About

Professor Terry Friesz holds the Harold and Inge Marcus Chaired Professorship at Penn State's Harold and Inge Marcus Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Engineering. His research interests include engineering design, human factors/ergonomics, manufacturing, operations research, operations, services, and analytics. As a distinguished faculty member, he contributes to the department's tradition of excellence in research, education, and outreach, focusing on innovative approaches within industrial engineering.

Research topics

• Computer Science
• Mathematics
• Mathematical optimization
• Economics
• Mathematical analysis
• Geometry
• Theoretical computer science
• Mathematical economics
• Computer network
• Applied mathematics

Selected publications

• Dynamic Spatial Price Equilibrium, Nonlinear Freight Pricing, and Alternative Mathematical Formulations

  Networks and Spatial Economics · 2025-03-12 · 1 citations

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Approximations and bounds for optimal controls via finite Fourier series

  Physica Scripta · 2025-02-18

  articleOpen access

  Abstract This work considers the problem of approximating initial condition and time-dependent optimal control and trajectory surfaces using multivariable finite Fourier series. A modified Augmented Lagrangian algorithm for translating the optimal control problem into an unconstrained optimization one is proposed. A quadratic control problem in the context of Newtonian mechanics is solved to demonstrate the proposed algorithm and various computational results are presented. Use of automatic differentiation is explored to circumvent the elaborated gradient computation in the first-order optimization procedure. Furthermore, mean square error bounds are derived for the case of one and two-dimensional Fourier series approximations, suggesting a general bound for problems with state space of n dimensions.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• A Multidimensional Fourier Approximation of Optimal Control Surfaces

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2023-06-28

  preprintOpen access

  This work considers the problem of approximating initial condition and time-dependent optimal control and trajectory surfaces using multivariable Fourier series. A modified Augmented Lagrangian algorithm for translating the optimal control problem into an unconstrained optimization one is proposed and two problems are solved: a quadratic control problem in the context of Newtonian mechanics, and a control problem arising from an odd-circulant game ruled by the replicator dynamics. Various computational results are presented. Use of automatic differentiation is explored to circumvent the elaborated gradient computation in the first-order optimization procedure. Furthermore, mean square error bounds are derived for the case of one and two-dimensional Fourier series approximations, inducing a general bound for problems of $n$ dimensions.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• The Calculation and Simulation of the Price of Anarchy for Network Formation Games

  Networks and Spatial Economics · 2023 · 2 citations

  Senior authorCorresponding
  • Computer Science
  • Computer Science
  • Mathematical economics
  PublisherDOI

• Existence of Dynamic User Equilibria

  Complex networks and dynamic systems · 2022-01-01

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Numerical Results

  Complex networks and dynamic systems · 2022-01-01

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Algorithms for Computing Dynamic User Equilibria

  Complex networks and dynamic systems · 2022-01-01

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Introduction

  Complex networks and dynamic systems · 2022-01-01

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Dynamic Network Loading: Physical Queue Models

  Complex networks and dynamic systems · 2022-01-01 · 2 citations

  book-chapter1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Collaborative Network Topologies in Spatial Economies

  Networks and Spatial Economics · 2022-05-04 · 2 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

Recent grants

• Robust and Dynamic Prototyping of Strategies for Sustainable Network Congestion Management

  NSF · $200k · 2013–2017

• A Theory of Complex Transportation Network Design

  NSF · $310k · 2010–2015

• Collaborative Research: Statistical Learning, Driving Simulator-Based Modeling, and Computationally Tractable Dynamic Traffic Assignment

  NSF · $246k · 2017–2021

• Stochastic Dynamic Game-Theoretic Models of Urban Freight Systems

  NSF · $356k · 2009–2015

• Congestion Options: A Market Solution to Congestion Externalities

  NSF · $337k · 2008–2012

Frequent coauthors

• Roger L. Tobin

  Verizon (United States)

  57 shared

• Ke Han

  Southwest Jiaotong University

  39 shared

• Tao Yao

  Shanghai Jiao Tong University

  29 shared

• David Bernstein

  University of Miami

  27 shared

• Patrick T. Harker

  22 shared

• Christopher Griffin

  16 shared

• Byung‐Wook Wie

  University of Hawaii System

  14 shared

• Tan Miller

  13 shared

Education

• Ph.D., Operations Research

  Johns Hopkins University

  1977

Awards & honors

• Harold and Inge Marcus Chaired Professor