Short biography of Rob van der Mei
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Full Professor of Applied Mathematics Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam Faculty of Sciences, Department of Mathematics De Boelelaan 1111 1081HV Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Centre for Mathematics and Computer Science (CWI) |
I received M.Sc. degrees in Mathematics and in Econometrics from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, and a Ph.D. degree in queueing theory from the University of Tilburg in 1995. Currently, I am a Full Professor at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the head of the research theme Logistics, manager Research and Strategy, and the Industrial Liaison Officer at CWI. Before going to academia, I have worked for over a decade as a consultant and researcher in the ICT industry, working for the Royal Dutch PTT, KPN, AT&T Labs USA and TNO ICT. My main research activities are in the area of Stochastic Operations Research, at the challenging interface of theory and application. Over the years, I have built up a huge network of research contacts and collaborations with industries and governments, and established many public-private partnerships. My research interests include emergency response systems, predictive policing, management of road traffic, modeling and scalability analysis of ICT systems, mobility, service logistics, freight logistics, grid computing, revenue management, military operations research, sensor networks, call centers, queueing theory and data analytics. I am the initiator and leader of the celebrated project ‘From Reactive to Proactive Planning of Ambulance Services’ (REPRO), and a co-founder of the spin-off company Stokhos Emergency Mathematics. I have been the chairman of the European COST project named ‘Autonomous Control for a Reliable Internet of Services’ (ACROSS). Currently, I am the leader of the project `Data-driven Optimization for a Vital Elderly Care System in the Netherlands' (DOLCE VITA), aimed at improving the quality of the acute elderly care system in the Netherlands. Recently, together with Prof. Sandjai Bhulai I was awarded the prestigious Huibregtsen Award 2021, a national lifetime award for research that unites scientific excellence and innovation with outstanding value to society. I am co-author of some 250 papers in peer-reviewed journals and conference proceedings, and professional journals.
Rob van der Mei / Last update January 2025