Keynote Speakers of ITFT 2024
Prof. Michel Bierlaire
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
Michel Bierlaire is the director of the Transport and Mobility laboratory at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland. Since 2009, he is the director of TraCE, the Transportation Center. From September 2017 to August 2021, he has been the head of the Civil Engineering Institute at EPFL.
His main expertise is in the design, development and applications of models and algorithms for the design, analysis and management of transportation systems. Namely, he has been active in demand modeling (discrete choice models, estimation of origin-destination matrices), operations research (scheduling, assignment, etc.) and Dynamic Traffic Management Systems.
He is the founder of hEART: the European Association for Research in Transportation. He was the founding Editor-in-Chief of the EURO Journal on Transportation and Logistics, from 2011 to 2019. He is an Associate Editor of Operations Research and a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Transportation Research Part B and Transportation Research Part C. Speech Title: Activity-based models: recent developments in travel demand modeling
Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland
Michel Bierlaire is the director of the Transport and Mobility laboratory at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), Switzerland. Since 2009, he is the director of TraCE, the Transportation Center. From September 2017 to August 2021, he has been the head of the Civil Engineering Institute at EPFL.
His main expertise is in the design, development and applications of models and algorithms for the design, analysis and management of transportation systems. Namely, he has been active in demand modeling (discrete choice models, estimation of origin-destination matrices), operations research (scheduling, assignment, etc.) and Dynamic Traffic Management Systems.
He is the founder of hEART: the European Association for Research in Transportation. He was the founding Editor-in-Chief of the EURO Journal on Transportation and Logistics, from 2011 to 2019. He is an Associate Editor of Operations Research and a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Transportation Research Part B and Transportation Research Part C. Speech Title: Activity-based models: recent developments in travel demand modeling
Prof. Andrea D’Ariano
Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Italy
Prof. Andrea D’Ariano is Full Professor in Operations Research (MAT-09) at Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Department of Engineering (recently renamed as Department of Civil, Computer Science and Aeronautical Technologies Engineering). He got the Italian Full Professor Scientific Habilitation in Operations Research and Transportation Science.
His research publications were acknowledged by Airline Group of the International Federation of Operational Research Societies (AGIFORS), INFORMS Aviation Applications Section, INFORMS Railway Applications Section, International Association of Railway Operations Research, TRAIL Research School, IEEE as best papers; by IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Society as best PhD thesis; by AIRO as best Master thesis.
He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed international publications (including top-cited papers in high-impact journals). He served as editor and/or reviewer for numerous journals and as external expert and rapporteur for European Commission and National Foundations.
Speech Title: Models, algorithms, and applications to reschedule trains during disturbed operations
Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Italy
Prof. Andrea D’Ariano is Full Professor in Operations Research (MAT-09) at Università degli Studi Roma Tre, Department of Engineering (recently renamed as Department of Civil, Computer Science and Aeronautical Technologies Engineering). He got the Italian Full Professor Scientific Habilitation in Operations Research and Transportation Science.
His research publications were acknowledged by Airline Group of the International Federation of Operational Research Societies (AGIFORS), INFORMS Aviation Applications Section, INFORMS Railway Applications Section, International Association of Railway Operations Research, TRAIL Research School, IEEE as best papers; by IEEE Intelligent Transportation Systems Society as best PhD thesis; by AIRO as best Master thesis.
He has published more than 200 peer-reviewed international publications (including top-cited papers in high-impact journals). He served as editor and/or reviewer for numerous journals and as external expert and rapporteur for European Commission and National Foundations.
Speech Title: Models, algorithms, and applications to reschedule trains during disturbed operations
Prof. Otto Anker Nielsen
Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
Prof. Otto Anker Nielsen is full professor of transport modelling, and head of the Transport Division at the Department of Technology, Management and Economics. His main research areas are transport modelling and transport planning with focus on developing behaviourally realistic models of transport systems. He works across multiple modes of transport, at the intersection of behavioural science, mathematical modelling and computer science.
His key findings consist of several theoretical contributions to the research forefront in route choice modelling and traffic assignment, including ways to capture taste heterogeneity in route choice, bounds on preferences, and correlation between alternatives, development and implementation of solution methods for real large-scale networks, methods for processing and utilizing new data sources in models, and empirical insights. In addition he has developed integrated models to optimising transportation systems with respects to travel demand as well as supply in public transportations systems, air transport, and road pricing schemes. He is currently a World’s Top 2% Scientist in the Stanford University citation metrics indicator, co-editor for the International Journal of Railway Operations Research, and associate editor of Transportmetrica A.
Technical University of Denmark, Denmark
Prof. Otto Anker Nielsen is full professor of transport modelling, and head of the Transport Division at the Department of Technology, Management and Economics. His main research areas are transport modelling and transport planning with focus on developing behaviourally realistic models of transport systems. He works across multiple modes of transport, at the intersection of behavioural science, mathematical modelling and computer science.
