(300b) Rex Reklaitis: Operations Research and Process Systems Engineering

In this presentation we highlight the pioneering contributions of Prof. Rex Reklaitis in the area of Operations Research, which has become a major science base for Process Systems Engineering (PSE). We first give a general overview of the educational and research contributions by Prof. Reklaitis, as well as his strong leadership at the professional level. We then focus on his contributions in the areas of geometric programming, flexibility, batch design and scheduling, process operations, optimization of supply chains, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and optimization under uncertainty. It is clear that Prof. Rex Reklaitis has become a unique pioneer and leader who has been able to introduce Operations Research in Process Systems Engineering, and make it thrive into new directions in order to broaden the scope of PSE.