Theoretical Research: Design and development of algorithms for solving complex decision and optimization problems. It covers computational intelligence, population-based search algorithms (such as evolutionary algorithms) as well as conventional search algorithms. The problem areas include structured (single and multi-objective optimization with or without functional constraints), semi-structured and unstructured problems involving dynamic and uncertain situations. . 

Applied Research Areas: EV+Drone-based logistics and security problems, organisation-wise project portfolio optimisation, supply chain (design, bottleneck, shipping, and disruption recovery), mining (mine scheduling, coal mining and petroleum production planning), manufacturing (layout and location, production planning, and scheduling), agriculture (crop planning, and land allocation), power generation planning, resource-constrained project scheduling, and defence (planning, and performance evaluation).  

Professional Engagement: Prof. Sarker is an editor of the Journal of Flexible Service and Manufacturing, an associate editor of the Journal of Memetic Computing, an editor of the Journal of Industrial and Management Optimization, and former editor-in-chief of ASOR Bulletin. He had led the technical committee for IEEE Congress on Evolutionary Computation in 2003 and was a proceeding co-chair of IEEE WCCI'2012.

Publications: Prof. Sarker is the lead author of the book ‘Optimization Modelling: A Practical Approach’ published by Taylor & Francis /CRC Press. He has edited /co-edited 8 books, on specialized topics in his areas of research, published by the leading publishers. He has 250+ refereed publications including 100+ journal papers. His research has received a number of international media coverage. Some of these media are: Wall Street Journal, ScienceDaily, United Press International (UPI), Times of the Internet, TerraDaily, MarketWatch, EcoEarth, Eurocean, Softpedia, Oneindia, ScienceBlog. For publication detals, visit: https://research.unsw.edu.au/people/professor-ruhul-sarker/publications

Current Research Students 

• Mr Daoheng (Alan) Zhang (PhD: SC under Uncertainty) TFS+UCPRS T3/2021
• Mrs Saina Akbari Kouchaksaraei (PhD: SC for Perishable Food Product) TFS+UCPRS T3/2021
• Mr Setyo Tri Windras Mara (PhD: Truck-Drone Routing Problem) TFS+UCPRS T1/2022
• Mr Ahmed Gad (PhD) TFS+UCPRS 6/2024 (SS)

