David Davis

Vice President

David Davis specializes in optimization, simulation, and data mining.  He is regarded as a world expert in global optimization algorithms such as genetic algorithms, and pioneered many of the techniques that are now being used to employ such algorithms in industrial settings.  A Newsweek article on genetic algorithms featured him.  He was interviewed on the BBC World Service about the history and future of genetic algorithms.  He has edited/written three published books on optimization and a fourth, written by him, is currently in the final draft.

In his 25 years of industrial experience, Davis has created more than 100 software solutions for his clients.  Some of his activities for energy clients include:

• Davis led a range of optimization assessments for large companies, many performed as a NuTech Solutions senior consulting scientist.  Energy clients included Enbridge, Chevron, Air Liquide, Occidental Petroleum, and Southwestern Energy.

• Activities as a thought leader in logistics and supply chain areas.  Many articles in supply chain and logistics publications and presentations at conferences. 

• In 2007 an interview with him was the subject of an article in Supply and Demand Chain Executive, available on-line at http://www.sdcexec.com/online/article.jsp?id=9012&siteSection=0

• In August of 2007 an article by him on the optimization of global supply chains appeared in World Trade magazine.  The article is available on-line at http://www.worldtrademag-digital.com/worldtrademag/200708/

• Davis led the NuTech Solutions teams that created the first fielded systems to optimize liquid and pipeline delivery of products for Air Liquide, a Houston-based subsidiary of an international industrial gas company.  He was the senior scientist on a NuTech pipeline optimization project for Duke Energy.

• He led the NuTech Solutions team that created an optimization solution for Chevron that led to dramatic increases in production at one of Chevron’s heavy oil fields.

• He led the proposal-writing project for a company in Massachusetts that created a new logistics system for the United States Army.  This project lasted for more than 15 years, at a yearly funding level of more than $15M.

• He led a project to create an expert system for the United States Internal Revenue Service to decide which returns to audit.  This was the first expert system to address this topic, and its performance exceeded that of human experts in choosing auditable returns.

• He wrote the optimization algorithms that Manugistics, a large supply chain software company, uses to optimize the early stages of its supply chain.