Science & Cocktails: How mathematics can save your life!

Name: Science & Cocktails: How mathematics can save your life!
Start: 2024-10-15T19:00:00+02:00
Location: Tolhuistuin

Schedule

Tue Oct 15 2024 at 07:00 pm

UTC+02:00

Location

Tolhuistuin | Amsterdam, NH

Science & Cocktails is a series of public talks by scientists with live music and smoky dry-ice chilled cocktails in your hand.
19:00 doors open for cocktails
19:30 Live music (TBA)
20:30 Sandjai Bhulai (talk)
Event in English, semi-seated.
How does mathematics enhance daily healthcare and public safety? How can data improve ambulance, police, and fire services? Can algorithms help us live healthier lives? What are real-world examples of math improving emergency response?
Our society increasingly relies on well-functioning operational processes, such as in healthcare and emergency services, and enforcing public order and safety. If these processes do not function properly or fail, they can even disrupt our society. At the same time, the spectacular rise of ICT and the availability of vast amounts of data offer unprecedented opportunities to improve these processes. Leveraging this with mathematical models, machine learning, and artificial intelligence presents the ultimate challenge. In this talk, we will demonstrate how mathematics can make a significant contribution and help improve our world.
About the speaker
Sandjai Bhulai is a Professor of Business Analytics at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. He studied Mathematics and Business Mathematics and Informatics, and earned a PhD in Markov decision processes for controlling complex, high-dimensional systems. He is a co-founder of the Amsterdam Center for Business Analytics (ACBA), the postgraduate program in Business Analytics / Data Science, and PersonalAIze.
Sandjai's research is at the intersection of mathematics, computer science, and operations management. His expertise lies in decision-making under uncertainty, optimization, data science, and business analytics. His current research projects focus on HR analytics, social media analytics, predictive analytics, dynamic pricing, and planning and scheduling in complex systems. His passion for research is also evident in his teaching, for which he has received the "Excellence in Teaching Award" as the best instructor of both the faculty and the university. Together with Rob van der Mei, he won the prize for combining scientific excellence and societal relevance; the Huibregtsenprijs 2021, for their joint project: “Mathematics for a safer and healthier Netherlands”.