Introduction to feature cluster in memory of Douglas J. White

Douglas J (Doug) White, our esteemed colleague and dear friend and an extraordinary intellectual force in the operational research (OR) community, died on 27 July 2012 in the United Kingdom. We dedicate this feature cluster of papers to his remarkable contributions over a 40-year period to the body of knowledge in OR. Equally remarkable were his contributions over the same period as a leader, mentor, advisor, and friend to students and colleagues in the OR community. We all miss Doug dearly for both his intellectual contributions and leadership and the warm friendship and mentorship that he displayed to many at critical points in the development of their scholarly careers. We now provide an overview of Doug White’s academic life in terms of the universities where he served, the academic and professional leadership positions that he held, the honours he received, and of particular interest, the breadth and depth of his intellectual contributions. Doug White was one of the founding fathers of OR in academia in the United Kingdom and he developed an international research reputation in decision theory, particularly multi-objective decision making and sequential decision making based around dynamic programming. He was awarded the Beale Medal of the Operational Research Society in 1993 for the body of his work in this area and was made a Companion of the OR Society in 2001. After obtaining a Mathematics degree from the University of Oxford, he joined the group at Birmingham University, which was the first academic course in OR in the world in the early 1950s. He then set up from scratch two very different types of OR departments in the United Kingdom—in Strathclyde University and Manchester University, respectively. Finally he moved to the United States where he used his personal skills as well as his research reputation to lead forward a prestigious Systems Engineering programme at the University of Virginia. Doug White’s degrees were:

[1]  D. J. White.  An extension of a greedy heuristic for the knapsack problem , 1991 .

[2]  D. White.  Decomposition in multi-item inventory control , 1987 .

[3]  D. J. White,et al.  Weighting factor extensions for finite multiple objective vector minimization problems , 1988 .

[4]  Duan Li,et al.  Classical mean-variance model revisited: pseudo efficiency , 2015, J. Oper. Res. Soc..

[5]  D. White.  Solving infinite horizon discounted Markov decision process problems for a range of discount factors , 1989 .

[6]  D. J. White,et al.  A multi-objective version of Bellman's inventory problem , 1982 .

[7]  D. J. White,et al.  A Survey of Applications of Markov Decision Processes , 1993 .

[8]  J. M. Norman,et al.  An Example of Problem Embedding in Deterministic Dynamic Programming , 1969 .

[9]  C. Goodeve.  Operational Research , 1948, Nature.

[10]  D. J. White.  Penalty Function Approach to Linear Trilevel Programming , 1997 .

[11]  D. J. White,et al.  The Convergence of Value Iteration in Discounted Markov Decision Processes , 1994 .

[12]  D. J. White,et al.  A branch and bound method for multi-objective boolean problems , 1984 .

[13]  D. J. White,et al.  Multiple Attribute Decision Making – A State-of-the-Art Survey , 1982 .

[14]  D. J. White,et al.  A multiple objective interactive Lagrangean relaxation approach , 1985 .

[15]  D. White.  Mean, variance, and probabilistic criteria in finite Markov decision processes: A review , 1988 .

[16]  D. J. White,et al.  Approximating Markov decision processes using expected state transitions , 1985 .

[17]  D. White.  Using weighting vectors to solve multiple attribute problems: A framework , 1989 .

[18]  D. J. White,et al.  Multiobjective programming and penalty functions , 1984 .

[19]  Kenneth Crewdson Bowen,et al.  The Role and effectiveness of theories of decision in practice: A conference held in Luxembourg in August 1973 under the aegis of the NATO Science Committee , 1975 .

[20]  D. J. White.  A mathematical programming approach to a problem in variance penalised Markov decision processes , 1994 .

[21]  D. J. White,et al.  Entropy and Decision , 1975 .

[22]  D. White,et al.  A solution method for the linear static Stackelberg problem using penalty functions , 1990 .

[23]  D. J. White.  Repair limit replacement , 1989 .

