#9 Borja Menéndez: Making Planners into Super Heroes

In this episode of the Decision Intelligence Laboratory podcast, Borja Menéndez, Lead Operations Research Engineer at Trucksters who also earned his PhD in OR, joins us to discuss his journey into the field of operations research, the impact of his work at Trucksters, and the importance of integrating data science with traditional optimization methods. He shares insights on the relay optimization problem, the challenges of implementing algorithms in logistics, and the significance of user-centric design in developing effective solutions. Borja also reflects on the transition of his blog, Feasible, to a paid model and the future of operations research in the context of Gen.AI.Chapters00:00 Introduction to Operations Research and Borja Menendez01:14 The Journey into Operations Research04:39 Real-World Applications of Operations Research07:03 Understanding Trucksters and Relay Optimization12:48 Challenges in Relay Optimization16:21 Non-Technical Aspects of Implementing OR20:15 Testing and Quality Assurance in Optimization Models25:22 User-Centric Design in Optimization Solutions27:47 Transitioning to a Paid Model for Feasible29:32 Integrating Data Science with Operations Research35:52 The Future of Operations Research and Gen.AIFollow the showApple: ⁠https://podcasts.apple.com/in/podcast/the-decision-intelligence-lab/id1811085064⁠Spotify: ⁠https://open.spotify.com/show/0lFoAVKqJHTYSZNpeN61ou?si=0ae973aab0174b3b⁠Check out Borja Menéndez's Newsletter: https://www.feasible.club/Connect with guestBorja Menéndez: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/borjamenendezmoreno/Connect with hostsProf. Vijay Mehrotra (University of San Francisco): ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/vijay-mehrotra-ba9498/⁠Prof. Michael Watson (Northwestern University): ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/michael-watson-07600a1⁠About the podcastThe Decision Intelligence Lab podcast delivers real-world insights for data professionals, business leaders, and anyone seeking to leverage data & AI for smarter decision-making & successful business outcomes.For business inquiries, email at ⁠[email protected]⁠