From November 2019 Valentina Cacchiani is Associate Professor at the University of Bologna (Operations Research). In September 2018 she has received the Italian academic qualification as Full Professor in Operations Research, confirmed in October 2023.
EDUCATION:
-- 2002, Master level degree in Computer Engineering, grade 100/100. Advisors: Prof. Alberto Caprara and Prof. Paolo Toth.
-- 2003, Engineering Licence.
-- 2007, Ph.D. in Control System Engineering and Operational Research, University of Bologna. Advisors: Prof. Alberto Caprara and Prof. Paolo Toth, thesis "Models and Algorithms for Combinatorial Optimization Problems arising in Railway Applications".
-- 2007-2012, Post Doctoral Fellow at Dipartimento di Elettronica, Informatica e Sistemistica (DEIS), University of Bologna.
-- 2013 (March-October), Post Doctoral Fellow at Dipartimento di Ingegneria dell'Energia Elettrica e dell'Informazione "Guglielmo Marconi" (DEI), University of Bologna.
PREVIOUS ACADEMIC POSITIONS
-- 2013-2016, Fixed-term Assistant Professor at the University of Bologna (Operations Research).
-- 2016-2019, Fixed-term Senior Assistant Professor at the University of Bologna (Operations Research).
RESEARCH PERIODS ABROAD:
-- August-December 2006: Visiting Scholar at MIT, Cambridge, USA
-- July-August 2007 and August 2008: Visiting Scholar at Harvard Medical School, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA
-- October 2012: Visiting Researcher at Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
-- October 2013: Visiting Researcher in COST-Action TD1207 at LIX, Ecole polytechnique, Palaiseau, CEDEX, France
-- May 2014: Visiting Researcher in COST-Action TD1207 at LIX, Ecole polytechnique, Palaiseau, CEDEX, France
-- September 2016: Visiting Researcher at the Beijing Jaotong University, Beijing, China
-- May 2017: Visiting Researcher at the Wirtschafts Universitaet Wien, Vienna
-- November 2017: Visiting Researcher at the Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
-- April 2019: Visiting Professor at the Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
-- May 2022: Visiting Professor at Wirtschafts Universitaet Wien, Vienna
-- April 2023: Visiting Professor at Wirtschafts Universitaet Wien, Vienna
-- January 2o24: Visiting Researcher at the Univerisité Gustave-Eiffel, Lille, France
-- May 2024: Visiting Researcher at the Wirtschafts Universitaet Wien, Vienna
-- May 2024: Visiting Researcher at the Universidad de La Laguna, Tenerife, Spain
RESEARCH ACTIVITY:
Her research interests concern mainly the definition of Integer Linear Programming models and the development of exact and heuristic algorithms for NP-hard problems.
She has published several papers in international journals such as Mathematical Programming, Transportation Science, Computers & Operations Research, European Journal of Operational Research and Discrete Applied Mathematics.
She serves as referee for international journals of Operations Research.