His key findings consist of several theoretical contributions to the research forefront in route choice modelling and traffic assignment, including ways to capture taste heterogeneity in route choice, bounds on preferences, and correlation between alternatives, development and implementation of solution methods for real large-scale networks, methods for processing and utilizing new data sources in models, and empirical insights. In addition he has developed integrated models to optimising transportation systems with respects to travel demand as well as supply in public transportations systems, air transport, and road pricing schemes. He is currently a World’s Top 2% Scientist in the Stanford University citation metrics indicator, co-editor for the International Journal of Railway Operations Research, and associate editor of Transportmetrica A.
Prof. Thierry Vanelslander
University of Antwerp, Belgium
Thierry Vanelslander is a professor at the Department of Transport and Regional Economics at the University of Antwerp, where he graduated as a doctor in Applied Economics.
Until 2013, he was holder of the BNP Paribas Fortis Chair on Transport, Logistics and Ports. Until halfway 2009, he was director of the Research Centre on Freight and Passenger Transport, hosted by the Department of Transport and Regional Economics. He is currently course coordinator for Management of Innovation and Technology, and Port Economics & Business at C-MAT, and Transport Economics at the Faculty of Applied Economics of the University of Antwerp. He teaches in the Master in Maritime and Air Transport Management.
His research focuses on business economics in the port and maritime sector, and in land transport and urban logistics. His PhD dealt with cooperation and competition in sea port container handling. He is also the chair of the World Conference on Transport Research (WCTR) Special Interest Group A2 (Ports and Maritime), and topic area manager for WCTR’s track A (Transport Modes). Equally, he is the chair of the Freight & Logistics group within the European Transport Conference.
Speech Title: Economic potential and impacts of advanced transportation technologies
Abstract: The challenges that transportation has to deal with, seem larger than ever. Next to the ‘classical’ challenges like mode competitiveness, labour shortages, and competition for government investments, more recently it became clear that transportation has huge steps to take in reducing its climate impact and it has to recover its digital backlog. In this presentation, we look into the potential of a number of smart and green transport solutions through the cost and benefits they bring. More in particular, we focus on automated vessels, small barge convoys and the application of AI in a port setting.
University of Antwerp, Belgium
Thierry Vanelslander is a professor at the Department of Transport and Regional Economics at the University of Antwerp, where he graduated as a doctor in Applied Economics.
Until 2013, he was holder of the BNP Paribas Fortis Chair on Transport, Logistics and Ports. Until halfway 2009, he was director of the Research Centre on Freight and Passenger Transport, hosted by the Department of Transport and Regional Economics. He is currently course coordinator for Management of Innovation and Technology, and Port Economics & Business at C-MAT, and Transport Economics at the Faculty of Applied Economics of the University of Antwerp. He teaches in the Master in Maritime and Air Transport Management.
His research focuses on business economics in the port and maritime sector, and in land transport and urban logistics. His PhD dealt with cooperation and competition in sea port container handling. He is also the chair of the World Conference on Transport Research (WCTR) Special Interest Group A2 (Ports and Maritime), and topic area manager for WCTR’s track A (Transport Modes). Equally, he is the chair of the Freight & Logistics group within the European Transport Conference.
Speech Title: Economic potential and impacts of advanced transportation technologies
Abstract: The challenges that transportation has to deal with, seem larger than ever. Next to the ‘classical’ challenges like mode competitiveness, labour shortages, and competition for government investments, more recently it became clear that transportation has huge steps to take in reducing its climate impact and it has to recover its digital backlog. In this presentation, we look into the potential of a number of smart and green transport solutions through the cost and benefits they bring. More in particular, we focus on automated vessels, small barge convoys and the application of AI in a port setting.
Assoc. Prof. David Zhiwei Wang
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Dr. Wang is currently associate professor in School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, NTU. He received his PhD degree from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Bachelor degree from Beijing Jiaotong University. With both degrees in transportation engineering, Dr. Wang's research interests focus on Integrated land use-transportation planning; Transport network modeling and analysis, Public transport operations and planning, Logistics and network analysis. Dr. Wang is currently the Deputy Director of Transportation Research Centre @ NTU.
He serves as an Associate Editor of Transportmetrica A: Transport Science, editorial board member of Travel Behaviour & Society and Transportation Research Part E. He received Fred Burggraf Award from Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Research Councils of the United States in 2016; Tan Chin Tuan Exchange Fellowship in Engineering at NTU in 2017.
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore
Dr. Wang is currently associate professor in School of Civil and Environmental Engineering, NTU. He received his PhD degree from The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Bachelor degree from Beijing Jiaotong University. With both degrees in transportation engineering, Dr. Wang's research interests focus on Integrated land use-transportation planning; Transport network modeling and analysis, Public transport operations and planning, Logistics and network analysis. Dr. Wang is currently the Deputy Director of Transportation Research Centre @ NTU.
He serves as an Associate Editor of Transportmetrica A: Transport Science, editorial board member of Travel Behaviour & Society and Transportation Research Part E. He received Fred Burggraf Award from Transportation Research Board (TRB) of the National Research Councils of the United States in 2016; Tan Chin Tuan Exchange Fellowship in Engineering at NTU in 2017.