Research Interests

My research philosophy is that of being problem motivated—that is, given a relevant, interesting, real-world application, develop and analyze mathematical models for the related problem. Of particular interest is the creation of novel, innovative application areas for Operations Research techniques. My solid Engineering background, coupled with an excellent, in-depth knowledge of a broad range of Operations Research techniques, give me the tools that are necessary for effectively performing this type of research activity. 

Over the last several years, I have been active in the following research areas: 

• Scheduling of Spatially Distributed Degrading Jobs
  Job degradation of spatially scattered jobs has many real-world applications. These include pothole repair, emergency service response, and controlling forest fires. My current area of interest is in satellite scheduling for reconnaissance tasks.
• Hazardous Materials Routing/Logistics
  Controlling the risk of hazardous materials transportation has significant societal impact. My current area of interest is in appropriate routing of vehicles and incorporation of road closures and curfews.
• Routing/Scheduling for Search Missions
  Routing/scheduling for search missions is an important area that has applications in both the military domain and the humanitarian operations domain. My current area of interest includes elements of prize collection and movement planning between uncertain areas.
• Electric Vehicle Routing and Location of Charging Stations
  The problem of modeling charging station capacity when considering routing of electric vehicles and location of charging stations is a highly relevant problem as we transition to EVs. My current area of interest includes optimal assignment of additional charging bays to an existing charging station infrastructure. 
  
  

1. Frank and Lillian Gilbreth Industrial Engineering Award, Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, 2022. This is the highest and most esteemed honor bestowed by IISE. It recognizes those who have distinguished themselves through contributions to the welfare of mankind in the field of industrial engineering. The contributions are of the highest caliber and nationally or internationally recognized.
2. MOR Journal Award from the Military Operations Research Society, 2020, for the paper: M. Moskal and R. Batta, "Adaptive Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Surveillance Using a Prize-Collecting Vertex Routing Model," Military Operations Research, 24,4, (2019), 5-22. Each year the journal editor selects the best paper published in Military Operations Research.
3. Koopman Prize, for the paper: Y. Xia, R. Batta and R. Nagi, “Routing a fleet of vehicles for decentralized reconnaissance with shared workload among regions with uncertain information,” Operations Research, Vol. 65, No. 3, (2017), pp. 674-692. Awarded by the Military and Security Society, INFORMS, 2018. As stated on the INFORMS website, this Prize was named after Bernard Koopman, a founding father of military operations research. It is awarded for the outstanding publication in military operations research of the previous year.
4. Award for Technical Innovation in Industrial Engineering, Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, 2016. As stated on the IISE website, this award honors a single innovative technical contribution to the industrial engineering profession that may be recognized in any of several forms, including theory, design, application, implementation and leadership, to name a few.
5. Best paper award for the journal IIE Transactions: Design and Manufacturing, 2013, for the paper: M. Zhang, R. Batta and R. Nagi, “Designing Manufacturing Facility Layouts to Mitigate Congestion,” Vol. 45, No. 4, (2011), pp. 132-145. Each year the journal editor selects the best paper published in IIE Transactions: Design and Manufacturing.
6. AIIMS-MOPTA Optimization Modeling Competition Winner, Lehigh University, 2012. The yearly AIMMS/MOPTA Optimization Modeling Competition attracts entries from around the world. The challenge problem for 2012 related to scheduling smart grids. Gina Galindo, Ruben Yie (both doctoral students) and Rajan Batta (faculty) were the winners.
7. Dr. David F. Baker Distinguished Research Award, Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers, 2008. As stated on the IISE website, this award recognizes outstanding research in the profession. This award is for a career of accomplishments that broadly benefited practitioners, organizations, or other researchers rather than for a single activity or application.
8. SUNY Research Foundation Award for Research and Scholarship, 2007. The Research and Scholarship Award is the highest honor the Research Foundation can bestow on SUNY faculty for their outstanding scholarly and research contributions.
9. MOR Journal Award from the Military Operations Research Society, 2015, for the paper: S. Mishra, R. Batta and R. J. Szczerba, "A Rule-Based Approach for Aircraft Dispatching to Emerging Targets," Military Operations Research, 9,3, (2004), 17-30. Each year the journal editor selects the best paper published in Military Operations Research.
10. Sustained Achievement Award, Exceptional Scholar Program, University at Buffalo, 2002. According to the UB website, the Exceptional Scholar Award for Sustained Achievement recognizes an unprecedented accomplishment in a senior scholar’s career.