Optimisation and (Meta-) Heuristics: Maximising what matters while satisfying constraints 

A practical introduction to essential OR methodologies, including linear programming and optimisation techniques. 

Why Does this Course Matter:

Optimisation helps organisations get the most from limited resources—whether it’s cost, time, staff, or materials. This course offers practical tools that professionals can immediately apply to improve decision-making. From transport planning to staff rostering, the skills learned are highly transferable across sectors.

What Will I Learn:

  • Understanding of how optimisation methods can solve real-world problems
  • Ability to model and solve linear programs using tools like Excel Solver
  • Skills to define decision variables, objective functions, and constraints clearly
  • Awareness of when to apply different optimisation techniques, including heuristics
  • Capacity to evaluate solutions and apply sensitivity analysis to test assumptions

Course Topics:

  • Learn to structure and solve linear programs for practical challenges
  • Use Excel Solver to apply optimisation methods without needing complex software
  • Explore applications in transport, manufacturing, and public services
  • Gain an introduction to metaheuristics as flexible, real-world alternatives to exact methods
  • Understand how to interpret and evaluate optimisation results for confident decision-making

Who is this course for:

  • New or aspiring Operational Researchers seeking hands-on optimisation skills
  • Analysts and managers in industries such as transport, health, energy, or logistics
  • Professionals with limited exposure to modelling or programming methods
  • Teams needing accessible tools for improving planning and resource use
  • Anyone ready to apply optimisation principles to achieve better outcomes in complex scenario

Related courses

  • Data Envelopment Analysis
  • Statistical Methods in OR: Multivariate Statistics
  • Follow on to Forecasting: ARIMA modelling for forecasting

Prices

  • OR Society Member £495 + VAT
  • Non-Member £625 + VAT
  • Student Member £370 + VAT
  • For group booking discounts please contact [email protected]

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Meet the Tutor

Victor Podinovski

Victor is Professor of Operational Research at School of Business and Economics of Loughborough University. Victor’s background is in applied mathematics and operational research, and he has previously worked as Professor of Operational Research at Warwick Business School.

Victor’s academic interests are in the areas of optimisation, decision making and efficiency analysis of firms. He has published extensively on these topics in many international journals, including top European and US journals.

Recently Victor was a principal co-investigator of a large EU-funded research project aimed at the development of a range of quantitative tools to help EU decision makers to simulate policy scenarios in the field of common agricultural policy.

He is a co-editor of Journal of Productivity Analysis and co-director of the Centre for Performance and Productivity Analysis at Loughborough University.

Grammatoula Papaioannou

Grammatoula is a Senior Lecturer in Business Analytics at Loughborough Business School, Loughborough University.

Her research interests stemmed from her PhD work focussing on the optimisation of operations in the cellular manufacturing sector. Her current research and teaching include various areas of optimisation, efficiency analysis of firms and supply chain management.

Grammatoula has published and has been involved in the editorial and refereeing work for many leading international journals. She has presented her research at numerous UK and international conferences and is currently involved in a major ESRC/UKRI grant investigating sustainability of global supply chains.