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Emrah Demir

Professor Emrah Demir

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Available for postgraduate supervision

Teams and roles for Emrah Demir

Overview

Emrah Demir is a Professor of Operational Research at Cardiff Business School, Cardiff University. He also serves as the director of the BEAR Network (Business & Economics Artificial Intelligence Research Network), an interdisciplinary research initiative advancing the application of AI and decision-making across business and economics domains. Before joining Cardiff, he was an Assistant Professor at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e) in the Netherlands. He holds a B.Eng. and M.Sc. in Industrial Engineering from Başkent University, Turkey, and a Ph.D. in Management Science from the University of Southampton, UK.

Professor Demir’s research lies at the intersection of green logistics, artificial intelligence, and human–AI collaborative decision-making, with a strong foundation in operational research and transportation science. His work focuses on developing and applying advanced mathematical optimisation, metaheuristics, and machine learning methods to address real-world freight transportation and sustainability challenges. He has authored over 70 peer-reviewed journal articles and six book chapters, and his research has received more than 7,400 citations (h-index: 36, Google Scholar). His publications appear in leading journals such as Transportation Science, European Journal of Operational Research, Transportation Research Part A, B, C, D and E. His technical expertise includes:

§ Optimisation and algorithm design: Mathematical modelling, heuristics, and metaheuristics algorithms

§ AI and analytics: Reinforcement learning, deep learning, explainable AI, and data-driven optimisation

§ Decision analytics: Human–AI collaboration, multi-criteria decision analysis, and decision support systems

§ Applications: Last mile logistics, vehicle routing, intermodal transport, and sustainable supply chain design

Professor Demir has obtained multiple research grants from national and international funding bodies and has extensive experience leading interdisciplinary projects that integrate AI, operational research, and sustainability. He has taught courses in Logistics, Operations Management, Project Management, and Operational Research, and has supervised numerous undergraduate, MSc, and PhD dissertations in these areas. Professor Demir also serves in several editorial positions:

§  Area Editor (Logistics and Supply Chain Management) of Journal of Heuristics

§  Associate Editor (Engineering) of Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering

§  Associate Editor of OR Spectrum

§  Associate Editor of IMA Journal of Management Mathematics

§  Associate Editor of Frontiers in Future Transportation - Freight Transport and Logistics

He actively contributes to the international research community. In 2025 and 2026, Professor Demir is contributing to the following international conferences: ITFT 2025 (UK), SOCIT 2025 (Vietnam), and SMILE 2026 (SA).

 

 

 

Publication

2026

2025

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2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

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2016

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2008

2007

2006

2005

Articles

Book sections

Conferences

Research

Research interests

  • Green and Sustainable Logistics
  • Intermodal and Multimodal Transportation
  • City Logistics and Last Mile Delivery
  • Operational Research and Optimisation
  • Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning
  • Human-AI Collaborative Decision-Making

Research grants

  • Colombia-UK PACT Programme (2023-2024): GIRO-ZERO - Steering the Colombian road freight sector towards a zero emissions strategy: Giro-Zero
  • Colombia-UK PACT Programme (2022-2023): GIRO-ZERO - Steering the Colombian road freight sector towards a zero emissions strategy: Giro-Zero
  • Ocado Group plc (2022): Operational excellence in logistics and supply chain management: Executive training
  • Colombia-UK PACT Programme (2021-2022): GIRO-ZERO - Steering the Colombian road freight sector towards a zero emissions strategy: Giro-Zero
  • Ocado Group plc (2021): Operational excellence in logistics and supply chain management: Executive training
  • Ocado Group plc (2019-2020): Developing and testing analytical models to measure and optimise food waste in the Ocado supply chain
  • ESRC - Cheshire & Warrington LEP (2019): Analytical support for local industrial strategies: Researcher placements in local enterprise partnerships
  • Ocado Group plc (2019-2021): Knowledge Transfer Partnership Project: Enhancing the routing system to allow optimisation of a country-wide home delivery network: KTP
  • CILT Seed corn funding (2018-2019): Truck Platooning
  • Ocado Group plc (2018): Addressing Salad Supply Chains
  • ESRC/Panalpina (2017-2018): Conquering the last mile
  • ESRC/Panalpina (2017-2018): Same day, same way?

