FA Farzad Avishan Research Scientist

Operations Research | Data Science | Optimization

Farzad Avishan

Research Scientist at Air Canada

I combine operations research, predictive modeling, and agentic AI to solve complex planning problems in transportation, logistics, and supply chains.

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About Me

Operations research scientist and data scientist.

I am a Ph.D. industrial engineer with expertise in optimization under uncertainty, combinatorial optimization, heuristic algorithms, and machine learning. I completed postdoctoral research at HEC Montreal after receiving my Ph.D. in operations research from Ozyegin University. My work spans airline network planning, production and distribution planning, humanitarian logistics, electric vehicle scheduling, and large-scale network design. I am currently a Research Scientist at Air Canada. I also work with agentic AI and am familiar with building AI-assisted workflows for research and analytical tasks.

5+ years Optimization and predictive modeling experience

AI-assisted development Robust optimization Network planning Machine learning Forecasting Logistics

Background

Experience and selected work

Oct 2024 - Present

Research Scientist, Data & AI | Air Canada

  • Apply optimization techniques to support business decisions and improve operational efficiency.
  • Contributed to a network-planning project that significantly improved operational KPIs and identified substantial cost-saving opportunities.
  • Establish repeatable processes for large-scale data analysis, model development, validation, and implementation.
  • Use AI-assisted development tools, including Cursor and GitHub Copilot, to create coding agents, reusable skills, and productivity workflows.
2023 - 2024

Postdoctoral Research Fellow | HEC Montreal

  • Developed optimization models and solution approaches for applied research and industry-facing problems.
  • Worked on inventory routing with heterogeneous vehicles and last-mile electric-vehicle planning.
  • Provided consultative analytical support to industry and private-sector stakeholders.
2021 - 2023

Research Assistant | Ozyegin University

  • Awarded Best Research Scientist of the Year for 2022-2023.
  • Conducted projects in electric-vehicle scheduling, relief supply distribution, production planning under uncertainty, and transportation-cost forecasting.
  • Mentored master's students and contributed to scholarly publications.
2011 - 2017

Industry Analytics and Quality Roles | Iran

  • Developed predictive models for annual, monthly, and weekly demand forecasting.
  • Managed a production-line setup project and built dashboards for quality-control metrics.
  • Applied statistical process control to monitor production processes and calibration needs.

Education

Industrial engineering and operations research

Ph.D. Industrial Engineering

Ozyegin University, Istanbul, Turkey | Received March 2023

Thesis: Applications of Robust Optimization in Logistics and Production Planning. CGPA: 3.87/4.00.

M.Sc. Industrial Engineering

Mazandaran University of Science and Technology, Babol, Iran | Received September 2014

Thesis: A New Optimization Model for Production and Distribution of Supply Chain with Green Logistic Approach.

B.Sc. Industrial Engineering

Tabriz University, Iran | Received September 2012

Research

Published Papers

Inventory Routing with Heterogeneous Vehicles and Hazardous Material Backhauling

Farzad Avishan, Amira Dems, Yossiri Adulyasak, Okan Arslan, and Jean-François Cordeau (2026). Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, 205, 104491.

Optimization of Drone Base Station Locations and Mobile Charging Drone Routing for Post-Disaster Communication

Farzad Avishan, Mehmet Berk Karasu, Melike Çap, and İhsan Yanıkoğlu (2025). Computers & Operations Research, 107206.

Adaptive Optimization Approach for Production and Distribution Planning of Perishable Food Products under Demand Uncertainty

Farzad Avishan, İhsan Yanıkoğlu, and Mehmet Soysal (2025). Annals of Operations Research, 1–48.

Contact

Let's talk about optimization, analytics, and planning systems.

f.avishan@gmail.com +1 514 233 4685 LinkedIn Google Scholar

Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada