Speaker:

Sébastien Martin, Associate Professor of Operations, Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University

Title:

When Algorithms Meet Policy - Changing the School Bus System of Boston and San Francisco

Abstract:

I collaborated with Boston Public Schools and the San Francisco Unified School District to apply advanced optimization algorithms to the redesign of school bus routes and the adjustment of school schedules. These challenges were not only algorithmically complex—where even computers struggle to find good solutions—but also politically and socially contested, with stakeholders often disagreeing on what the algorithms should prioritize. Our work produced both notable successes and important setbacks. In this talk, I will share our journey of building effective collaborations between researchers and policymakers, highlighting lessons on large-scale optimization, human-in-the-loop algorithms, and the emerging role of AI agents.

Speaker Bio:

Sébastien Martin is an Associate Professor of Operations at Kellogg. His research focuses on the intersection of large-scale optimization and operations management, using methods from optimization, machine learning, and applied probability to model and tackle real-world problems. Applications include transportation systems and school operations. Professor Martin received his Ph.D. in operations research from MIT and an M.Sc. in applied mathematics at Ecole Polytechnique. Before joining Kellogg, he was a postdoctoral research fellow at the ridesharing company Lyft.

Location:

In person: Chambers Hall, 600 Foster Street, Lower Level
Remote option: https://northwestern.zoom.us/j/97448138640
Passcode: NICO25

About the Speaker Series:

Wednesdays@NICO is a vibrant weekly seminar series focusing broadly on the topics of complex systems, data science and network science. It brings together attendees ranging from graduate students to senior faculty who span all of the schools across Northwestern, from applied math to sociology to biology and every discipline in-between. Please visit: https://bit.ly/WedatNICO for information on future speakers.

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