Post by Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica

Behind every queue, traffic jam and emergency response system lies a mathematical story about uncertainty. This week, CWI is hosting 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗰𝗵𝗠𝗼𝗱 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲, together with Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. The international conference brings together more than 100 participants from around the world to discuss stochastic modelling: the mathematics of systems shaped by chance, variation and incomplete information. One participant summed the event up in three words: “𝘉𝘪𝘨 𝘯𝘢𝘮𝘦𝘴, 𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘧𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘢𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘤 𝘤𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘦.”   Across three days, the programme covers both theory and applications. Researchers discuss queueing theory, stochastic optimization and decision-making under uncertainty, as well as highly practical domains such as emergency medical systems, call centres, parking, traffic, energy networks and waiting times.   The keynote lectures reflect that breadth. Former CWI PhD student Ton Dieker, now professor at Columbia University and recipient of a 2016 Presidential Early Career Award from President Obama, opened the conference with a lecture on decision-making in queueing systems. Johan van Leeuwaarden (Tilburg University) explored the risks of overly detailed models, with examples from inventory, queues and pricing. Next up on Friday is Rouba Ibrahim London), whose keynote asks whether more information in queues always leads to better decisions.   For co-organizer Rob van der Mei (CWI), this edition also marks a return to where StochMod began. “The very first StochMod conference took place twenty years ago at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam,” he says. “Back then, it was a small meeting of about 25 people. Now it has grown into an international conference with more than 100 participants.” What stands out to him is the sense of continuity in the community. StochMod brings together undergraduate students, master’s students, early-career researchers, leading academics and retired professors, with participants ranging in age from 21 to 88. “It feels like a happy family,” says Van der Mei. “You see different academic generations here: professors, their academic children, grandchildren and beyond. It is wonderful to watch young talented researchers grow into leading researchers over the years.”   The conference has its informal talking points as well: much-praised coffee, biscuits carrying the StochMod 2026 logo, and the logo itself, designed by co-organizer Joost Berkhout.   #StochMod2026 #Stochastics #Mathematics #OperationsResearch #AmsterdamSciencePark