Luis Vargas
Professor of Operations, Decision Science, and Artificial Intelligence

Contact

356 Mervis Hall
vargas@katz.pitt.edu
412-648-1575

Profile

Luis Vargas was the recipient of the Juan March Foundation Scholarship, Madrid, Spain, to the University of Pennsylvania in 1976-78. He won the Outstanding Professor of the Year Award at the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business in 1984. He was the coordinator of the Quantitative Interest Group from 1987 to 1991; the coordinator of the Artificial Intelligence Interest Group from 1991 to 1994; Area Director of Decision, Operations and Information Technology 2009-2012; chair of the Second International Symposium on the Analytic Hierarchy Process (ISAHP), held in Pittsburgh August 11-14, 1991, at the Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business; and the 15th ISAHP held in Hong Kong July 12-15, 2018. He is also Founder and Director of the International Center for Conflict Resolution 2018.

Luis Vargas has focused his research on decision theory, practical applications of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP, measurement of resource utilization, group decision making, forecasting, and conflict resolution.

Courses Recently Taught

PhD

Multivariate Analysis, Decision Theory

MBA

Forecasting, Revenue Management & Pricing Analytics; Data Mining; Decision Technologies in Manufacturing and Operations

Professional Service and Activities

  • Senior Editor, The International Journal of the Analytic Hierarchy Process

Degrees

  • PhD in Mathematics, University of Sevilla (Spain)
  • PhD in Social Systems Sciences, Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania

Recent Publications

Books

Overcoming the Retributive Nature of the Israeli Palestinian Conflict, with Thomas L. Saaty, H. Jerry Zoffer, and Amos N. Guiora. Springer 2022.

New Approaches for Multi-Criteria Analysis in Building Constructions, with V. Sangiorgio, F. Fatiguso and F. Fiorito. Springer 2022.

Economic, Political, Social & Technological Applications Of The Analytic Network Process (ANP): Benefits, Opportunities, Costs And Risks, with Thomas L. Saaty. Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2006. 2nd edition (2013).

Models, Methods, Concepts and Applications of the Analytic Hierarchy Process, with Thomas L. Saaty. Boston : Kluwer Academic Publishers, 2001. 2nd edition (2012).

Articles

“A Jurisdictional Risk Assessment for the Whole Community: A New, Systematic Approach to Participatory Decision-Making in Public Health Emergency Preparedness Using the Analytic Hierarchy Process,” with Madhury Ray MD MPH, CEM, Alana R. Tornello MA, Françoise Pickart MPH, Mitch Stripling MPA, Mustafa Ali MPH CPH. Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis, September (2023) 1-33. https://doi:10.1002/mcda.1820.

“Enhancing Police-Community Relations Via a Conflict Resolution Approach,” with M.C. Minutolo, A.N. Guiora, M.O. Vargas and H.J. Zoffer.  International Journal of the Analytic Hierarchy Process, 15(1), 2023, https://doi.org/10.13033/ijahp.v15i1.1079.

Applying the AHP to Conflict Resolution: A Russia—NATO Case Study. Marcel C. Minutolo, Luis G. Vargas, Amos N. Guiora, Madhury Ray. Group Decision and Negotiation, 13(2023) 147-176.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10726-022-09803-z.

“Conflict Resolution in the Era of Cognitive Multicriteria Decision Making: AN AHP-Retributive Approach,” with J.M. Moreno-Jimenez and C. Moreno-Loscertales. International Transactions in Operational Research, 30 (2023)1453-1478.

“A Unified Framework for Joint Patient-Physician Collaboration: The Colorectal Cancer Screening Problem,” with J.G. Dolan, J.H. May, M.G. Sava, and J. Shang.  JORS 73(2022).

“Report on an Analytic Network Process (ANP) Model to Estimate the Benefits, Opportunities, Costs, and Risks (BOCR) that Gun Policies and Violence Prevention Interventions Have on Legal Users of Firearms,” Luis G. Vargas, Amos N. Guiora and Marcel C. Minutolo. International Journal of the Analytic Hierarchy Process, 13(2) (2021) 355-394.

“Proactive Rescheduling to Mitigate the Effects of Cancellations and Improve Clinic Utilization,”with B. Berg, S.L. Harris, and J.H. May. Submitted to Decision Sciences, April 2021.

“Improving the efficiency of personalized medical decision-making for preventive screening,” with J. Dolan, L. Limeri, J.H. May and M.G. Sava. Submitted to IISE Transactions, April 2021.

“Conflict Resolution in the Era of Cognitive Multicriteria Decision Making: AN AHP-Retributive Approach,” with J.M. Moreno-Jimenez and C. Moreno-Loscertales. International Transactions in Operational Research, May 2021 (forthcoming).

“A Unified Framework for Joint Patient-Physician Collaboration: The Colorectal Cancer Screening Problem,” with J.G. Dolan, J.H. May, M.G. Sava, and J. Shang. JORS Accepted March 2021.

“Measuring U.S. Foreign Policy Effectiveness,” with A.N. Guiora and M.C. Minutolo, Journal of Behavioral & Applied Management 21, 1 (2021) 17-31.

“Measuring U.S. Influence in the world,” with A.N. Guiora and M.C. Minutolo, Journal of Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis 1, 2 (2021) 68-84. https://doi.org/10.1002/mcda.1728.

