Decision making in dynamic systems with strategic information acquisition

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

The goal of my research is to develop a series of decision making frameworks in the context of dynamic systems (systems that change over time). In particular, I am interested in systems driven by population trends, behavior change, or technological advancement. Rapid technological evolution is changing public and private sector decision making. Correctly identifying which technologies to adopt and the optimal time to do so is increasingly a competitive advantage in the private sector (i.e., adopting robotics, switching software platforms). For example, when considering a change in technology, policy makers, businesses, and individuals must consider whether more information is needed to inform their decision, including what type, how much, and when to collect information. The uncertain prospect of a technology's value over time (i.e., degree of profitability or magnitude of improvement in medical treatment outcomes) and the potential introduction of a new disruptive technology increases the complexity and difficulty of the decision making process. In the proposed research, I will develop operations research frameworks to address the challenges of technology adoption under uncertain future technological development and with the option to collect information. These models will advance the technology adoption literature with applications in both the public and private sectors.