Navonil (Nav) Mustafee

Hi! Welcome to my homepage. I am Professor of Analytics and Operations Management at the University of Exeter Business School. My research focuses on Modelling & Simulation (M&S) methodologies, including Real-time Simulation (RtS) and Digital Twins, and their application in areas such as healthcare, supply chain management and the circular economy. A particular area of interest is Hybrid Modelling and Simulation.  The objective is to develop the best possible representation of the system under scrutiny by leveraging not only the strengths of individual M&S techniques (e.g., system dynamics, agent-based and discrete-event simulation) but also methods and techniques from wider disciplines such as Operational Research (OR), Applied Computing and Data Science. Another part of my research is on the Bibliometric Analysis of knowledge domains. I use methods like co-citation and meta-data analysis for this body of work.  

I hold a PhD in Information Systems and Computing and an MSc in Distributed Systems from Brunel University. Prior to joining Exeter in January 2013, I did Research Fellowships at Warwick Business School and at Brunel University. My first lectureship was at Swansea University.  I come from Kolkata, the capital of the state of West Bengal, in India. 

I publish in Computing and Operations Research/Simulation journals, including, Simulation: Transactions SCS, European Journal of Operational Research (EJOR), Journal of the Operational Research Society (JORS), ACM Transactions on Modelling and Computer Simulation (TOMACS), Expert Systems with Applications (ESA) and Concurrency and Computation: Practice and Experience (CCPE). I presently supervise two PGR students and welcome PhD queries in Simulation Methodologies (e.g., Hybrid Systems Modelling, Hybrid Simulation), Modelling for Sustainability and Circular Economy, Healthcare Simulation, Business Intelligence and Analytics. 

I am a Joint Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Simulation (a journal of the UK OR Society published by Taylor & Francis) and Vice-President of Publications at The Society of Modeling and Simulation International (SCS). The SCS publication portfolio includes two journals published by SAGE - Simulation: The Transactions of the SCS and the Journal of Defense Modeling and Simulation.

Please visit my University of Exeter Business School homepage for research updates. 

I am the founding co-chair of the Health and Care IMPACT (Information, Modelling, Prediction and Evaluation to inform ACTion) Network. The purpose of the network is to strengthen relationships between academics, health and social care managers and practitioners, clinicians, information analysts and service users within the health and care system in South West of England, in order to improve the process of problem-solving, decision making and solution implementation. The aim is to build a culture of use of data and information, analytical tools and techniques, and system evaluation to improve quality, safety and cost of care. 

A major academic and impact-related output of the Network has been the development of a real-time solution informing attendance choices for urgent care - the NHS Quicker platform. The work led to a REF 2021 impact study (UOA17 Business and Management Studies) on "Designing and implementing a digital platform to reduce A&E peak time demand across the South West", which was awarded the UK Operational Research Society's Lyn Thomas Impact Medal award for 2022. Find out more about the Impact Medal here. 

Click here for my University website  -   ORCID  -  Google Scholar  -  Linkedin  -  Twitter (@navonil_m)  -  IMPACT Network website

My current research interests are in Hybrid Systems Modelling (application of simulation with wider Operational Research techniques like Problem Structuring Methods, Game Theory and Forecasting), Multi-Methodology/Hybrid Simulation (application of two or more simulation techniques) and Serious Games. I use techniques like Discrete-Event, Agent-Based and Spreadsheet/Monte Carlo simulation, and have applied them in the context of healthcare operations management and supply chain pedagogy. My healthcare research involves working with stakeholders from the UK National Health Service (NHS). I have a background in Distributed Systems and have applied Desktop Grid Computing to execute large and complex simulations in healthcare, banking and the auto industry.  Some of this work has involved inter-operability and the reuse of simulation models through Parallel and Distributed Simulation (PADS) principles, standards (IEEE 1516 High Level Architecture) and software (Run-Time Infrastructure).  I have research interests in Bibliometric and Meta-data Analysis of Research Domains. 

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