[Isl] Brown Bag Series Lecture Featuring Dr. Qianwen (Vivian) Guo

[Institute for Successful Longevity]

Good afternoon,

We are happy to announce our final Brown Bag Lecture Series Talk of the semester will be with Dr. Qianwen (Vivian) Guo on November 12th at 12 PM. This Brown Bag Lecture will be held completely online.
Title: Enhancing Accessibility for Elder Users: A Quantum-Inspired Bilevel Optimization Framework for Transit Route Design
Abstract: As quantum computing transitions from theory to application, its ability to address complex optimization challenges has attracted significant attention. In transportation planning, classical algorithms often struggle with the combinatorial complexity of large-scale problems, particularly in contexts like bilevel optimization, where strategic and operational decisions interact hierarchically. While the problem of designing bus routes to improve accessibility for seniors is well-established, existing methods rely entirely on classical solvers, which struggle to scale with problem size. This computational bottleneck limits the practical deployment of inclusive and efficient transit strategies in urban settings. To address this gap, we propose a hybrid quantum-classical optimization framework that incorporates the Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) into an existing model for bus route design. The framework consists of an upper-level model (ULM), solved with a classical optimizer to minimize average walking distances for seniors, and a lower-level model (LLM), reformulated as a Quadratic Unconstrained Binary Optimization (QUBO) problem and solved using QAOA via IBM Qiskit to generate efficient, feasible route configurations. Simulations on a grid-based scenario demonstrate that the quantum-inspired approach can identify new stop placements that bring all target communities within a 400-meter walking radius, while keeping total route length within acceptable limits. This confirms the potential of QAOA to effectively handle combinatorial subproblems that are otherwise computationally intensive for classical methods. It also showcases the feasibility of applying quantum techniques to real-world infrastructure challenges, offering a template for future integration of quantum computing into smart city planning.
Bio: Dr. Qianwen (Vivian) Guo is an Assistant Professor of Transportation Engineering in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at the Florida State University. Her research interest focuses on transportation systems optimization problems, especially in public transit, shared mobility, transportation resilience, as well as transportation economics. Dr .Guo is the Member, Standing Committee on Transit Management (AP011), Transportation Research Board, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Dr. Guo is an active author of journal publications, conference proceeding, technical report as well as an active collaborator on research projects, mentorship, and professional leadership. She has published more than ten papers on a wide range of research topics as the first author or corresponding author in renowned transportation journals, including Transportation Research Parts A, B and C. She has several ongoing research projects sponsored by the National Science Foundation, Florida Department of Transportation, USDOT, USDA. She was featured by the Society of Asian Scientists & Engineers on the 2021 World Engineering Day at the FAMU-FSU College of Engineering. Prior to her current appointment, she was an Assistant Professor at Florida International University from 2022 to 2023. She is also the faculty advisor of FAMU-FSU ITE student chapter.

To register for the link to the Zoom Room, use the following link:

https://fsu.zoom.us/meeting/register/BvFx12rUTcSjyBipaFQJvQ<https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Ffsu.zoom.us%2Fmeeting%2Fregister%2FBvFx12rUTcSjyBipaFQJvQ&data=05%7C02%7Cisl%40lists.fsu.edu%7Cd9393ab28cef44cba9bc08de162b88d4%7Ca36450ebdb0642a78d1b026719f701e3%7C0%7C0%7C638972573424185476%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=Joy0FzI0OC81Bt%2BAgTfFYgNApk7CxPRrfB3kt5v5JP8%3D&reserved=0>


Warm regards,
The ISL Team

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