Teaching

Current teaching commitments

  • BS3010 Analysing and Improving Operations, Module Leader
  • BS3008 Logistics in the Digital Age, Module Leader
  • MSc Dissertation Supervision

Previous teaching commitments

  • MSc Grand Challenges in Logistics and Operations Management
  • BSc Advanced Operations Management (Year 3)
  • BSc Operations Management (Year 2)
  • MBA Strategic Operations Management
  • MBA Dissertation Supervision

Previous academic leadership commitments

  • Logistics and Operations Management (LOM) section - Deputy Head of Section (Learning & Teaching) (August 2021 - October 2022)
  • Logistics and Operations Management (LOM) section - Senior Coordinator of Learning & Teaching (October 2020 - July 2021)
  • Programme Director of MSc Logistics and Operations Management (August 2018 -September 2022)

Biography

Qualifications

  • 2012 - PhD in Management Science, Southampton University, Southampton, United Kingdom (academic scholarship)
  • 2008 - MSc in Industrial Engineering, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey (academic scholarship)
  • 2005 - BSc (4 years) in Industrial Engineering, Baskent University, Ankara, Turkey  (partial academic scholarship)

Professional memberships

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
  • Director of Business & Economics Artificial Intelligence Research (BEAR) Network 
  • Member of INFORMS (The Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences)
  • Member of the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT)
  • Co-Director PARC Institute of Manufacturing, Logistics and Inventory
  • Member of Logistics and Systems Dynamics Group (LSDG)
  • Member of COPIOR (The Committee of Professors of Operational Research)

Academic positions

  • 2021 - Present: Professor of Operational Research
  • 2019 - Reader in Management Science
  • 2016 - Senior Lecturer in Management Science
  • 2013 - Assistant Professor, School of Industrial Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
  • 2012 - Postdoc Researcher, School of Industrial Engineering, Eindhoven University of Technology, The Netherlands
  • 2009 - 2012: PhD Candidate, Southampton Business School, University of Southampton
  • 2005 - 2009: Research/Teaching Assistant, Department of Industrial Engineering, Baskent University, Turkey

Committees and reviewing

  • Area Editor (Logistics and Supply Chain Management) of Journal of Heuristics (2018 - )
  • Associate Editor of IMA Journal of Management Mathematics (2019 - )
  • Associate Editor of Frontiers in Future Transportation - Freight Transport and Logistics (2019 - )
  • Associate Editor of OR Spectrum Journal (2021 - )
  • Associate Editor (Engineering) of Arabian Journal for Science and Engineering (2025 - )

Supervisions

Current PhD students

  • First Supervisor, Q. Zhang - "Last-Mile Delivery - Parcel Locker Systems"
  • First Supervisor, M. Nie - "Integrated 3DP and Transportation"
  • First Supervisor, Q. Meng - "AI-Enabled Decision-Making for Green Maritime Corridors"
  • First Supervisor, M. Alzahrani - "Urban Mobility and Public Perception"

Visiting PhD student

  • B. Wu - "Risk-Averse Stochastic Optimisation for Perishable Production-Inventory-Routing Problem"

I welcome applications from prospective PhD students interested in the following areas:

  • Green and sustainable logistics: Decarbonisation strategies, low-emission supply chains, and sustainability in freight transport.
  • Vehicle routing and network optimisation: Modelling and solving complex routing and scheduling problems using advanced algorithms.
  • Intermodal and multimodal transportation: Planning and optimisation of integrated transport systems for efficiency and environmental performance
  • Emerging technologies in logistics: Assessing the impact of innovations such as 3D printing, AI, and automation.
  • Heuristics and metaheuristics: Design and application of innovative solution algorithms for large-scale optimisation problems.
  • Artificial Intelligence and machine learning: Application of AI and data-driven methods to logistics and operational research.
  • Human–AI collaborative decision-making: Integrating human judgment with AI-enabled optimisation and decision-support systems.

Current supervision

Mengqiao Nie

Mengqiao Nie

Qiruo Zhang

Qiruo Zhang

Majed Alzahrani

Majed Alzahrani

Qingpu Meng

Qingpu Meng

Baotong Wu

Baotong Wu

Past projects

  • First Supervisor, Dr. Z. Zhang - "The Role of Driver Behaviour in Greener Road Freight Transportation"
  • First Supervisor, Dr. X. Hao - "Human and Artificial Intelligence Collaborative Decision-Making in Operations and Supply Chain Management"
  • Second Supervisor, Dr. R. Sun - "Modelling and Estimation of In-port Ship Emissions: Scalable Multi-Stage Data-Driven Framework"
  • Second Supervisor, Dr. V. Sarma - "Collaborative decision-making for hierarchical forecasts: A multi-sector perspective”

Contact Details

Email [email protected]
Telephone +44 29208 70971
Campuses Aberconway Building, Floor 2nd, Room C26, Colum Road, Cathays, Cardiff, CF10 3EU

Specialisms

  • Artificial intelligence
  • Reinforcement learning
  • Transportation, logistics and supply chains
  • Operational research
  • Production and operations management