RESEARCH PROJECTS:
-- European Project PARTNER Path Allocation Re-engineering of Timetable Network for European Railways (2003-2004)
-- PRIN 2005 Routing and Packing in the Optimization of Transportation Systems
-- European Project ARRIVAL Algorithms for Robust and online Railway optimization: Improving the Validity and reliability of Large scale systems (2006-2009)
-- PRIN 2008 Models and Algorithms for Combinatorial Optimization Problems in Transportation Systems Management
-- Vigoni Italian-German Exchange Program, Bologna-Cologne, "Exact algorithms for robust network design problems" (2011-2012)
-- European Project ON-TIME Optimal Networks for Train Integration Management across Europe (2011-2014)
-- 2016-2018: SwIFt (Sistemi Intelligenti per la gestione del traffico Ferroviario) with ALSTOM
-- 2017-2018 PRIN 2015: Nonlinear and combinatorial aspects of complex networks
-- 2016 - 2019 (principal investigator): Exact algorithms for the (A)symmetric Traveling Salesman Problem with order dependent constraints and objective function, funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research
-- 2020 - 2023 Network protection, interdiction and design under uncertainty, finanziato dall'Air Force
Office of Scientific Research
-- PNRR ECOSISTER - Spoke 6 (Ecosystem for Sustainable Transition in Emilia-Romagna)
-- PRIN 2022: Large-scale optimization for sustainable and resilient energy systems
-- 2023 October - present: international expert of the project Improving the performance of railway systems by using real-time algorithms in disruption management, with WU Vienna, Prof. Hemmelmayr (funded by Oesterreichischen Nationalbank)
INDUSTRIAL CONSULTANCY:
-- Traffic Control Management research project in cooperation with RFI (2003-2009)
-- Train Unit Assignment Optimization in cooperation with MAIOR (2004)
-- Macroscopic level conflict solution in cooperation with OPTIT and ALSTOM (2013)
EDITORIAL ACTIVITY
-- 2016-2018 Member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Transportation Research Part B
-- 2019: Guest Editor (with E. Malaguti, P. Toth) of European Journal of Operational Research, Feature Cluster: New trends in Applied Combinatorial Optimization
-- 2019 - present: Associate Editor of Urban Rail Transit
-- 2019 - present: Associate Editor of SN Operations Research Forum
-- 2022 - present: Associate Editor of Transportation Science
-- 2022 - present: Member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Transportation Research Part E
TEACHING ACTIVITY:
-- 2019 - present: Teacher of the course Optimization Models and Algorithms M, School of Engineering of the University of Bologna
-- 2022 - present: Teacher of the course Algorithms for Decision Making M, School of Engineering of the University of Bologna
-- 2022 - present: Teacher of the course Mathematical Programming, Mathematics, University of Bologna
-- 2023, April: Teacher of the course Mathematical Methods for Railway Optimization (10 hours), WU Vienna University of Economics and Business
-- 2023, March: Teacher of the PhD course Exact and Heuristic Approaches for Optimization Problems
(10 hours), IBES PhD, Automatic Control and Operational Research, University of Bologna
-- 2022, May: Teacher of the course Sustainable Logistics (10 hours), WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, Vienna
-- 2013 - 2022: Teacher of the course Laboratorio di Strumenti di Ottimizzazione TA, School of Engineering of the University of Bologna
-- A.A. 2018-2019: Teacher of a 10-hours module in the course Ricerca Operativa M, School of Engineering of the University of Bologna
-- A.A. 2018-2019: Supervisor of Project Work For Operations Research, School of Engineering, University of Bologna
-- A.A. 2015-2016: Teacher of a 10-hours module in the course Algorithms for Decision Making M, School of Engineering of the University of Bologna
-- 2018, May: Teacher of the master course Optimized Train Scheduling in Planning and in Real-Time, Supply Chain Management Master Program, WU Vienna University of Economics and Buisness, Vienna
-- 2016, September: Teacher of the PhD course The Train Timetabling Problem, Beijing Jaotong University
-- A.A. 2004-2005 and 2005- 2006: Tutor of the course Algoritmi di Ottimizzazione LS, Computer Engineering, University of Bologna
-- A.A. 2004-2005 and 2005-2006: Tutor of the course Fondamenti di Ricerca Operativa LA, Industrial Engineering, University of Bologna
-- A.A. 2004-2005, 2005-2006 and 2006-2007: Tutor of the course Fondamenti di Ricerca Operativa LA, Industrial Engineering Processes, University of Bologna
-- A.A. 2007-2008 and 2008- 2009: Tutor of the course Metodi e Modelli per il Supporto alle Decisioni LS, Industrial Engineering, University of Bologna
-- A.A. 2009-2010 and 2010-2011: Tutor of the course Fondamenti di Ricerca Operativa TA-AK, Industrial Engineering, University of Bologna
-- A.A. 2008-2009, 2009-2010 and 2010-2011: Tutor of the course Ricerca Operativa A, Teledidattico, University of Parma
-- A.A. 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, A.A. 2014-2018: Tutor of the course Ricerca Operativa M, Computer Engineering, University of Bologna
-- A.A. 2014-2019: Tutor of the course Ottimizzazione su Reti M, Computer Engineering, University of Bologna
-- A.A. 2011-2012 and 2012-2013: Teacher of the course Ottimizzazione dei processi gestionali in Sanita` of the Master at COFIMP, Bologna
Supervisor of bachelor and master thesis in Computer and Industrial Engineering.
