Operations research (OR) focuses on optimizing systems and solving complex real-world problems, influencing industries such as healthcare, urban planning, and transportation. It relies on mathematical models and statistical methods to improve efficiency and guide smarter decision-making. For example, in urban traffic management, analyzing data to optimize the flow of vehicles and reduce congestion has been a critical focus. By using advanced queueing models and statistical techniques, cities have made significant progress in enhancing their transportation systems—resulting in smoother commutes and reduced environmental impact.
Richard Charles Larson is one of the key pioneers in advancing these methodologies. His contributions have revolutionized the way we approach public systems, healthcare, and urban planning. Through groundbreaking work such as the development of the Queue Inference Engine (QIE) and the Hypercube Queueing Model, Larson’s impact on the field is profound. His ability to apply mathematical techniques to solve real-world challenges has earned him widespread recognition, influencing everything from police patrol strategies to ambulance services and beyond.
From Physics to Operations Research and Public Systems
Larson’s interest in operations research was sparked in high school, where his love for physics took root. The simplicity of physics, represented in equations like F = ma (force equals mass times acceleration), fascinated him. These principles, observable in everyday life, shaped his view of the world. Larson saw operations research as the “physics of the world,” from managing street intersections to optimizing the operations of major airlines. His passion for this field intensified during his time as a graduate student at MIT, where his advisor, Professor Alvin W. Drake, introduced him to the possibilities of operations research. Larson soon realized that his ability to apply OR to criminal justice systems would be life-changing.
A pivotal moment came when Larson was indirectly involved in a grand larceny case. He began exploring how to identify criminals, a subject that piqued the interest of his advisor. This led him to work with the President’s Crime Commission, becoming the youngest member of its Science and Technology Task Force. This was the beginning of his impactful journey into public systems.
Queueing Theory
One of Richard Larson’s most influential areas of research is queueing theory, the mathematical study of waiting lines. While the concept might seem niche at first glance, queueing theory underpins the functioning of countless systems we rely on daily—from emergency healthcare to criminal justice and public safety. Larson’s expertise in this field has earned him the nickname “Dr. Queue,” a title that’s just a Google search away from verification.
“The study of waiting lines goes far beyond math equations—it touches real human lives, often at critical moments,” says Larson. Though the mathematical foundations of queueing date back to 1919, Larson has taken the field in new directions, contributing scholarly work on queues in complex systems like hospitals and emergency services. But his interest in queues extends beyond numbers. Over time, Larson came to a pivotal realization: it’s not just the length or duration of the wait that matters—it’s the experience during that wait.
“The psychology of queueing is often more important than mathematics,” he emphasizes. Managing expectations, designing a calm environment, and keeping people informed can significantly affect how waiting is perceived—whether in a hospital, an airport, or even a call center.
In healthcare, this insight can be a matter of life and death. Larson recounts a personal experience from when he was five years old and suffered from a life-threatening arterial hemorrhage following a tonsillectomy. Thanks to preemptive queueing protocols—a system that ensures the most urgent cases are treated first—he was rushed into emergency care and received two adult-sized blood transfusions. This real-life event, he says, solidified his lifelong passion for optimizing systems that serve the public.
Larson has also explored queueing theory within the criminal justice system, where “the accused” may face long waits for court proceedings or sentencing. His interest in this area began early in his career when he contributed to the President’s Crime Commission, applying operations research to identify inefficiencies across stages like police processing, prosecution, and corrections.
From life-saving emergency protocols to delays in courtrooms, Larson’s work in queueing theory has had a profound impact on how society approaches waiting—mathematically, psychologically, and systemically.
Transforming Traditional Learning
Larson’s commitment to technology-enabled education shines through in his work with MIT BLOSSOMS (Blended Learning Open Source Science or Mathematics Studies). This initiative, which he proudly refers to as one of the first truly open-source STEM lesson repositories, has democratized education worldwide. With 86 learning videos available on YouTube, including the popular “An Introduction to the Physics of Sailing,” BLOSSOMS has become an invaluable resource for educators worldwide. It empowers high-school students to explore complex scientific concepts, while simultaneously supporting classroom teachers as active partners in the learning process.
