Queueing systems are a big part of modern life. They are everywhere we go — physically (supermarkets, hospitals, banks, airports, etc.) or virtually (call centers, communication or computer networks, etc.).  Mathematical modeling and analysis of queueing systems have been the focus of operations researchers for more than half a century. Nevertheless, advances in computing technology, manufacturing and service processes continue to bring about new challenges to efficient management of queueing systems.

A large group of students and faculty (Argon, Kulkarni, and Ziya) in the STOR department have been heavily involved in research on the analysis, design, and control of queueing systems. Our focus on queueing systems covers a large spectrum from theory to applications. Some of our most recent work is as follows:

• Queueing systems with flexible servers:
  • Argon, N. T., and S. Andradottir, “Pooling in Tandem Queueing Networks with Noncollaborative Servers,” Queueing Systems 87 (2017), No. 3, 345–377.
  • Argon, N. T., C. Deng, and V. Kulkarni, “Optimal Control of a Single Server in a FinitePopulation Queueing Network,” Queueing Systems 85 (2017), No. 1, 149–172.
• Priority queues:
  • Argon, N. T., and S. Ziya, “Priority Assignment under Imperfect Information on Customer Type Identities,” Manufacturing and Service Operations Management 11 (2009), No. 4, 674–693.
  • Gavirneni, S. and V. G. Kulkarni, “Self-selecting Priority Queues with Burr Distributed Waiting,” Production and Operations Management 25 (2016), 979–992.
  • Ouyang, H., N. T. Argon, and S. Ziya, “Assigning Priorities (or not) in Service Systems with Nonlinear Waiting Costs.” Submitted to Management Science.
• Analysis and control of queueing systems in heavy traffic:
  • Liu, X., Q. Gong, and V. G. Kulkarni, “The diffusion Model for a Double-ended Queue with Renewal Arrival Processes,” Stochastic Systems 5 (2015), 1–61.
  • Selen, J., I. Adan, J. Leeuwaarden, and V. Kulkarni, “The Snowball Effect of Customer Slowdown in Critical Many-server Systems,” Stochastic Models 32 (2016), 366–391.