During his lecture, Professor Potts elaborated on the extensive breadth of his scheduling research, highlighting its pivotal role in addressing complex problems. His exploration ranged from designing branch and bound algorithms to heuristic design, establishing performance bounds, determining the complexity of new scheduling problems and developing competitive algorithms for online scheduling. Furthermore, he delved into the design and computational evaluation of metaheuristics for scheduling, illustrating how his research transcends theoretical frameworks to solve real-world challenges.
By providing tangible examples of scheduling problems, Professor Potts brought his research to life, highlighting its applicability in solving a myriad of problems, from machine scheduling to heuristic challenges. Through his comprehensive insights, he underscored the transformative potential of operational research in reshaping industries and driving innovation forward.
Transformative Applications in Sports
One of the highlights of the lecture was learning how Professor Potts worked with Neil Martin, an MSc student in OR in 1995, to apply his research in Formula One. The duo collaborated with McLaren to determine the best times to schedule pit stops for tyre changes and refuelling, thus optimising race strategy. This project involved key considerations around tyre wear, sector times and pit stop durations. The optimal laps for pit stops were determined using dynamic programming, resulting in enhanced race performance. Subsequently, Professor Potts and his team created a Formula One race simulator at the University of Southampton, funded by McLaren, further advancing research in the field.
Additionally, scheduling techniques were instrumental in the redesign of the FedEx Cup playoff series for the PGA Tour, initiated in 2007. Collaborating with Professor Nicholas G Hall, Professor Potts proposed an alternative design for the Tour Championship, introducing match play format to replace stroke play. This innovative approach addressed some of the previous complexities in points allocation and player selection, enriching the competitive dynamics of the tournament.
Professor Potts concluded by expressing his enduring enthusiasm for operational research and ongoing engagement in new projects. His impactful contributions exemplify the transformative potential of operational research in reshaping industries and driving innovation forward.You can see and hear the presentations on The OR Society’s YouTube channel here:
https://youtu.be/WvQjpvSvQXI