Andrea Cynthia Santos | Operational research | Research Excellence Distinction Award

Prof. Dr. Andrea Cynthia Santos | Operational research | Research Excellence Distinction Award

Le Havre Normandie University, Engineering Institute of Logistics (ISEL) | France

Prof. Dr. Andréa Cynthia Santos is a leading scholar in Computer Science whose research lies at the intersection of Operations Research, urban systems, and large-scale disaster management. Her work focuses on developing advanced optimization models, algorithms, and decision-support approaches that address complex sociotechnical challenges in industrial, natural, and health-related crisis scenarios. She is widely recognized for contributions to integrated routing, scheduling, robust optimization, network design, drone-based search strategies, and humanitarian logistics in post-disaster environments. Her research is characterized by strong interdisciplinary engagement, combining computational optimization, artificial intelligence, and systems engineering to improve resilience and sustainability in modern cities. She has produced a substantial body of scientific work, including numerous international journal articles, book chapters, and conference contributions, and has played a key role in organizing international scientific events. Beyond her research activity, she has demonstrated significant leadership in academic administration and scientific strategy, including directing major institutional programs, steering research initiatives, and contributing to national and international committees. She has led multiple research projects across national, regional, industrial, and international collaborations, supported by multidisciplinary teams. Her supervision of PhD candidates, postdoctoral researchers, and master’s students reflects her strong commitment to academic mentorship and capacity building. She has also served as an evaluator for global research organizations and participated in expert panels spanning science, technology, and innovation. Her professional experience includes roles in academic governance, digital transformation, international relations, curriculum development, and research program management, positioning her as an influential figure in the fields of operations research, logistics innovation, and sustainable urban systems.

Profiles: Scopus | Orcid

Featured Publications

Barbalho, T. J., Jiménez Laredo, J. L., & Santos, A. C. (2025). The resource-constrained project scheduling problem for risk reduction after industrial disasters involving dangerous substances. OR Spectrum. Advance online publication.

Coco, A. A., Duhamel, C., Santos, A. C., & Haddad, M. N. (2024). Solving the probabilistic drone routing problem: Searching for victims in the aftermath of disasters. Networks, (July 2024).

Duhamel, C., & Santos, A. C. (2024). The strong network orientation problem. International Transactions in Operational Research.

Haddad, M. N., Santos, A. C., Duhamel, C., & Coco, A. A. (2023). Intelligent drone swarms to search for victims in post-disaster areas. Sensors, 23(23), 9540.

De Freitas, C. C., Aloise, D. J., Fontes, F. F. C., Santos, A. C., & Menezes, M. S. (2023). A biased random-key genetic algorithm for the two-level hub location routing problem with directed tours. OR Spectrum, 45, 1–26.

Ms. HAFSA ANAM | Engineering | Best Researcher Award

Ms. HAFSA ANAM | Engineering | Best Researcher Award

Macquarie University, Australia

Author Profile

Scopus

Orcid

Education 🎓

Hafsa completed her B.Sc. in Telecommunication Engineering in 2015 with a CGPA of 3.78/4.00, and later earned her M.Sc. in Telecommunication Engineering in 2017 with a CGPA of 3.79/4.00, both from the University of Engineering and Technology (UET), Taxila, Pakistan. Currently, she is pursuing her Ph.D. at Macquarie University, working on smart RFID sensor systems for IoT applications.

Professional Experience 💼

As part of her doctoral journey, Hafsa has worked as a Teaching Associate at Macquarie University, actively supporting undergraduate courses. Her role involved lectures, lab sessions, and student mentoring, enabling her to blend cutting-edge research with academic leadership. She also collaborates with interdisciplinary teams to design real-world applicable sensor systems.

Technical Skills 🛠️

Her core strengths lie in chipless RFID design, electromagnetic modeling, wireless communication systems, and flexible sensor fabrication. She is skilled in tools and techniques for antenna design, EM simulations, and printable electronics, with a focus on green, passive, and cost-effective RFID systems.

Teaching Experience👨‍🏫

Hafsa has contributed to several B.Sc. units as a Teaching Associate at Macquarie University. She has assisted in course delivery, lab experiments, and student project supervision, helping to bridge practical RFID development with academic theory.

Awards & Honors 🏅

Hafsa has been recognized with the Post Graduate Research Fund (PGRF) from Macquarie University in 2024 and is the recipient of a fully-funded Ph.D. scholarship (2022–present). Her research excellence earned her the Best Poster Presentation Award at the HDR Conference at Macquarie University in 2022, marking her as an emerging scholar in the RFID research community.

Research Interests 🔍

Her research is centered on chipless RFID tags, wireless communication, electromagnetics, and the Internet of Things (IoT). She is especially interested in developing multifunctional, battery-free RFID sensors that are capable of monitoring environmental parameters, with applications in recycling, smart infrastructure, retail, and industrial systems.

Publications Top Notes: 📝

Dual Sided Data Dense 25-bit Chipless RFID Tag

Authors: Hafsa Anam, Syed Muzahir Abbas, Subhas Mukhopadhyay, Iain Collings

Publication Year: 2023

Publication Type: Conference Paper


RFID Enabled Humidity Sensing and Traceability

Authors: Hafsa Anam, Syed Muzahir Abbas, Iain Collings, Subhas Mukhopadhyay

Publication Year: 2023


High-density Compact Chipless RFID Tag for Item-level Tagging

Authors: Ayesha Habib, Hafsa Anam, Yasar Amin, Hannu Tenhunen

Publication Year: 2018


 Internet-of-things Based Smart Tracking

Author: Hafsa Anam

Publication Year: 2017


Miniaturized Humidity and Temperature Sensing RFID Enabled Tags

Authors: Javeria Anum Satti, Ayesha Habib, Hafsa Anam, Sumra Zeb, Yasar Amin, Jonathan Loo, Hannu Tenhunen

Publication Year: 2018

Journal: International Journal of RF and Microwave Computer-Aided Engineering