Plenary Speakers

• Christophe Croux

Christophe Croux is full professor at the KU Leuven. Previously, he was a professor in Statistics and Econometrics at the Université Libre de Bruxelles (1995-2001), the KU Leuven (2001-2017) and professor of Data Science and Co-Director of the MSc in Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence at EDHEC Business School in France (2017-2023). He has conducted research on mathematical and computational statistics, marketing modelling, and applied econometrics. Currently, his research activity is focused on the detection of anomalies in large and complex data sets, and the development of forecasting methods for big data.

Christophe has supervised many public funded research projects and 19 PhD theses. Concerning editorial activities, he has been associate editor of the following scientific journals: Journal of Multivariate Statistics (2008-2012), Computational Statistics and Data Analysis (1998-2007) and Journal of the American Statistical Association (2005-2008).

According to the Web of Science, he has published 148 documents, with an h-index equal to 37 and 7155 citations (accessed May 1, 2023). According to other databases (accessed May 1, 2023), the h-index and number of citations raise to 40 and 7798 (Scopus) or to 61 and 17248 (Google Scholar).

Among his publications, the contributions published in Computational Statistics and Data Analysis (12), Journal of the American Statistical Association (4), Statistica Sinica (4), European Journal of Operational Research (3) and TEST (2) could be highlighted.

• Maria Paola Scaparra

Maria Paola Scaparra is a Professor of Management Science and a member of the Centre for Logistics and Heuristic Optimisation (CLHO). Paola moved to Kent Business School in 2004 from the University of California, Santa Barbara, where she held a position as a postdoctoral researcher in infrastructure and transportation planning. She earned an MSc in Engineering-Economic Systems and Operations Research from Stanford University in 2000 and a PhD in Mathematics Applied to Economic Decisions from the University of Pisa, Italy, in 2002. Her research focuses on the development of analytics tools and optimisation models for disaster management, humanitarian logistics, healthcare service planning, transportation planning and sustainable development.

Paola has supervised many funded research projects and 9 Ph.D. theses. She has also covered editorial roles for different journals, including Networks and Spatial Economics, IISE Transactions (Area: Scheduling and Logistics) and International Regional Science Review.

According to the Web of Science, she has published 41 documents, with an h-index equal to 20 and 1875 citations (accessed November 14, 2023). According to other databases (accessed November 14, 2023), her h-index and number of citations are 23 and 2319 (Scopus) or 28 and 4197 (Google Scholar) respectively.

Her publications appeared in prestigious OR journals, including the European Journal of Operational Research, Computers & Operations Research, Management Science, Transportation Science and Omega.

• Lola Ugarte 

Lola Ugarte is a full professor at the Public University of Navarre, where she received her Ph.D. in 1996. Prior to that, she completed her mathematics degree at the University of Zaragoza in 1989. Before becoming an associate professor at the Public University of Navarre in 1997, and full professor in 2009, she was a postdoctoral researcher at Simon Fraser University (Canada). Her research primarily focuses on spatial and spatio-temporal modelling, with applications in various fields, particularly in epidemiology and remote sensing. She is the coordinator of the Spatial Statistics research group at UPNA.

Lola has supervised many funded research projects. Regarding editorial activities, she is currently associate editor of several prestigious statistical journals such as Statistics and Computing, Statistics in Medicine, or Statistical Modelling, among others. She was also co-editor-in-chief of the journal TEST of the Spanish Society of Statistics and Operations Research from 2017 to 2020, and served as vice president of the Spanish Statistical Society from 2010 to 2013. Lola is a member of the Executive Committee of FENStatS (the Federation of European National Statistical Societies). She has been the MTM coordinator in the Spanish Research Agency (2017-2021). In 2021 she delivered the prestigious Santaló Conference (2020-Santaló Conference) and received the Prize BBVA Foundation-SEIO for the best paper to Applied Statistics (in coauthorship).

Lola is currently the President of the Mathematics and Physics Committee of the National Commission for the Evaluation of Research Activity (CNEAI). She is a member of the Mathematics Advisory Board of the Gadea Science Foundation. In January 2023 she was appointed director of INAMAT2 (Institute for Advanced Materials and Mathematics) at UPNA.

Lola has published over a hundred articles and authored or edited thirteen books. Among her publications, the contributions published in Biostatistics, Biometrics, Statistics in Medicine, Statistical Methods in Medical Research and the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society A could be highlighted.

• Federico Perea Rojas-Marcos 

Federico Perea Rojas-Marcos is associate professor ("Profesor Titular de Universidad") at the University of Seville, where he earned his degree in Mathematics in 2001 and received his Ph.D. in 2007. His academic career continued at the University of Seville and University of Zaragoza. In 2010, he obtained an associate professor position (“Profesor Contratado Doctor”) at the Department of Applied Statistics, Operation Research and Quality at the Technical University of Valencia, where he stayed until 2020. He has also benefited from a research position at THALES company (The Netherlands) within the Marie Curie European Programme for 18 months between 2005-2006. His main research lines are the analysis of optimization problems in: transportation, scheduling, location, game theory, and aerospace.

Federico has supervised one PhD thesis, and acted as a referee for journals as the International Journal of Production Research, European Journal of Operational Research, European Journal of Industrial Engineering, Computers and Operations Research, or Top among others, and editor for OR Forum and Networks. He has participated as a researcher in 3 international research projects, 6 national research projects and 4 regional research projects.

According to the Web of Science, Federico has published 41 documents, with an h-index equal to 12 and 607 citations (accessed May 11, 2023). According to other databases (accessed May 11, 2023), the h-index and the number of citations raise to 13 and 755 (Scopus) or to 16 and 1169 (Google Scholar).

Among his publications, the contributions published in European Journal of Operational Research (7), Computers & Operations Research (5), IEEE Transactions on Aerospace and Electronic Systems (2), and Transportation Research Part B: Methodological (2) could be highlighted.

4th Spanish Young Statisticians and Operational Researchers Meeting (SYSORM)