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Overview

About the Department of Decision Analytics and Risk

We're a department within Southampton Business School (SBS). Through our research, we aim to transform business and society for the better. We shape the way industries embed analytics and management science into their business operations. We do this by providing organisations with the scientific tools to make risk-informed decisions.

We nurture the next generation of specialists in decision risk and analytics. We teach across SBS's accredited postgraduate and undergraduate courses. This includes business analytics and research methods courses and the MBA. Our Operational Research and Statistics is ranked 39th in the world and 7th in UK in the QS rankings 2023. We are also 11th in the UK for Business Analytics.

Organisations can also benefit from the knowledge and skills of our master’s students. We have a scheme which connects master’s students with an external sponsor organisation. Students carry out a 3-month project for their sponsor. Sponsors span a range of sectors including:

  • industrial
  • manufacturing
  • engineering
  • transportation
  • retail
  • financial
  • service

Research

Through our research we develop innovative analytical approaches to decision-making, risk management and strategic planning. Our expertise in decision analysis, enables us to make a difference to organisations strategically, tactically, and operationally. We have 4 members of the department in the list of the world’s top 2% of scientists by Stanford University.

Marine autonomous vehicles

Our research on the risk and reliability of marine autonomous systems has enabled a UK company
to meet the risk and safety levels needed to:

  • break into the profitable oil and gas market, securing a large market share
  • invest £500,000 in a new risk and reliability department
  • create two new high-skilled jobs
  • form collaborations with other industry leaders

We collaborated with leading manufacturers of unmanned vessels and the Canadian Government to help the company embed our probabilistic modelling into the development process for its autonomous surface vehicles.

Healthcare in Sri Lanka

The Sri Lankan Ministry of Health is using computer simulation models based on our research to plan recruitment and training. As a result:

  • over 1.5 million people with no previous access to state-funded care are able to visit a dentist once a year
  • the number of unemployed qualified dentists has fallen to zero

Key publications

We have also have published articles in leading journals including:

Accreditations

The courses in our department are accredited by the following organisations:

Contribute to research in the field of decision analytics and risk by completing a PhD with us.

Research and enterprise

Our department’s research is used by a range of organisations from healthcare to transportation and the energy industry.

Our research community

We carry out our research within 5 well-established research centres and groups.

People

Our department carries out leading research in decision analytics and risk that results in transformative impact to companies and society.
Professor Mario Brito
Head of Department
I specialise in credit scoring and other applications of analytics and machine learning in consumer and small business lending.
Professor Christophe Mues
Prof of Data Science and Info Systems
My aim is to predict and improve real-world risk-taking and decision-making by developing an understanding of the factors which influence decisions in wider financial markets, through the application of AI.
Professor Ming-Chien SUNG
Professor of Risk And Decision Sciences
View all our people

Work with us

Contact us

Talk to us, we’re happy to help

You can contact us by:
sbsfos@soton.ac.uk
Southampton Business School, Building 175, Boldrewood Innovation Campus, Burgess Road, Southampton SO16 7QF
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We’re open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm UK time

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