Speaker: Hasnain Ali  – Nanyang Technological University

Abstract:
Airport departure scheduling is a combinatorial optimisation problem complicated by uncertainty, human behaviour, and real-time constraints. In this talk I will present I-MATE (Intelligent Departure Metering Advisory Tool), a decision-support system that integrates deep reinforcement learning with an air traffic controller-facing interface to optimise aircraft pushback scheduling at Singapore Changi Airport. Beyond the algorithm, I will discuss what building and validating such a system actually involves: why controllers deviate from AI recommendations, what those deviations reveal about human-AI collaboration in safety-critical settings, and what remains unsolved. The talk bridges optimisation methodology with the practical, human realities of getting research into production.

Bio:
Hasnain Ali is an operations research and applied machine learning researcher, recently relocated to Melbourne from Singapore. He was a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Air Traffic Management Research Institute, Nanyang Technological University, where he led a national research programme in airport operations automation. His research focuses on combinatorial optimisation and machine learning for real-time scheduling in safety-critical transport systems.

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This event is Hybrid:
JOIN VIA ZOOM – MEETING ID: 873 1557 5255; PASSWORD: 778635
ATTEND IN PERSON – Join us at 3:30pm for a pre-seminar afternoon tea. Register your in-person attendance at: https://go.unimelb.edu.au/ygw2
Level 8, Room 8109, Melbourne Connect, 700 Swanston Street, Carlton 3053

SEMINAR: WED 03 JUNE 2026 4.00PM-5.00PM (AEST, Melbourne Time)