Larson believes that technology’s transformative power lies in its ability to level the playing field, offering high-quality education to both rich and poor, urban and rural communities.
Lessons from the Pandemic
Reflecting on the lessons learned from COVID-19, Larson acknowledges the complexities of managing a global health crisis. He criticizes the two-year lockdown, considering it a major mistake that caused significant disruption in many aspects of society, particularly in education. Larson advocates for a more thoughtful, scenario-based approach to pandemic response, highlighting Sweden’s handling of the crisis as a model worth studying.
He emphasizes the importance of not panicking in the face of crises but instead considering alternative scenarios and relying on expert advice. In the future, Larson believes that health systems should focus on educating the public about healthy lifestyles, including exercise, diet, and social connections, as these factors are crucial for long-term health.
+Health, Workforce, and Systems Thinking
Richard Larson identifies educating the public about healthy living as one of the most pressing challenges in global health systems. Although not a health expert, he emphasizes the importance of fostering healthy habits to prevent disease and enhance overall well-being. This focus on preventative care extends to his thoughts on workforce planning, particularly in the context of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields. With demographic shifts such as an aging baby boomer population and declining birth rates, Larson underscores the growing necessity for STEM education. However, he also predicts that as sophisticated AI systems increasingly enter the workforce, the academic job market may contract, creating new challenges in both the health sector and broader workforce planning.
Larson is also a staunch advocate for systems thinking, which he believes is crucial for addressing complex issues across various fields, including healthcare and education. He argues that systems thinking is the only approach capable of dealing with the nonlinear, probabilistic nature of these systems. By creating detailed models that simulate the evolution of these systems under different policy scenarios, Larson believes that informed decisions can be made to improve outcomes. This modeling approach, grounded in systems thinking, provides a robust framework for navigating the complexities of global health, workforce planning, and other multifaceted challenges.
The Future of Innovation and Tech-Enabled Services
Technology plays a pivotal role in enhancing service systems, particularly in healthcare and education. Richard Larson views technology as a powerful enabler, making processes more efficient and improving service delivery. One of the key benefits he highlights is the potential of technology to personalize services, especially in healthcare. By leveraging data, services can be tailored to meet individual needs, which Larson finds particularly exciting as the availability of data increases. This shift towards personalized service delivery allows for more effective planning and execution, providing greater value to the end-users.
Larson is also enthusiastic about the innovations that could transform service systems in the future, particularly those in healthcare and education. While he is optimistic about current advancements, he remains most intrigued by the innovations that have yet to be imagined. He predicts that the future of service systems will see an increased level of personalization, where services like healthcare are more finely tuned to individual needs, driven by data insights. On the topic of urban planning, Larson underscores the importance of urban resilience planning. However, he expresses skepticism about renewable energy being a universal solution, suggesting that true advancements in urban resilience will likely follow a catastrophic event, which will trigger the necessary investments and efforts to address critical issues like deferred maintenance.
Cross-Disciplinary Power of Operations Research
Operations research (OR) plays a crucial role in addressing global challenges, given its interdisciplinary nature. Richard Larson emphasizes the versatility of OR, noting that teams often comprise experts from diverse fields such as engineering, management, mathematics, and science. This diverse collaboration allows OR to tackle complex issues across sectors like healthcare, criminal justice, and urban planning. Larson believes that OR is uniquely positioned to provide solutions to global problems by integrating knowledge from multiple disciplines.
Regarding his own approach, Larson views himself not as an expert in any one specific domain of OR but as a capable modeler who uses tools like queueing theory and logistics modeling to address problems across various sectors. He credits the true experts in each field for advancing knowledge and acknowledges that the key to solving complex challenges lies in interdisciplinary collaboration. By leveraging expertise from different domains, OR provides innovative and effective solutions to the world’s most pressing issues.
A Career of Purpose, A Legacy of Influence
When reflecting on his career, Larson expresses pride in his achievements, particularly his contributions to operations research and public systems. His work on the Queue Inference Engine (QIE), the Hypercube Queueing Model, and the textbook Urban Operations Research stand out as major milestones.
