrial Engineering, Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction among others. He has also reviewed research applications for the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey   

Dr Vedat Bayram’s research centres on the development and application of scalable optimization methodologies for complex decision-making in logistics and disaster management. His work focuses on large-scale problems arising in areas such as humanitarian logistics, evacuation planning and management, city logistics, and warehouse operations. He has published extensively in leading peer-reviewed journals, including European Journal of Operational Research, Transportation Science, Transportation Research Part B: Methodological, INFORMS Journal on Optimization, and IISE Transactions. 

Dr Bayram’s ongoing research aims to leverage operations research techniques to address challenges aligned with the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, particularly those related to climate action and disaster risk reduction. He is committed to contributing to the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction by developing solutions that enhance resilience and reduce vulnerability to climate-related and other hazards. This commitment is reflected in his impactful project portfolio, detailed below. 

Selected Projects & Achievements: 

Dr. Bayram’s research has consistently translated into tangible societal benefits. Notably, his work on evacuation planning has informed disaster preparedness strategies, as highlighted by recent media coverage of his project addressing tsunami risk in Istanbul (Beklenen İstanbul depremi: Tsunami riskine karşı önlemler artıyor - Son Dakika Türkiye Haberleri | Cumhuriyet). This project, “Evacuation Planning and Management for Istanbul City Marmara Sea Shores Against Tsunami Threat,” is a significant undertaking supported by the Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkiye (TUBITAK) and Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality (budget exceeding 1.5 million TL). The project employs a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach, integrating optimization models, human behaviour analysis, and collaboration with leading institutions (University of Kent, TED University, Koç University, Middle East Technical University, Georgia Institute of Technology) to optimize evacuation strategies, including vertical shelter location, road network enhancements, and dynamic resource allocation. The project directly aligns with Turkish national development plans and U.N. Sustainable Development Goals. 

Furthermore, Dr Bayram co-leads a project focused on “Network Design and Management Problems for Social Aid Distribution Operations,” also supported by TUBITAK and Ankara Metropolitan Municipality. This initiative leverages existing public transit systems to create an optimized social aid distribution network, employing advanced algorithms such as Benders Decomposition and learning-based decomposition to enhance efficiency and social impact. Initial results are forthcoming in the Operations Research Journal. 

Past Projects:  

Hub Location under Congestion and Capacity Considerations (TUBITAK, 2019-2021): Principal Investigator, 231,106 TL.

Nonlinear Mixed Integer Programming Models for Evacuation Planning (TUBITAK, 2014-2016): Researcher, 87,500 TL.

Dr Bayram’s dedication to research and innovation is further evidenced by two Seal of Excellence Awards from the European Commission, recognizing his project applications focused on real-time evacuation management.

Vedat has teaching experience in Operations Management/Operations Research related courses both at undergraduate and graduate levels such as Mathematical Modelling and Optimisation, Discrete Optimisation, and Humanitarian Logistics. He has coordinated and advised Senior Design (Capstone) projects.   

Vedat is currently welcoming applications from prospective PhD candidates. He is particularly interested in supervising projects related to disaster management, humanitarian logistics, evacuation planning, and the application of optimization and machine learning techniques to complex logistical problems. Potential candidates are encouraged to contact Vedat with a well-defined research proposal and CV to discuss potential opportunities.   

Supervision Topics: 

I am currently accepting applications for PhD and MSc research in the following areas: 

• Disaster Management & Evacuation Planning: Large-scale evacuation modeling, incorporating human behavior into evacuation strategies, real-time evacuation management, and resilience to natural disasters. 

• Humanitarian Logistics: Optimization of supply chain networks for disaster relief, efficient distribution of aid resources, and coordination of humanitarian organizations. 

• City & Supply Chain Logistics: Network design and optimization for urban freight transportation, warehouse management, and sustainable logistics solutions. 

• Social Aid Distribution: Optimization of networks for social aid delivery, leveraging existing infrastructure (e.g., public transit), and addressing equity and accessibility concerns. 

• Learning-based Optimization: Application of machine learning techniques to enhance optimization algorithms and improve decision-making in complex systems. 

• Robust and Stochastic Optimization: Developing optimization models that account for uncertainty and variability in real-world data. 

 Current Supervisees: 

• Truong Xuan Dinh (Research Fellow):Sustainable transport: Optimizing infrastructure investments through data-driven analytics for sustainable mobility, logistics and climate-resilient transport in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam 

• Shiva Moslemi (PhD, Koç University): Large Scale Urban Evacuation Planning and Management under Evacuee Behavior Considerations. 

• Damla Benli (PhD, Koç University): Social Aid Network Design and Management Optimization. 

• Ada Arikanoglu (MSc): Learning-based simulation-optimization methodologies for effective evacuation management. 

Past Supervisees: 

• Onkar Kulkarni (PhD, Georgia Institute of Technology): Network Design Optimization for Mixed Pedestrian and Vehicle-Based Evacuation. 

• Ming Luo (MSc, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology): Evacuation Zoning and Evacuation Management considering Evacuee Behavior. 

• M. Saleh Farham (PhD, Middle East Technical University): A New Perspective on Hub Location Problems: A Path-Based Generalized Approach under Congestion, Capacity and Demand Uncertainty Considerations. 

• Ciya Aydogan (MSc, Middle East Technical University): Multi-Period Hub Location under Congestion, Capacity Considerations, Uncertainty in Demand, and a Dual Perspective: Network Owners and Network Users.