[24]  D. J. White.  Technical Note - Generalized Efficient Solutions for Sums of Sets , 1980, Oper. Res..

[25]  D. J. White,et al.  The set of efficient solutions for multiple objective shortest path problems , 1982, Comput. Oper. Res..

[26]  D. J. White.  Reply to Elton, Gupta and Rosenhead , 1973 .

[27]  D. J. White,et al.  Finite Horizon Markov Decision Processes with Uncertain Terminal Payoffs , 1995, Oper. Res..

[28]  D. J. White,et al.  The Determination of Approximately Optimal Policies in Markov Decision Processes by the Use of Bounds , 1982 .

[29]  D. J. White.  Problems Involving Infrequent but Significant Contingencies , 1969 .

[30]  D. J. White.  The "largest element first" heuristic for the maximization assignment problem , 1989, Comput. Oper. Res..

[31]  D. J. White,et al.  A Bibliography on the Applications of Mathematical Programming Multiple-objective Methods , 1990 .

[32]  William H. Starbuck.  A GENERALIZATION OF TERBORGH'S APPROACH TO EQUIPMENT REPLACEMENT , 1961 .

[33]  Operational Research Quarterly , 1950, Nature.

[34]  D. J. White,et al.  A survey of algorithms for some restricted classes of Markov decision problems , 1979 .

[35]  D. White.  ELIMINATION OF NON-OPTIMAL ACTIONS IN MARKOV DECISION PROCESSES , 1978 .

[36]  D. J. White.  Optimization techniques in technology , 1971 .

[37]  D. White.  Isotone optimal policies for structured Markov decision processes , 1981 .

[38]  Douglas J. White.  The maximal dispersion problem and the "First point outside the neighbourhood" heuristic , 1991, Comput. Oper. Res..

[39]  D. J. White.  Dynamic Programming and Equipment Resetting Decision Rules , 1964 .

[40]  D. J. White.  Multiple‐objective weighting factor auxiliary optimization problems , 1995 .

[41]  S. L. Cook.  Education for Operational Research , 1966 .

[42]  D. J. White,et al.  Dominance and optimal location , 1982 .

[43]  D. J. White.  Entropy, market risk and the selection of efficient portfolios: comment , 1974 .

[44]  Simon French,et al.  Cynefin: uncertainty, small worlds and scenarios , 2015, J. Oper. Res. Soc..

[45]  D. White.  An Imbedding Approach to Additive Value Zero-One Problems , 1973 .

[46]  Randy Cogill,et al.  Expectation-maximization for Bayes-adaptive POMDPs , 2015, J. Oper. Res. Soc..

[47]  Edmund J. Collins,et al.  Models and algorithms for skip-free Markov decision processes on trees , 2013, J. Oper. Res. Soc..

[48]  D. White.  The maximization of a function over the efficient set via a penalty function approach , 1996 .

[49]  D. White.  Separable value functions for infinite horizon average reward Markov decision processes , 1989 .

[50]  Douglas J. White,et al.  Vector maximisation and lagrange multipliers , 1985, Math. Program..

[51]  D. J. White.  A modification of the Geoffrion/Dyer/Feinberg algorithm for finite multi-objective systems , 1985 .

[52]  Ki Mun Jung,et al.  When to rebuild or when to adjust scorecards , 2015, J. Oper. Res. Soc..

[53]  D. White.  Forecasts and decisionmaking , 1966 .

[54]  Sean R Eddy,et al.  What is dynamic programming? , 2004, Nature Biotechnology.

[55]  D. White.  A structured optimal route policy , 1978 .

[56]  D. White.  Minimizing a Threshold Probability in Discounted Markov Decision Processes , 1993 .

[57]  D. J. White.  A superharmonic approach to solving infinite horizon partially observable Markov decision problems , 1995, Math. Methods Oper. Res..

[58]  D. J. White.  On Computing an Initial Efficient Extreme Point , 1979 .

[59]  D. White.  Negatively isotone optimal policies for random walk type Markov decision processes , 1982 .