“An analysis of the sensitivity and stability of patients’ preferences can lead to more appropriate medical decisions,” with M.G. Sava, J.G. Dolan, and J.H. May. Annals of Operations Research 293, 2 (2020) 863-901.

“Multi-dimensional stability analysis for Analytic Network Process models,” with J.G. Dolan, J.H. May and M.G Sava. Annals of Operations Research (2020) March 7. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-020-03553-4.

“The Effect of Cancelled Appointments on Outpatient Clinic Operations,” with S.L. Harris, K. Foster, and J.H. May. European Journal of Operational Research. (284) 3, August 2020, pp. 847-860.

“Applying AHP in Conflict Resolution” , with H.J. Zoffer. International Journal of the Analytic Hierarchy Process 11(1) (2019).

“An analysis of the sensitivity and stability of patients’ preferences can lead to more appropriate medical decisions,” with J.G. Dolan, J.H. May and M.G. Sava. Annals of Operations Research (2019), January 2. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10479-018-3109-3.

“Decision Making in Social Media with Consistent Data,” with J.I. Pelaez, and E.A. Martinez.  Knowledge-Based Systems 172 (2019) 33-41.

“Products and Services Valuation Through Unsolicited Information from Social Media,” with J.I. Pelaez and E.A. Martinez.  Soft Computing.  https://doi.org/10.1007/s00500-019-04005-3.

“Task Interdependence and Firm Performance in Outsourced Service Operations,” with N. Ramasubbu, J, Shang, J. May, Y. Tjader.  Manufacturing & Service Operations Management, Articles in Advance, pp. 1-16, https://doi.org/10.1287/msom.2018.0716.

“ Estimating the Importance of Consumer Purchasing Criteria in Digital Ecosystems,” with Jose I. Pelaez and F. E. Cabrera,  Knowledge-Based Systems 162 (2018) 252-264.

“Consistency in Positive Reciprocal Matrices: An Improvement in Measurement Methods,” with J.I Pelaez and E.A. Martinez.  Accepted 04/09/2018 in IEEE Access.

“A Personalized Approach of Patient–Health Care Provider Communication Regarding Colorectal Cancer Screening Options,” with M. Gabriela Sava, James G. Dolan, Jerrold H. May.  Medical Decision Making (2018).  http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/0272989X18763802

“The Origin of Neural Firing and Synthesis in Making Comparisons,” with T.L. Saaty.  European Journal of Pure and Applied Mathematics 10, 4 (2017), 1-12.

 “On prioritizing on-time arrivals in an outpatient clinic,” with Karolina J. Glowacka, Jerrold H. May, Rachel M. Goffman, Elizabeth K. May, Aleksandra Sasha Milicevic, Keri L. Rodriguez, Youxu C. Tjader and Dominic L. Vargas.  IISE Transactions on Healthcare Systems Engineering.   Published Online: 21 Apr 2017 (http://dx.doi.org.pitt.idm.oclc.org/10.1080/24725579.2017.1302524)

“Predictive Analytics Model for Healthcare Planning and Scheduling, with Shannon L. Harris and Jerrold H. May. European Journal of Operational Research 253, 1 (2016)121-131.

“Group Decision Making with Dispersion in the Analytic Hierarchy Process,” with Natalie M. Scala, Jayant Rajgopal and Kim LaScola Needy. Group Decision and Negotiation 25(2016)355–372 (DOI 10.1007/s10726-015-9445-7).

“Voting with Intensity of Preferences,” International Journal of Information Technology & Decision Making 15, 4 (2016) 839-859.

“A Structured Scientific Solution to The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict: The Analytic Hierarchy Process Approach,” with Thomas L. Saaty and H. Jerome Zoffer. Decision Analytics 2, 7 (2015)1-53.

“Impacts of supplier hubris on inventory decisions and green manufacturing endeavors,” with X. Lu, J. Shang, S. Wu, G.G. Hegde and D. Zhao.  European Journal of Operational Research (2015). http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ejor.2015.02.051.

“Firm-level outsourcing decision making: A balanced scorecard-based Analytic Network Process model,” with Y. Tjader, J.H. May, J. Shang and N. Gao. International Journal of Production Economics 147 (2014) 614-623.   

“General Linear Model Used to Predict Risk-Adjusted Length of Stay in Cardiac Intensive Care,” with David P. Strum.  Critical Care Medicine 41,12 (2013)A24.

“Mathematical Distributions As Models For Length Of Stay In Cardiac Intensive Care Units,” with David P. Strum.  Anesthesia & Analgesia 116 (2013) 96.

“Classifying highly imbalanced ICU data,” with Y.F. Roumani, J.H. May and D.P. Strum.  Health Care Management Science 16 (2013) 119-128.

“A New Methodology For Sensitivity And Stability Analysis Of Analytic Network Models,” with J.H. May, J. Shang and Y.C. Tjader. European Journal of Operational Research 224 (2013) 180-188.

“Outcomes of Operative Management of Appendicitis,” with Rajeev Dhupar, John Evankovich, Juan B. Ochoa, and Steven J. Hughes.  Surgical Infections 13, 3 (2012). DOI 10.1089/sur.2011.104.

Academic Area

Business Analytics and Operations

Personal Interests

Tennis, music, chess, photography, and sailing