Management Science seminar: Applications of Inverse Optimization to Pedestrian Safety and Tourism Attractiveness

Event Date: 22 October 2025

Speaker: Hiroyuki Hasada, research associate at the Institute of Industrial Science,The University of Tokyo

Location: Strathclyde Business School, Cathedral Wing, CW406b

Time: 2-3pm

Seminar Abstract:

If people behave based on their decisions, can we not also infer the hidden structure of those decisions from their observed behaviour? This talk addresses that question through the use of inverse optimisation, a methodology that estimates decision-making structures so that observed behavior can be explained as optimal. The approach is applied to optimise pedestrian safety zones while ensuring vehicle mobility, and to evaluate the attractiveness of tourist destinations and segment visitors by their revealed preferences. These applications demonstrate how inverse optimisation can generate practical, data-driven insights with strong relevance for location analysis.

Hiroyuki's research focusses on mathematical engineering for spatial behaviour. He earned his PhD from the University of Tokyo in 2024 and has also gained practical experience at The Institute of Behavioral Sciences. His research interests include inverse optimisation, operational research, travel data analysis, and demand-responsive transport. He has received multiple awards, including the Outstanding Dissertation Award from the City Planning Institute of Japan and the Student Paper Award from the Operations Research Society of Japan. He also contributes open-source tools and datasets to support reproducible urban mobility research.

Published: 9 October 2025