Operations Research · Analytics · Engineering
Masoud Kavoosi.
Researcher, engineer, and problem solver.
I work at the intersection of operations research and software engineering, turning mathematical models into tools for real-world decisions. I'm an Advanced Analytics Manager at UPS, based in Irvine, CA.
My background spans transportation research, infrastructure planning, and large-scale logistics systems. I earned my PhD at Florida State University, where I studied optimization and scheduling. I have authored 15 peer-reviewed journal publications, with over 1,000 citations. This site brings together my work, research, and the questions I'm interested in exploring next.
My Work & Interests
Experience and ideas I’m exploring.
My transportation experience in production systems and research, alongside my interest in how similar planning methods apply to healthcare.
Focus Areas
The problems I work on.
These themes connect my academic research and engineering work, from scheduling individual resources to understanding an entire network.
Scheduling & Network Planning
I study scheduling and network models that account for the constraints of day-to-day operations.
Fleet & Asset Sizing
My work explores how demand, service requirements, and network structure shape fleet and resource needs.
Crisis & Contingency Planning
I build models for resource allocation during disruptions, when conditions change and decisions are time-sensitive.
Optimization Software
I translate optimization models into production software and work on the engineering needed to maintain and scale them.
Forecasting & Decision Models
I am interested in how forecasting, simulation, and optimization can work together to inform decisions.
Optimization Under Uncertainty
I build planning models that account for uncertain demand and changing conditions, exploring how decisions perform across different scenarios.
Experience
My path through research and industry.
Advanced Analytics Manager
UPS
Apr 2025 – Present
- Leads the strategy behind a live digital model of large-scale sort facility operations, guiding a team of engineers from early research through company-wide rollout.
- Designed a custom-engineered planning system to solve extremely large-scale problems and speed up throughput across the entire company.
- Led the research, design, and company-wide rollout of a new system for planning air cargo loads, combining demand forecasting with automated decision-making and saving UPS Airlines approximately $700 million annually.
Operations Research Analyst
UPS
Sep 2020 – Apr 2025
- Built an early version of a large-scale planning system for airline staffing, working through complex, interlocking scheduling rules.
- Researched and built a simulation model to independently verify the return on investment of the company's core planning systems.
- Deployed a rapid-response contingency planning tool within a two-week window during a union strike, cutting contractor overhead 75%.
- Built a fleet-sizing tool that cut asset requirements 10–15% across targeted logistics routes.
- Shipped a smarter scheduling system that cut idle time 12–18% while maintaining full compliance across the network.
- Led a mission-critical upgrade of a core planning system to run faster and more reliably under peak-demand, real-time conditions.
Operations Research Engineer
HNTB Corporation
Apr 2020 – Sep 2020
- Conducted freight infrastructure research, analyzing geographic and operational data to inform strategic infrastructure development.
Postdoctoral Research Associate
Florida State University
Dec 2019 – Apr 2020
- Led NSF-funded research in freight operations, designing practical routing strategies that could handle real-time, real-world constraints.
Graduate Research Assistant
Florida State University
Aug 2017 – Dec 2019
- Developed rail crossing safety planning models for the Florida Department of Transportation, using real-world risk data.
- Authored new scheduling methods for marine shipping terminals, published in peer-reviewed academic journals.
- Built a regional emergency evacuation planning model, funded by the Florida Department of Transportation.
- Designed a planning framework for perishable supply chains, using custom forecasting tools to reduce spoilage and waste.
Background
Skills, education, and research.
Skills & Tools
Planning & Optimization
Tools & Technology
Software Development
Advanced Analytics
Leadership & Rigor
Education
PhD, Civil Engineering (Optimization Focus)
Florida State University
2017 – 2019
Dissertation: "Innovative Metaheuristic Algorithms for Efficient Berth Scheduling at Marine Container Terminals"
MS, Civil Engineering (Operations/Optimization)
Iran University of Science and Technology
2012 – 2014
Thesis: "Optimization of Operation of Pumped-Storage Power Plants to Balance the Power Network"
BS, Civil Engineering
Bu-Ali Sina University
2005 – 2009
Selected Publications
Development of algorithms for effective resource allocation among highway-rail grade crossings: a case study for the State of Florida
Energies, 2020
Berth scheduling at marine container terminals: a universal island-based metaheuristic approach
Maritime Business Review, 2019
An augmented self-adaptive parameter control in evolutionary computation: A case study for the berth scheduling problem
Advanced Engineering Informatics, 2019
An optimization model and solution algorithms for the vehicle routing problem with a 'factory-in-a-box'
IEEE Access, 2020
Multi-objective optimization model for emergency evacuation planning in geographical locations with vulnerable population groups
Journal of Management in Engineering, 2020