Loe Schlicher

I am a tenured Assistant Professor in the School of Industrial Engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology. I received my Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from the same university in 2017. My research interests include game theory and stochastic optimization, especially  in the context of homeland security and defense applications. 

I am a recipient of an NWO Veni grant from the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research and a laureate of the KNAW Early Career Award. I also received an NWO Impact Explorer grant as a follow-up to my Veni project. In 2023, I was nominated by the dean of the Department of Industrial Engineering & Innovation Sciences for the Best Young Researcher Award TU/e (2nd place). Other recognitions include the Beta Ph.D. Award for the best dissertation in Operations Management and Logistics, the INFORMS Koopman prize for the best analytical contribution to national security with practical impact, the TU/e Best Bachelor Teacher Award, and finalist for the ISO Best Teacher of the Netherlands Award.

In 2023, I was appointed by the Ministry of Justice and Security to lead a large-scale research on improving the Dutch system Protection and Security. For this research, I received an honorary coin from the Police. I am also a member of the TU/e Young Academy of Engineering and serve as associate editor for the journal Naval Research Logistics.

Click here to read my Algemeen Dagblad interview on Olympic Games security (Paris, 2024), listen to a podcast by Universiteit van Nederland on rapid-response team positioning, and watch a video interview with politician Queeny Rajkowski on research and politics!

Feel free to contact me via: l.p.j.schlicher@tue.nl

2025

• Schlicher, L., Lin, K.Y. & Kress, M. (2025). Scheduling Bodyguards. Accepted for publication in Naval Research Logistics.

• Van Aken, L., Schlicher, L., & Slikker, M. (2025). Time-dependent stackelberg protection location games. Operations Research Letters, 60: 107278. 

2024

• Mercurio, F., Schlicher, L., Rohmer, S. & Van Woensel, T. (2024) Freight consolidation through carrier collaboration – A cooperative game. Operations Research Letters, 56: 107142.

• Van Aken, L., Schlicher, L., Slikker, M., & van Houtum, G.-J. (2024). Fighting Terrorism: How to position Rapid Response Teams ?. Naval Research Logistics (NRL), 71(5), 709–727.

• Schlicher, L., B. Dietzenbacher, and M. Musegaas (2024). Stable streaming platforms: a cooperative game approach. Omega, 125, 103020.

• Schlicher, L., & Lurkin, V. (2024). Fighting Pickpocketing using a Choice-based Resource Allocation Model. European Journal of Operational Research, 315(2), 580-595.

2022

• Schlicher, L., Lurkin, V. (2022). Stable allocations for choice-based collaborative price setting. European Journal of Operational Research, 302(3), 1242-1254.

2021

• Musegaas, M., Schlicher, L., Blok, H. (2021). Stackelberg production-protection games: defending crop production against intentional attacks. European Journal of Operational Research 297(1), 102-119.

• Tönissen, D., Schlicher, L. (2021). Using 3D-printing in disaster response: The two-stage stochastic 3D-printing knapsack problem. Computers & Operations Research 133, 105356.

2020

• Schlicher, L., Slikker, M., Van Jaarsveld, W., Van Houtum, G. (2020). Core Nonemptiness of Stratified Pooling Games: A Structured Markov Decision Process Approach. Mathematics of Operations Research, 45(4), 1445-1465.

• Westerink-Duijzer E., Schlicher, L., Musegaas, M. (2020). Core Allocations for Cooperation Problems in Vaccination. Production and Operations Management, 29(7), 1720-1737.

2019

• Schlicher, L., Musegaas, M. & Westerink-Duijzer, E. (2019). Resource Location Games. Operations Research Letters, 47(4), 300-304. 

2018

• Schlicher, L., Slikker, M. & van Houtum, G. (2018). Pooling of critical, low-utilization resources with unavailability. OR Spectrum, 40(1), 233–263.

• Schlicher, L. (2018). Maximal Covering Location Games: An application for the coast guard. In NL ARMS Netherlands Annual Review of Military Studies 2018 (pp. 201-212). TMC Asser Press, The Hague.

• Schlicher, L., Slikker, M., Van Jaarsveld, W. (2018). Stratified Pooling Games: An Extension with Optimized Stock Levels. arXiv Preprint: 1811.08145.

2017

• Schlicher, L., Slikker, M. & van Houtum, G. (2017). Probabilistic resource pooling games. Naval Research Logistics, 64(7), 531-546.

• Schlicher, L., Slikker, M. & van Houtum, G. (2017). A note on maximal covering location games. Operations Research Letters, 45(1), 98-103.

• Schlicher, L. (2017). Cooperative resource pooling games: with applications to the railway sector. BETA: proefschrift, 213.

Working papers

• Schlicher, L., Slikker, M. & Van Jaarsveld, W. (2025). Stable Spare Parts Pooling for Military Weapon Systems. Optimization online.

• Mercurio, F., Carvalho, M., Rohmer, S., Schlicher, L. & Van Woensel, T. (2025). Collection points placement in urban delivery: A game-theoretic analysis of public and competitive strategies. Optimization online.

• Van Aken, L., Scaparra, P., Schlicher, L.,  Slikker, M. (2025). Positioning of rapid response teams with the presence of police cars.

• Dellaert, N., Jagtenberg, C.J., Hillenaar, J., & Schlicher, L. (2024). Do community first responder networks have potential? Optimization online.

• Van Beek, A., Slikker, M., & Schlicher, L. (2024). Cost allocation for maintenance clustering. Optimization online.

• Mercurio, F., Schlicher, L., Rohmer, S. & Van Woensel, T. (2023)  Cooperative locker location games. Optimization online.

Books (in Dutch)

Molendijk, A., and Schlicher, L. (2019). Vriendelijke introductie in statistiek en kansrekening. Nederlandse Defensie Academie.

Students: for an excellent Literature study, click here.

• Funding Royal Netherlands Air + Netherlands Defense Academy (2025) on "Future-proof military logistic supply chains" (funding: 1 postdoc, 3 years)

• Funding Wetenschappelijke Ring Bewaken en Beveiligen (2024) on "Analyzing and optimizing the scheduling process of close protection officers (funding: € 30.000, 1/2 year). 

• NWO Impact Explorer Grant (2024) on "Assigning bodyguards to individuals: From (Game) Theory to Practice" (funding: € 30,000, 1 year)

• Subsidy Ministry of Justice and Security (2024) on "Efficiency versus randomization: how to improve the Dutch System Bewaken en Beveiligen" (funding: € 300,000, 4 years)

• Funding Wetenschappelijke Ring Bewaken en Beveiligen (2024) on "Added value of Quantitative Research in the homeland security domain (funding: € 27.000, 1/2 year). 

• Funding Ministry of Justice and Security (2023) on "Dynamic response in the Dutch System "Bewaken en Beveiligen" (funding: € 100.000, 1 year). 

• European Defense Fund Grant (2023) on "DISCMAM: optimal design of contracts in military supply chains" (funding: € 292.043, 3 years)

• TKI Dinalog Grant (2023) on "DASLOCA": optimizing  service logistics of the Royal Netherlands Air Force (funding: € 207,132, 2 years)

• European Defense Fund Grant (2022) on "ROLIAC: development of models and techniques for the optimal design of a military spare parts supply chains" (funding: € 510,000, 3 years)

• NWO Veni Grant (2020) on "Better protection against terrorism: identification of optimal locations for protective resources" (funding: € 250,000, 3 years)