However, Larson considers his most important legacy to be the personal one—his 43-year marriage to his late wife, Mary Elizabeth Murray, and their three children, now with four grandchildren. In terms of professional success, he views being elected a member of the National Academy of Engineering as one of the highest honors he has received, although he believes that true success is ultimately measured by the lasting impact one leaves on their field.
For Larson, success is a matter of self-honesty and long-term impact. While accolades and honors like his election to the National Academy of Engineering are significant, he believes that true success will be evident in the ways his work has influenced thinking in operations research and transformed practices in public systems. His legacy, he hopes, will be one of inspiring future generations to embrace systems thinking and pursue innovative solutions to complex global challenges.
Queue Inference Engine (QIE) and its Modern Relevance
Larson’s work on the Queue Inference Engine (QIE) represents a pivotal moment in operations research, particularly in estimating queueing parameters such as customer waiting times from transactional data. “The Queue Inference Engine (QIE) is a statistical method used to estimate queueing parameters, like customer waiting times, from transactional data. It primarily relies on the recorded timestamps of service initiation and completion to infer queueing behavior,” Larson explains. Had QIE been developed today, it would likely be classified as a form of Artificial Intelligence (AI), showcasing the model’s relevance to modern advancements in AI-driven systems.
Hypercube Queueing Model and Its Impact
The Hypercube Queueing Model, developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, is another cornerstone of Larson’s contributions. Created during a time when there was a national commitment to address urban challenges, the model was initially designed to optimize urban police patrol deployments. As Larson recalls, “The initial application focus for the model was the deployment of urban police patrol cars. Issues that could be examined with the model involved determining appropriate numbers of cars to allocate in each part of the city, spatially deploying the cars to police beats or other territories, and evaluating the impact of alternative dispatch policies.” Over the years, the model has been widely applied not only to police departments and ambulance services but also to various public and private sector services. This versatility underscores the model’s significant role in improving operational efficiency across sectors.
Urban Operations Research: A Classic Textbook
Larson’s textbook Urban Operations Research has become a seminal work in the field of operations research, widely cited and used globally. With over 1,300 citations, it has established itself as a classic reference for researchers and practitioners alike, providing foundational knowledge on the application of operations research techniques to urban systems.
The Future of Public Systems and Education
Looking to the future, Larson is optimistic yet realistic about the evolution of public systems and education. He believes significant transformation is possible, but only if the current leadership structures are open to new ideas and change. In terms of public systems, Larson envisions a shift toward a more integrated and citizen-centric approach, where service delivery becomes increasingly tailored to the specific needs of the individual. This means moving away from the traditional, often bureaucratic, model of public service and adopting a more flexible, responsive system. Such a transformation, Larson argues, would foster stronger relationships between citizens and public agencies, ensuring that services are not only more efficient but also more relevant to the needs of the population they aim to serve.
Larson also foresees a radical change in the educational landscape. With the growing demand for personalized learning experiences, he believes the education system will evolve toward a more individualized, student-centered model. This shift, driven in large part by advances in technology and data analytics, will enable education to be more adaptive, catering to the diverse learning styles and paces of students. At the heart of this transformation, Larson identifies Artificial Intelligence (AI) as a powerful tool that will support this process by providing real-time feedback, customizing learning experiences, and enabling educators to pinpoint areas where students need additional support.
He emphasizes that AI’s potential to revolutionize education goes beyond just creating personalized learning pathways. Larson sees AI facilitating a broader, more interactive form of education—one that fosters creativity, critical thinking, and collaboration among students. Such an approach could help address the disparities in access to quality education, especially for underserved communities, by offering scalable, high-quality resources that are accessible to anyone with an internet connection. In his view, this transition could not only enhance educational outcomes but also empower individuals to adapt to the challenges of an increasingly complex world.
Advice for Future Researchers and Innovators
Larson offers aspiring researchers and innovators valuable advice: “Don’t follow in my footsteps or anyone else’s footsteps. Make your own path!” He encourages them to discover their intellectual passions and pursue them relentlessly. Larson emphasizes that while this journey may involve risks and failures, it’s these very risks that lead to groundbreaking discoveries. His message is one of perseverance, curiosity, and boldness in the pursuit of new knowledge.