[60]  D. J. White.  Technical Note - Dynamic Programming and Probabilistic Constraints , 1974, Oper. Res..

[61]  George Apostolakis,et al.  Decision theory , 1986 .

[62]  D. White.  Isotone policies for the value iteration method for Markov decision processes , 1984 .

[63]  D. J. White,et al.  A characterisation of the feasible set of objective function vectors in linear multiple objective problems , 1991 .

[64]  D. White.  Maximising a Function Over a Finite Set of Actions-Technical Note , 1996 .

[66]  U. Rieder,et al.  Markov Decision Processes , 2010 .

[67]  D. White.  Mean-Variance Analysis in Infinite Horizon Non-Discounted Markov Decision Processes: Technical Note , 1995 .

[68]  D. J. White.  A Comment on: A Criterion for Decision-Making , 1973 .

[69]  D. White.  Concepts of proper efficiency , 1983 .

[70]  D. J. White,et al.  Characterizations of efficient sets by constrained objectives , 1985 .

[71]  D. White.  Solving infinite-horizon discounted Markov games using a superharmonic least-element algorithm , 1993 .

[72]  D. J. White.  A Criterion for Decision-Making , 1974 .

[73]  D. J. White,et al.  Markov Decision Processes: Discounted Expected Reward or Average Expected Reward? , 1993 .

[74]  A conjecture of Ross for a search problem , 1992 .

[75]  D. J. White.  An Heuristic for Multi-Dimensional Markov Decision Processes , 1993 .

[76]  D. J. White,et al.  Kernels of Preference Structures , 1977 .

[77]  Alain Haurie,et al.  A Note on: An Efficient Point Algorithm for a Linear Two-Stage Optimization Problem , 1987, Oper. Res..

[78]  Duan Li,et al.  pth Power Lagrangian Method for Integer Programming , 2000, Ann. Oper. Res..

[79]  Dynamic programming and Systems of Uncertain Duration: A Markov model , 1970 .

[80]  D. J. White.  The Foundations of Multi-Objective Interactive Programming — Some Questions , 1983 .

[81]  D. J. White,et al.  Robustness and Optimality as Criteria for Decisions , 1973 .

[82]  D. J. White,et al.  Epsilon-dominating solutions in mean-variance portfolio analysis , 1998, Eur. J. Oper. Res..

[83]  D. J. White,et al.  Fundamentals of decision theory , 1969 .

[84]  D. J. White.  Computational approaches to variance-penalised Markov decision processes , 1992 .

[85]  D. J. White,et al.  Operational Research and Entropy , 1969 .

[86]  D. J. White.  A Note on Faculty Timetabling , 1975 .

[87]  D. J. White,et al.  A Special Multi-Objective Assignment Problem , 1984 .

[88]  D. J. White,et al.  Finite Dynamic Programming: An Approach to Finite Markov Decision Processes , 1978 .

[89]  D. J. White,et al.  A Method for Approximate Solutions to Stochastic Dynamic Programming Problems Using Expectations , 1968, Oper. Res..

[90]  Rational solution axioms and efficient sets , 1981 .

[91]  D. J. White,et al.  Duality and Vector Optima for Polyhedral Sets , 1979 .

[92]  D. White.  Multilevel programming, rational reaction sets, and efficient solutions , 1995 .

[93]  D. White.  Uncertain Value Functions , 1972 .

[94]  H. K. Chatterjee.  Multi-objective, interactive programming , 1986 .

[95]  D. J. White.  Data partitioning heuristics for unrelated parallel machine scheduling , 1993 .

[96]  D. G. Johnson,et al.  The Role and Effectiveness of Theories of Decision in Practice , 1977 .

[97]  D. J. White,et al.  The Use of Specially Structured Models for Obtaining Bounds in the Quadratic Assignment Problem , 1994 .

[98]  D. J. White.  Utility, probabilistic constraints, mean and variance of discounted rewards in Markov decision processes , 1987 .