COMMITTEES AND INSTITUTIONAL ACTIVITIES:
-- Referee of PhD research proposals at Erasmus Research Institute of Management, Rotterdam
-- 2016 Member of the Scientific Review Committee of TRISTAN 2016
-- June 2016: Member of the PhD Assessment Committee of Simon H. Bull (“Efficiency and Robustness in Railway Operations”) at DTU, Copenhagen
-- 2017 Member of the Program Committee of Clausthal-Goettingen International Workshop on Simulation Science 2017
-- 2017 Member of the Program Committee of ATMOS 2017
-- April 2017: Member of the PhD Assessment Committee of Niels-Christian Fink Bagger (“Mathematical Programming Approaches for Optimal University Timetabling”) at DTU, Copenhagen
-- 2018: Co-chair of the Organizing Committee of the Joint EURO/ALIO International Conference 2018 on Applied Combinatorial Optimization, Bologna
-- 2018: Member of the Program Committee of the Joint EURO/ALIO International Conference 2018 on Applied Combinatorial Optimization, Bologna
-- November 2018: Member of the PhD Assessment Committee of Lucille Brethome` ("Passenger-Oriented Modelline and Optimization of the Railway Transportation Plan in a Mass Transit System”) at IFSTTAR, Lille
-- April 2019: Member of the PhD Assessment Committee of Federico Farina (“Optimization of Operations in Public Transportation”) at DTU, Copenhagen
-- 2019: Member of the Program Committee of Clausthal-Goettingen International Workshop on Simulation Science 2019
-- 2019: Member of the Program Committee of RailNorrkoping 2019
-- 2019: Co-chair of the Program Committee of ATMOS 2019
-- Chair of several sessions at international conferences (EURO-INFORMS 2013, IFORS 2014, EURO 2015, EURO 2016, ODS 2017, EURO/ALIO 2018, EURO 2018, ODS 2018, EURO 2019)
-- 2019-present: Member of "Consiglio Direttivo AIRO" (Italian Association of Operations Research)
-- 2020: Member of the Program Committee of ATMOS 2020
-- 2020: Member of the Program Committee of ODS 2020
-- December 2020: Member of the PhD Assessment Committee of Gert-Jaap Polinder (“New models and applications for railway timetabling”) at Erasums Rotterdam University, Rotterdam (online)
-- 2021: Member of the Program Committee of ATMOS 2021
-- 2021: Member of the Program Committee of ODS 2021
-- 2021: Member of the panel of RAS (Railway Applications Section) INFORMS Competition for the Best Student Paper Award
-- 2022: Member of the Program Committee of ATMOS 2022
-- 2022: Member of the Program Committee of ODS 2022
-- 2022: Member of the Scientific Committee and of the Organizing Committee of the EURO Summer Institute on Location Science (ESI2022), Edinburgh, 11-24, June 2022
-- 2022 (April-November): Member of the Committee for a tenure-eligible lecturer in Statistics and Operations Research at the Universitat Politecnica de Catalunya (Serra Hunter Programme)
-- 2023: Member of the Program Committee of ATMOS 2023
-- 2023: Member of the Program Committee of ODS 2023
-- 2024: Member of the PhD Assessment Committee of Reza Shahin ("Incorporating Ad Hoc Stops in Public Transport: A Study on Flex-Route Transit") at Univerisité Gustave Eiffel, Lille
-- 2024: Member of the Program Committee of ISCO 2024
-- 2024: Member of the Program Committee of ODS 2024
-- 2024: Member of the Program Committee of the Workshop AI4RAILS 2024
-- 2024: Member of the Committee for the Global Urban Rail Transit 2024 Best PhD Dissertation Award
Languages: English: Cambridge Assessment English Level C1 Advanced