Operational research articles from across Nature Portfolio

Online matching platforms are increasingly used for applications with positive social impact such as matching blood donors with recipients, where matching algorithms need to balance fairness with an efficiency objective. The authors demonstrate, both in computational simulations and using real data from the Facebook Blood Donations tool, that introducing a simple online matching policy can substantially increase the likelihood of donor action.

Capacity expansion modelling (CEM) approaches need to account for the value of energy storage in energy-system decarbonization. A new Review considers the representation of energy storage in the CEM literature and identifies approaches to overcome the challenges such approaches face when it comes to better informing policy and investment decisions.

A risk assessment of land-based food supply in the United States reveals a high risk of forced labour in domestic production and processing.

Common ground between human spaceflight and astrobiology can be used as the foundation for a new deal in the exploration of Mars that will allow stakeholders to reach critical astrobiological goals while supporting safer human exploration.

Finding the optimum design of a complex auction is a challenging and important economic problem. Multi-agent deep learning can help find equilibria by making use of inherent symmetries in bidding strategies.

Electrification of truck fleets has been perceived as costly both in terms of vehicle and charging infrastructure investments. A new study shows that, with the right charging strategy, electrification of a short-haul delivery fleet does not require major investments in the electric grid substations.

Modern cars have an array of sensors that allow different objects to be recognized, including large and small animals. They thus have the potential to become a tool for monitoring biodiversity and improving driver safety. But to achieve this various challenges in computing, communications and privacy need to be addressed.

Insufficient capacity in domestic food production, just-in-time supply chains and Brexit-related labour market challenges have weakened the UK’s food system. Building redundancy and diversity in the food system is essential for resilience in the COVID-19 recovery.