Prof. Michael Kim is a visiting professor at the Luxembourg Centre for Logistics and Supply Chain Management (LCL), within the Department of Economics and Management at the FDEF during the 2023-2024 academic year.
He is an associate professor in the Operations & Logistics Division at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Sauder School of Business. Having received his PhD from the University of Toronto in 2012 with susequent postdoctoral fellow positions at UC Berkeley and National University of Singapore from 2013 to 2015. His research interests lie in statistical learning and sequential optimisation with applications to operations research.
To get to know him a bit better, and learn why he chose to come to the University of Luxembourg, we asked him a few quick questions.
1. Why did you choose to come to the University of Luxembourg (LCL) as a visiting professor?
In addition to being wonderful people, the faculty at LCL are truly world-class researchers, all of whom regularly publish in the premier journals in my field. The director of LCL, Benny Mantin, also happens to be an alumni of my home institution, UBC Sauder; visiting the University of Luxembourg was a natural choice.
2. What research projects are you currently working on? And what do you hope to accomplish during your time here?
I recently offered an informal six-week course on learning and optimisation to LCL’s PhD students. During this time, I learned about their research interests and on-going projects. Currently, I am discussing potential research ideas with some of the students and faculty on topics including maintenance optimisation, mechanism design, and blockchain. The hope, of course, is that such discussions will lead to long-term research collaborations.
3. Have you found anything particularly surprising or noteworthy about life in Luxembourg?
Prior to coming to Luxembourg, I had never seen a real European Christmas market. I took my wife and two children to the one beneath the golden lady (Gëlle Fra); it was lovely. Often, almost weekly, I also enjoy walking about the Grund.
We wish Prof. Kim all the best for his year with our Faculty in Luxembourg!