Waldy Joe

I am a Data Science and OR practitioner and researcher. I am currently a Data Scientist | Optimization and Backend Engineer in SWAT Mobility, a leading AI vehicle routing optimization firm in South East Asia and Japan. I received my Ph.D. in Computer Science at Singapore Management University in 2022, advised by Professor Lau Hoong Chuin.

My research focuses on the intersections between Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Operations Research (OR), specifically how techniques from both fields of study can synergise to address real-world Combinatorial Optimization Problems (COPs) that are increasingly more complex and dynamic.

Motivated by the increasing complexity and dynamicity of COPs, my research aims to incorporate relevant techniques outside the OR domain specifically from the AI domain such as Machine Learning (ML) and Multi-Agent Planning (MAP) to supplement and complement the classical OR techniques to solve these problems with potential real-world implementation in mind particularly in the transportation/logistics and safety/security domains.

In my previous role in Hyundai Motor Group Innovation Center in Singapore (HMGICS), I was working on both research and deployment projects related to the application of advanced AI and OR techniques in solving optimization problems in the context of smart manufacturing.

• I developed and implemented multi-agent pathfinding algorithms for Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs) in a Digital Twin simulator environment.
• I led and drove research initiative to formulate and solve real-world multi-robot routing problem in smart factory context as a Multi-Agent Pickup and Delivery Problem (MAPD).
• I developed and deployed a novel algorithm to measure the factory’s Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE) and automate the root cause analysis process in a flexible cell-based car production.
• I developed model to analyse, visualize and simulate current performance of mobile robot operations.

In my current role, I am working on researching, developing and deploying new advanced routing optimization features to address the ever-changing and complex real-world routing optimization scenarios such as routing with pallet loading constraints, routing with temporal access restrictions and inventory-aware VRP. In particular, I managed the full development lifecycle of advanced routing features, translating complex optimization research into production-ready client solutions.

Check out my publications here.