Stochastic Gradients: Optimization, Simulation, Randomization, and Sensitivity Analysis
Big data and high-dimensional optimization problems in operations research (OR) and artificial intelligence (AI) have brought stochastic gradients to the forefront. This article provides a view of research and applications in stochastic gradient estimation from multiple perspectives, as seminal advances have come from diverse and disparate research fields, including operations research/management science (OR/MS), industrial/systems engineering (ISE), optimal/stochastic control, statistics, and more recently from the computer science (CS) AI machine learning (ML) community.
Simulation Optimization and Artificial Intelligence
With the relentless increase in computing power and the ubiquitous availability of data in many industries, the fields of simulation optimization and artificial intelligence have emerged at the scientific and engineering forefront in their societal impact, manifested in the pervasiveness of technologies such as large language models, chatbots, digital twins, and agent-based systems. We examine cross-fertilization between simulation optimization and artificial intelligence, with a particular focus on reinforcement learning, highlighting research that has been mutually beneficial.
21 Smith School Professors Named Among Top 2% Scholars Worldwide
Twenty-one Smith School professors were named among the top 2% most cited researchers globally, according to Elsevier’s 2025 study across 22 fields. Representing both current and emeritus faculty, their impactful research advances business knowledge and global academic excellence.
What’s the Best Escalator Etiquette: Stand or Walk?
The Smith School's Michael C. Fu explores efficient escalator use in crowded transit hubs, challenging conventional "walk left, stand right" etiquette with findings favoring flexible lane access to balance passenger flow.
Summer Reading List 2024
The 21st Annual Summer Reading List for Business Leaders from the University of Maryland's Robert H. Smith School of Business offers diverse recommendations. Highlights include a memoir on AI advances, a book disputing free will, a Grover Cleveland biography, and a novel by Nobel Prize-winning Kazuo Ishiguro.
21 Smith School Professors Named Among Top 2% Scholars Worldwide
The University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business faculty shapes future leaders in classrooms and drives global impact through groundbreaking research. Recently, 21 professors were ranked among the top 2% most-cited scholars worldwide by Elsevier. Explore their influential contributions elevating knowledge and inspiring the next generation of business leaders.
Research.com Ranks 17 Maryland Smith Professors Among World’s “Best Scientists”
Research.com named 17 scholars from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business in its latest “best scientists” ranking. The Smith School ranked No. 4 in the United States and No. 5 worldwide in the 2023 Business and Management university ranking, with 11 scholars on the list.
25 Maryland Smith Professors Named Among Top 2% Worldwide
A study of the world’s top researchers identifies 25 from the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business in the top 2% of the most-cited scholars and scientists worldwide.
Faculty Members Earn Distinction at 2022 INFORMS Annual Meeting
Smith Chair of Management Science Michael Fu, was presented with the George E. Kimball Medal for recognition of distinguished service to the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences (INFORMS), the operations research profession and that of management sciences.
Smith’s Michael Fu Part of $1M NSF Grant Targeting Kidney Trafficking Networks
Smith Chair of Management Science Michael Fu at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business is co-PI for a new four-year National Science Foundation grant focused on understanding how kidney trade networks work and how they evolve—critical for developing ways to curtail illegal transplants worldwide.