Michael R Hilliard

Bio

I lead the Transportation Analytics & Decision Sciences Group (TADS) in the Buildings and Transportation Science Division.  I am also the acting group leader for the Mobility and Energy Transitions Analysis Group (META).  Between the two groups, we focus on using a variety of analytical techniques to create and manage large transportation data sets such as the Freight Analysis Framework, National Household Travel Survey (https://nhts.ornl.gov/), the Transportation Energy Data Book (https://tedb.ornl.gov/), and vehicle fuel economy comparisons on https://fueleconomy.gov/.  We also research the evolution of the transportation system to more sustainable energy sources (https://teem.ornl.gov/), and we model national multimodal freight and passenger movements through systems such as the Navigation Investment Model for waterways (https://tmip.org/content/navigation-investment-model) and the Athena project for airports and other hubs (https://www.athena-mobility.org/).  In addition to DOE, our work has supported other government agencies including DOT,DOD, USACE, and DHS.

My personal research and development efforts focus on mathematical analysis, visualization, simulation, and optimization techniques and leveraging emerging computational technologies to support analysis and decision making. My interests include visual analytics, hybrid simulation, and innovative optimization techniques including evolutionary algorithms.  I have led and participated in large and small teams developing analytical tools and providing analysis products for a wide range of government sponsors including DOE, DOD, and DHS.  

As a member of the Billion Ton 2016 Study team, I helped model and analyze the logistics of moving biomass from county-level origins to refineries.  I also developed most of the interactive visualization tools used in analysis, publication and dissemination of the BT16 results (https://bioenergykdf.net/billionton2016/overview). The visualization tools allow users to see a combination of summary and detailed data specific to their interests.

In other projects I have developed optimization-based models such as the Biofuel Infrastructure, Logistics and Transportation Model (BILT) for supply chain analysis and the Biomass Location for Optimal Sustainability Model (BLOSM) for determining appropriate locations for a perennial bioenergy crop to meet specified environmental and economic objectives.  I am currently developing an online tool for aggregation and visualization of bioenergy sustainability indicators.

Much of my work relates to transportation systems.  I have developed models and studies related to inland waterway transport efficiency and security.  I have also worked on military logistics, and the movement of used nuclear fuel.  

I earned a B.S. degree in mathematics at Furman University and a Ph.D. in Operations Research from Cornell.

Google Scholar Profile: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=byPknw8AAAAJ&hl=en