Venue: ERB513, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

Title: Empowering Spatial Service Systems with Balancing and Coordination

Speaker: Prof. Sheng Liu, University of Toronto, Rotman School of Management

Abstract:

The growth of e-commerce and on-demand delivery services poses new challenges for matching supply and demand in a spatial context. In this talk, I will discuss how new tactical zoning and assortment optimization methods can enhance real-world logistics systems. Particularly, I will describe two field implementations, one in Southeast Asia and one in Canada, that demonstrate the practical value of (simple) operations policies with theoretical insights. The core ideas are balancing and coordinating spatial resources in a principled way.

Biography:

Sheng Liu is an Assistant Professor of Operations Management and Statistics at the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto. Sheng's research focuses on solving operations problems in supply chains, transportation, and logistics systems through optimization and data analytics. His industry experience includes consulting or working for organizations such as JD.com, Sport Chek, Ninja Van, Hungerhub, Amazon, and Lyft. Sheng also strives to improve decision outcomes for vulnerable groups, motivated by collaboration with nonprofit organizations, including charities and food banks. His work has been recognized with several awards and paper competitions, including the INFORMS PSOR Best Paper Award, INFORMS TSL Outstanding Paper Award, and the M&SOM Data-Driven Research Competition. He currently serves as an associate editor of Transportation Science, a senior editor of Production and Operations Management, and an Editorial Review Board member of Service Science.

Everyone is welcome to attend the talk!