Research themes

CENTRAL is a research centre with significant expertise in four areas. We work with the private, public and third sectors to find solutions to problems or questions they face.

Aviation and air transport

The efficient and safe movement of passengers and goods via air transport is an incredibly important part of the global economy. There has been a rapid increase in demand for air transport services, which existing airport and air-space capacity cannot meet. CENTRAL researchers are focused on finding ways to unlock this fundamental problem.

We are developing models that determine the capacity of the various components of the air transport system on behalf of private, public and government clients. Our goal is to estimate the operational impact, make optimal use of available resources, provide efficient solutions to address the demand-capacity imbalance, and optimise fleet scheduling and maintenance decisions.

A plane in flight

Aviation and air transport projects

Aviation and Air Transport Projects accordion

Freight transport logistics

Freight Transport Logistics focuses on the planning, organisation, management, control and execution of freight transport operations in the supply chain. CENTRAL researchers have worked on problems facing decision-makers who want to improve freight transport system performance. They are: the optimisation of freight transport planning and operations; vehicle routing and scheduling with environmental and societal considerations; and hazardous materials transportation. We are developing mathematical models and algorithms that capture the inherent dynamics and stochasticity of the problems.

Overhead view of a freight train

Freight transport logistics projects

Freight transport logistics projects accordion

Public and shared transport systems

CENTRAL researchers have been tackling problems of shared transport systems and multimodal itinerary planning. On behalf of our clients, we are addressing issues related to strategic, tactical and operational decisions in (electric) car sharing systems. We are also working on mathematical models and efficient algorithms for solving multimodal, multi-criteria, international, and door-to-door trip planning systems.

Cars on a motorway at night

Public and shared transport systems projects

Public and shared transport systems projects accordion

Emergency response logistics

Large-scale technological and natural disasters need effective planning and deployment of emergency response resources from various public and private organisations. When done well, emergency response significantly improves society's ability to cope with the negative impacts of disasters and enhances community resilience.

CENTRAL researchers are addressing issues related to emergency response unit locations, resource deployment coordination, and evacuation management, as well as community resilience assessment and improvement. We are focused on developing models that forecast disaster characteristics, optimise scheduling for response crews, and improve evacuation operations during large-scale disasters.

A fire engine

Emergency response logistics projects

Emergency response logistics projects accordion