Andrew C Trapp

I am Associate Professor of Operations and Industrial Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI), with courtesy professorships in Mathematical Sciences and Data Science. I hold a Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh. My objective is to use science and technology to assist real human need by improving systems that serve vulnerable peoples, such as refugees and asylum seekers, survivors of human trafficking, and children in the foster care system.

I believe that the convergence of novel analytical technologies and open-source software can create solutions that improve quality of life, increase fairness, restore dignity, and generate significant societal impact. My research focuses on using prescriptive (integer optimization) and predictive (machine learning) analytics, together with algorithms, to effectively allocate scarce resources.

Under my mentorship, my team employs mathematical modeling and develops methods and tools to benefit vulnerable and marginalized individuals, groups, and populations. My scholarly work deeply influences students to get involved in these research projects that provides an opportunity to contribute in expanding the current boundaries of knowledge.

My research is supported by the National Science Foundation (Operations Engineering) grants CMMI-1825348, CMMI-1841893, CMMI-1935602, the Ragnar Söderberg Foundation, and other organizations.

You can find my work published in research journals and conferences that include:
• Operations Research,
• European Journal of Operational Research,
• INFORMS Journal on Computing,
• IISE Transactions,
• IJCAI,
• Decision Support Systems,
• Discrete Optimization,
• Socio-Economic Planning Sciences,
• Journal of Cleaner Production,
• Journal of Combinatorial Optimization,
• Health Systems,
• Bioinformatics.