Staff profile

Yanlu Zhao is an assistant professor in Technology & Operations Management at Durham University Business School. His research and teaching focuses on data-driven service operations and supply chain management. He has published in several academic journals such as European Journal of Operational Research, International Journal of Project Management, and regularly presents his research at international conferences in Europe, Asia, and the United States (INFORMS, EURO, MSOM, POMS). He received his doctoral degree from ESSEC Business School in France, and he also holds a Master degree in Management Science & Engineering from Tsinghua University, China. In 2019, he visited the Institute of Operations Research and Analytics at National University of Singapore as a research scholar. 

Mini Biography

Yanlu Zhao is an assistant professor in Technology & Operations Management. His research interests in data-driven service operations, including network optimization, Markov decision process, dynamic programming, machine learning and their applications in the operational context, such as the appointment scheduling, vehicle routing, online platforms, healthcare system and digital travel planning.

• Mixed-integer programming
• Markov decision process
• Dynamic programming
• Queue theory
• Machine learning
• Applications: data-driven service operations and supply chain management, such as appointment scheduling, vehicle routing problem, online platforms optimization and data analytics in healthcare system

• Innovation and Technology Management

Journal Article

• Liu, Mingda, Zhao, Yanlu & Xie, Xiaolei (2023). Continuity-skill-restricted Scheduling and Routing Problem: Formulation, Optimization and Implications. IISE Transactions
• Lin, Yun Hui, Tian, Qingyun & Zhao, Yanlu (2022). Locating Facilities under Competition and Market Expansion: Formulation, Optimization, and Implications. Production and Operations Management 31(7): 3021-3042.
• Furini, Fabio, Ljubic, Ivana, San Segundo, Pablo & Zhao, Yanlu (2021). A branch-and-cut algorithm for the Edge Interdiction Clique Problem. European Journal of Operational Research 294(1): 54-69.
• Zhao, Yanlu & Alfandari, Laurent (2020). Design of diversified package tours for the digital travel industry A branch-cut-and-price approach. European Journal of Operational Research 285(3): 825-843.
• Zhao, Yanlu & Cao, Hui (2015). Risk management on joint product development with power asymmetry between supplier and manufacturer. International Journal of Project Management 33(8): 1812-1826.