The Faculty of Engineering’s Researchers Organize Sessions at the 2025 INFORMS Annual Meeting

The INFORMS (Institute for Operations Research and Management Sciences) conference is held annually in the United States in October. This year's conference, held in Atlanta, featured three researchers from the Faculty of Engineering: Prof. Gonen Singer, Dr. Hila Chalutz-Ben Gal, and Dr. Shahar Somin.

Dr. Chalutz-Ben Gal organized a session on AI-driven decision dnalysis centered on human and sills optimization.The session presented research and innovative methods of optimizing human capital in complex project systems. "The session featured several groundbreaking research projects. AI ushers in a myriad of innovations – opportunities as well as challenges – that can enhance the effectiveness of human-rich processes. Using AI tools and optimization, we can improve decision-making processes by honing the types of resources and  expertise required for each project and improving human/AI interactions. In addition, the session reviewed issues such as fairness, transparency, and ethical aspects."

Several researchers presented their work, which combines artificial intelligence and human data. Dr. Iris Forma presented her research on a bi-level optimization decision support tool for maximizing company profit through employee retention. Dr. Liora Shmueli, of the Department of Management at Bar-Ilan University, presented her research on data gathered from smartwatches and how this can assist in Continuous monitoring and early detection of health and well-being for diverse health conditions. "The session included leading researchers from several universities and was very successful. The audience asked thoughtful questions, highlighting both  theoretical as well as practical challanges," concludes Dr. Chalutz-Ben Gal. "The research projects presented at the Annual INFORMS Conference, and our session in particular, are both innovative and fascinating, and foster collaborations between researchers from the United States, Europe, and Israel."

Prof. Gonen Singer and Prof. Neta Rabin of Tel Aviv University co-hosted a session on combining prediction techniques and constraint-based optimization, with emphasis on business applications and innovative decision-making tools. Researchers from several international institutions presented their work, including a doctoral student of Prof. Xiacohen Xian from the Georgia Institute of Technology – Prof. Singer's research partner – who presented a method for measuring and reproducing defective sleep signals, with the goal of improving sleep apnea detection. Another session presenter was Dr. Shahar Somin, who presented her research on detection coordination within and across encrypted platforms. The session emphasized the importance of the link between machine learning, system constraints, and real-world business applications.