Andrew Trapp Profile Photo
Email
atrapp@wpi.edu
Office
Washburn Shops 207
Phone
+1 (508) 8315000 x4935
Personal Website
Affiliated Department or Office
Industrial Engineering
Mathematical Sciences
Data Science
Education
PhD Industrial Engineering University of Pittsburgh 2011

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
  • Production and Operations Management
  • 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

Learn more about Professor Trapp's teaching, current students, and how to join his team on his personal website.

Visit Digital WPI to view student projects and research advised by Professor Trapp.

Sustainable Development Goals

SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being

SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being - Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

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Good Health & Well-Being Goal

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth - Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

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Decent Work and Economic Growth Goal

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities - Reduce inequality within and among countries

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Reduced Inequalities Goal

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production

SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production - Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

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Responsible Consumption and Production Goal

SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions - Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

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Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions Goal
Research Interests
Methodological: Linear and Integer Optimization
Methodological: Machine Learning
Methodological: Data Mining
Applications: Societal Challenges, Sustainability

Scholarly Work

Professor Trapp's research focuses on integer optimization, machine learning, and societal challenges.

Featured works:

N. Ahani, T. Andersson, A. Martinello, A. Teytelboym, A. C. Trapp, "Placement Optimization in Refugee Resettlement," Operations Research, 69(5), pp. 1349‐1650, 2021.

N. Ahani, P. Gölz, A. Procaccia, A. Teytelboym, A. C. Trapp, "Dynamic Placement in Refugee Resettlement," 2021 ACM conference on Economics and Computation, Budapest, Hungary (virtual), July 2021.

S. Azizi, C. Bozkir, A. C. Trapp, E. Kundakcioglu, A. K. Kurbanzade, "Aid Allocation for Camp‐Based and Urban Refugees with Uncertain Demand and Replenishments," Production and Operations Management, 30(12), pp. 4455‐4474, 2021.

R. A. Konrad, A. C. Trapp, T. Palmbach, J. S. Blom, "Overcoming Human Trafficking via Operations Research and Analytics: Opportunities for Methods, Models, and Applications," European Journal of Operational Research, 259 (2), pp. 733‐745, 2017.

T. Petit, A. C. Trapp, "Enriching Solutions to Combinatorial Problems via Solution Engineering," INFORMS Journal on Computing, 31(3), pp. 429‐444, 2019.

Professional Affiliations
INFORMS
Professional Highlights & Honors
Leading Academic Data Leaders, 2021
Chief Data Officer Magazine
President, Section on Public Sector Operations Research, 2022
INFORMS (Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences)

News

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Media Coverage

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NPR
WPI Researcher to Develop Analytical Tool for Asylum Cases

NPR Hartford reported on Andrew Trapp, associate professor of operations and industrial engineering, developing analytical tools to estimate capacities for holding sites, judges, and other resources needed to humanely process migrant asylum cases at the U.S. southern border.