[99]  D. White.  Notes in decision theory: Optimality and efficiency II , 1980 .

[100]  D. J. White.  An Example of Loosely Coupled Stages in Dynamic Programming , 1973 .

[101]  D. White.  Piecewise Linear Approximations for Partially Observable Markov Decision Processes with Finite Horizons , 1992 .

[102]  Edgar Possani,et al.  Managing inventory and production capacity in start-up firms , 2015, J. Oper. Res. Soc..

[103]  D. White.  Discount-isotone policies for Markov decision processes , 1988 .

[104]  Douglas J. White.  A linear programming approach to solving bilinear programmes , 1992, Math. Program..

[105]  D. White.  Infinite horizon Markov decision processes with unknown or variable discount factors , 1987 .

[106]  John Bather,et al.  Decision Theory , 2018, Encyclopedia of Evolutionary Psychological Science.

[107]  D. White.  Least elements revisited , 1990 .

[108]  D. J. White,et al.  Epsilon efficiency , 1986 .

[109]  D. J. White.  Monotone value iteration for discounted finite Markov decision processes , 1985 .

[110]  D. White.  A Min-Max-Max-Min Approach to Solving a Stochastic Programming Problem with Simple Recourse , 1992 .

[111]  D. White.  The maximal-dispersion problem , 1991 .

[112]  D. J. White.  Finding Optimal Survey Policies via Adaptive Markov Decision Processes , 1993 .

[113]  D. White.  Finite state approximations for denumerable state infinite horizon discounted Markov decision processes with unbounded rewards , 1982 .

[114]  D. White.  A Vector Minimum Superharmonic Approach to Solving Infinite-Horizon Discounted Markov Decision Processes , 1992 .

[115]  D. J. White.  A Critique of the Paper “Research Methodology in the Management Sciences: Formalism or Empiricism” by A. G. Beged-Dov and T. A. Klein , 1970 .

[117]  D. White.  Extension of the Frank-Wolfe algorithm to concave nondifferentiable objective functions , 1993 .

[118]  D. J. White.  Duality, Indifference and Sensitivity Analysis in Multiple Objective Linear Programming , 1975 .

[119]  D. J. White.  OPTIMAL REVISION PERIODS , 1961 .

[120]  W. R. Buckland.  Operational Research in Maintenance , 1971 .

[121]  D. White.  Solving Bi-level Linear Programmes , 1996 .

[122]  D. White.  Vector maxima for infinite-horizon stationary Markov decision processes , 1998 .

[123]  D. White.  Dynamic programming and duality in linear programming , 1975 .

[124]  Douglas John White,et al.  A homotopy approach for infinite horizon discounted Markov decision processes , 1996, Math. Methods Oper. Res..

[125]  D. J. White,et al.  Real Applications of Markov Decision Processes , 1985 .

[126]  D. J. White.  Taxonomic Difficulties in Operational Research , 1966 .

[127]  D. J. White,et al.  Further Real Applications of Markov Decision Processes , 1988 .

[128]  J. M. Norman,et al.  Control of Cash Reserves , 1965 .

[129]  D. White.  Finite state approximations for denumerable-state infinite horizon contracted Markov decision processes: The policy space method , 1979 .

[130]  D. White.  A complementary greedy heuristic for the knapsack problem , 1992 .

[132]  D. White.  Multi-objective infinite-horizon discounted Markov decision processes , 1982 .

[133]  D. White.  Finite-state approximations for denumerable-state infinite-horizon discounted Markov decision processes , 1980 .

[134]  D. White.  Dynamic Programming and Systems of Uncertain Duration , 1965 .

[135]  D. J. White.  Decision roll and horizon roll processes in infinite horizon discounted Markov decision processes , 1996 .

[136]  D. J. White,et al.  Some concave-convex representations of the quadratic assignment problem , 1995 .

[137]  Chris Beaumont.  Optimality and Efficiency , 1983 .

[138]  D. White,et al.  Dynamic programming, Markov chains, and the method of successive approximations , 1963 .