Centre for Operational Research, Management Science and Information Systems (CORMSIS)

CORMSIS PhD

Join CORMSIS, a top UK research group, to master optimisation, machine learning, and simulation. Conduct impactful research, collaborate with experts, and access cutting-edge facilities at the University of Southampton. Find your ideal PhD supervisor on our staff pages.

A PhD in OR helps develop proficiency in mathematical modelling, optimisation, machine learning, and simulation, enabling you to analyse and solve complex decision-making problems.

Pursuing a PhD in Operational Research (OR) or a related discipline at the Centre for Operational Research, Management Science, and Information Systems (CORMSIS) offers numerous advantages for individuals aiming to advance their expertise in decision sciences.

As one of the country’s leading research groups in the science of better decision making, CORMSIS provides a platform to conduct impactful research in areas such as optimisation, predictive modelling, machine learning, and simulation. The interdisciplinary nature of OR research at CORMSIS enables students to work on real-world challenges and gain valuable insights that are highly sought after by both academia and industry.

Additionally, CORMSIS is known for its strong connections with leading academic institutions and industry partners. As a PhD student, you will have the opportunity to collaborate with renowned researchers and gain access to industry collaborators, internships, and consultancy projects. The University of Southampton is a founding member of the Russell Group and offers state-of-the-art facilities, including an HPC equipped with the latest H100 and A100 GPUs and high-performance CPUs, ensuring access to cutting-edge resources for rigorous and computationally intensive research in OR.

Browse our staff pages to identify and contact a potential PhD supervisor you would like to work with.

Dr Simon Troup

Principal Enterprise Fellow

Research interests

  • data wrangling, data science and data products
  • tech product strategy and business models
  • fintech unbundling and platforms
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Dr Soroosh Saghiri BSc, MSc, MA, PhD, SFHEA, FCILT

Associate Professor of Operations

Research interests

  • Procurement and Supply Chain Strategies: with an emphasis on industry 4.0 applications
  • Supply Chain Risk and Resilience Management
  • Operations Digital Transformation

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Dr Stefano Cipolla

Lecturer in Operational Research

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Dr Steffen Bayer

Lecturer in Business Analytics

Research interests

  • Simulation Modelling
  • Health Systems Research
  • Health Planning

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Dr Stephan Onggo PhD, SFHEA

Professor of Business Analytics

Research interests

  • Simulation Modelling Methodology
  • Behavioural Modelling using Simulation
  • Simulation for real-time decision making (digital twin)

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Dr Thanos Avramidis

Lecturer in Operational Research

Research interests

  • Finite-state, finite-action Markov Decision process
  • Stochastic (Monte Carlo) simulation in pricing financial deritivates

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Dr Tiejun Ma

Associate Professor

Research interests

  • Financial Risk Modelling
  • Investors Behaviour Modelling
  • Fintech
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Professor Toni Martinez Sykora

Professor

Research interests

  • Optimisation and Combinatorial Optimisation 
  • Cutting and packing problems
  • Transportation and vehicle routing problems

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Dr Vuong Phan PhD, FHAE, PGCAP

Associate Professor

Research interests

  • Continuous optimisation
  • Dynamical systems
  • Optimal control

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Dr Xiaoyan Xu PhD

Lecturer in Ops & Supply Chain Mgmt

Research interests

  • Sustainable supply chain management
  • Supply chain digitalization
  • Marketing and operations interfaces

Accepting applications from PhD students

Connect with Xiaoyan