Past Research Students

• Mr Mani Bakhshi Sasi (PhD: Global Food Supply Chain under Uncertainty); UIPA 10/2020-6/2024 (submitted)
• Dr Firoz Mahmud (PhD: Evolutionary RCPSP); TFS+UCPRS 7/2019-3/2023, Working with Seeing Machines Canberra
• Dr Juel Rana (PhD: Smart Grid Optimisation); TFS+UCPRS 7/2019-10/2022, Working with a power company Sydney
• Dr Kangjing (Jenny) Li (PhD: Optimisation under dynamic changes and uncertainty) TFS+UCPRS, 9/2017-3/2022, PDF at UNSW Canberra
• Dr Marjia Haque (PhD: Bilevel Optimisation in Supply Chain), TFS+UCPRS 3/2018-1/2022, RA + TA at UNSW Canberra
• Dr Tahereh HassanZadeh (PhD: Evolutionary NN); TFS+UCPRS 6/2019-5/2021; RA in The Netherland
• Dr Mohamed Radwan (Ph.D.: Large Scale  Optimization with GPU Environment), TFS+UCPRS, 3/2016-9/2019 (AB); RA UNSW Canberra
• Dr Amany Mohamed Mamdouh AKL (Ph.D.: Simulation Optimization for Stochastic Programming), TFS+UCPRS, 3/2016-9/2019 (AB); PDF UNSW Canberra
• Dr Karam Md Goda Md Sallam (Ph.D.: Landscape based Design for Evolutionary Algorithms), UCPRS, 3/2014-8/2017 (AB); Lecturer at UniCanberra
• Dr Mehran Samavati (Ph.D.: Mine Scheduling), UIPA, 3/2014-1/2017 (SS) (AA); Faculty Thesis Award, Working with a consulting company at WA
• Dr AbdelMonaem AbdAllah (Ph.D: Dynamic Optimisation using EAs), UCPRS, 7/2013-3/2017 (SS) (BB), Working with Seeing Machines
• Dr Ripon Kumar Chakrabortty (Ph.D.: Resource Constrained Project Management), UCPRS, 9/2013-2/2017, Lecturer at SEIT (AA)
• Dr Md Forhad Zaman (Ph.D.: Power Generation Planning using EAs), UCPRS, 9/2013-2/2017 (BB), Working with a Power distribution Compnay in Victoria
• Dr Noha M. Hamza (Ph.D.: Evolutionary Constrained Optimisation), UIPA, 7/2012-8/2016 (on leave S1 2013) (JS), (AB); PDF UNSW Canberra
• Dr Sanjoy Kumar Paul (Ph.D.: Production and Inventory System within Supply Chain), UCPRS; 9/2012-8/2015; Associate Professor at UTS (AA), Faculty Thesis Award; 2018 ASOR Rising Star Award
• Mr Ismail Md Ismail Ali (M.Sc.) Resource Scheduled Project Management, UCPRS, 3/2014-3/2016, completed PhD later (AA), Faculty Thesis Award, PDF at UNSW Canberra
• Dr Humyun Fuad Rahman (Ph.D.: EAs for Permutation Flow Shop Scheduling), UCPRS, 8/2011-2/2015, PDF Denmark (BB) now Lecturer in UK
• Dr Eman Hasan Samir (Ph.D.: Decomposition based Evolutionary Optimisation), RTS, 4/2010-3/2014 (SS), Lecturer, Egypt (AB)
• Dr Irman Hermadi (Ph.D.: Evolutionary Test Data Generation) Co-supervisor, Scholarship: Indonesian Government, 1/2009-9/2012 (SS), Lecturer, Indonesia
• Dr M. Asafuddoula (Ph.D.: Evolutionary Many-objective Optimization), UCPRS, 9/2010-2/2014 (SS), Working as SE at Canberra
• Dr Hawa Hishamuddin (Ph.D.: Supply Chain Modelling and Analysis), Scholarship: Malaysian Government, 3/2009-3/2013(on leave S2 2011), Senior Lecturer in Malaysia (AA), Faculty Thesis Award
• Mr AbdelMonaem AbdAllah (Masters: Dynamic Vehicle Routing using EAs), SEIT Tuition Fee Scholarship, 3/2011-3/2013 (SS) later did Ph.D. at SEIT (BB)
• Dr Saber Mohamed Elsayed (Ph.D.: Evolutionary Constrained Optimization), UCPRS, 8/2009-3/2012. Senior Lecturer at UNSW Canberra. (AAB)
• Mrs Noha M. Hamza (Masters: Evolutionary Constrained Optimization), SEIT Tuition Fee Scholarship, 2/2011-3/2012. Later did Ph.D. at SEIT (AA)
• Dr Nurhadi Siswanto (Ph.D.: Ship Routing and Scheduling) Scholarship: Endeavour Australian Government, 3/2008-3/2012 (SS). Senior Lecturer in Indonesia (ABB)
• Dr Farhana Naznin (Ph.D.: Multiple Sequence Allignment using GAs), UCPRS, 8/2008-8/2011, Working in Canada (AAB), Faculty Thesis Award
• Dr Ehab Zaky El Fiky (Ph.D.: Evolutionary Constrained Optimization), UCPRS, 8/2005-3/2009, Lecturer at Cairo University, Egypt
• Dr Kamrul Hasan (Ph.D.: Evolutionary Systems for Job Scheduling), UCPRS, 2/2006-5/2009, Working with a consulting company in QLD
• Dr Barkat Ullah (Ph.D.: Evolutionary Multi-agent Systems for Constrained Optimization), UCPRS, 3/2006-7/2009, Associate Professor at UC Canberra
• Dr Vinh Bui (Ph.D.) Network Reliability, EIPRS, 7/2005-8/2008 (SS), Lecturer in Southern Cross Uni, Australia
• Mr Jayan Prasad (M.Sc.: Financial Forecasting using ANN) 7/2005-8/2007, Scholarship: SEIT Tuition Fee Remission. Working in India
• Dr James Whitacre (Ph.D).: Parameters Control in Genetic Algorithms, 7/2004-8/2007 (SS), Currently working as a consultant at Melbourne
• Dr Ang Yang (Ph.D).: Multiagent Combat Systems (Co-supervisor), 3/2003-4/2006, Scholarship: UNSW, Currently working for CSIRO, Canberra
• Dr Guangming Lin (Ph.D.) Topic: Analysing the Bahaviour of Evolutionary Algorithms (Completed in Oct. 2003), Currently a Professor in China

Keynote Speakers (selected):

• IEEE Symposium Series on Computational Intelligence (SSCI 2022), December 4-7 2022, Keynote Speaker (IEEE ESCO), Singapore
• 14th International Conference on Software, Knowledge, Information Management and Applications (SKIMA 2022), December 2-4 2022, Keynote Speaker, Phnom Penh, Cambodia
• IEEE World Congress on Computational Intelligence - WCCI 2020, CEC Plenary Speaker, Glasgow, UK, July 19-24 2020. 
• 11th International Conference on Software, Knowledge, Information Management & Applications (SKIMA2017), Colombo, Sri Lanka, December 06 - 08, 2017.
• 2nd IEEE International Conference on Computational Intelligence and Applications (ICCIA 2017), Beijing, China, September 8-11, 2017.
• 3^rd International Conference on Soft Computing and Problem Solving (SocPros 2013), IIT Roorkee, India, December 26-28, 2013.
• The International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Service Science (IESS2011), September 20-22, 2011, Solo (Surakarta), Indonesia.

Keywords: Decision Analytics, Supply chain design and redesign; Supply chain disruption recovery planning; Transportation planning; Logistics and inventory; Applied operations research; Simulation; Applied optimization; mine scheduling; Coal production planning; Oil production planning; job shop scheduling; Fleet-mix; Routing and scheduling; memetic computing; differential evolution; genetic algorithm, evolutionary optimization; defence operations research; project scheduling; performance evaluation; production line balancing.