PhD Studentship: Switch or not? Resource Scheduling in Emergency Responses aftermath Mass Casualty Incidents

Application details:
Reference number: SBEDL-BL20
Start date of studentship: 1st October 2020
Closing date of advert: 14 March 2020
Interview date:

Supervisors:
Primary supervisor: Dr Dong Li
Secondary supervisor: Professor Baibing Li

This project provides students an opportunity to study the efficient and effective emergency response policies to mass casualty incidents. The outcomes from this project will have real world impact; appropriate response policies could avoid preventable losses. The supervisors have many years of research experience in emergency responses and stochastic modelling/forecasting. Through the study the student is expected to be equipped with rich operational research techniques, strong analytical and problem-solving skills. These skills open the door for careers beyond the PhD study, such as academic faculty positions, consultants, and senior analysts in private/public organisations.

Loughborough University is a top-ten rated university in England for research intensity (REF2014). In choosing Loughborough for your research, you’ll work alongside academics who are leaders in their field. You will benefit from comprehensive support and guidance from our Doctoral College, including tailored careers advice, to help you succeed in your research and future career.
Find out more: http://www.lboro.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/supporting-you/research/

Full Project Detail
In the aftermath of mass casualty incidents (MCIs), resource scarcity is the biggest hurdle to a successful emergency response. A typical response process may include an initial assessment and allocation of casualties into priority classes, and then the emergency service resources are allocated dynamically to classes. The switch from rescuing one class casualties to another is usually assumed free. In the MCIs related to chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear agents, switching from one class to another might require the responders to change personal protective equipment or to be decontaminated, which takes precious time and thus compromises the ability to rescue casualties.

This project attempts to address an important question: whether or not switch is beneficial in such situations? The problem can be modelled as a dynamic program (DP). Due to its large size we aim to develop efficient approximation DP approaches to find near optimal solutions.

Find out more:
http://www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/sbe/study/phd/

Entry requirements
UK Masters degree (with average programme mark of no less than 65%) or International equivalent. English Language requirement of IELTS band 7.0 or above with not less than 7.0 in each component.

Contact details
Name: Dr Dong Li
Email address: [Email Address Removed]
Telephone number: 01509 223102

How to apply
All applications should be made online at http://www.lboro.ac.uk/study/apply/research/. Under programme name, select Business School. Please upload with your application a copy of your dissertation/coursework, copies of your certificates/transcripts, CV, English Language score and two academic references

Please quote reference number: SBEDL-BL20