Dr. Michael Robinson’s interests and philosophy spring from a highly diverse education and background, including undergraduate studies in political science, graduate studies in physics and nuclear engineering, and a Ph.D. in Computer Modeling and Simulation.
In a world where decision-makers are bombarded with huge amounts of sometimes conflicting data, Dr. Robinson seeks to find the path through the fog. With a focus on providing real-world decision support to improve communities, his research addresses a wide range of applications, including emergency evacuations, transportation planning, public health policy, cybersecurity, and critical infrastructure protection and resilience. Typical research includes gathering situation specific insight from multiple perspectives, designing simulations to appropriately weight and integrate perspectives, and conducting thousands of simulation runs with iterative changes. By forecasting likely results of all considered decisions, decision-makers are able to determine the best course considering the costs, benefits, and risks at play.
Ph.D. in Modeling and Simulation
Old Dominion University (ODU), Norfolk, VA
M.S. in Physics
Navy Post Graduate School, Monterey, CA
B.S.
United States Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD
Coastal Virginia Center for Cyber Innovation, Deputy Director
Norfolk, VA
2019 – Present
VMASC, Chief Operations Officer; MIBE Executive Director
Suffolk, VA
2016 – Present
Center for Innovative Transportation Solutions, Director Associate
Norfolk, VA
2013 – Present
VMASC, Assistant Research Professor
Suffolk, VA
2010 – 2016
VMASC, Director of Program Advancement/Business Development
Suffolk, VA
2005 – 2007
VMASC, Senior Project Scientist
Suffolk, VA
2004 – 2010
U.S Navy, Officer
The Coastal Virginia Center For Cyber Innovation seeks to identify and develop solutions to cybersecurity problems in the maritime, defense, and transportation domains with specific emphasis on application of artificial intelligence and cybersecurity physical systems technologies.
The Southeastern Parkway & Greenbelt Assessment During Hurricane Evacuations and Traffic Incidents projects created one of the largest, most detailed, and validated transportation simulations in the nation. Focused on Virginia’s largest city, the simulation modeled individual vehicles during morning and evening peak periods with all traffic signals, signs, and turning guidance matched to real world conditions and assessed for accuracy in 15 minute intervals.
The Coastal Virginia Maritime Advancement Programs (COVA MAP) project will provide interactive, dynamic maritime trades training online to expand the potential pool of highly skilled workers with specific focus on attracting and supporting the success of underrepresented groups.
Collins, A. J., R. M. Robinson, C. A. Jordan, and Asad Khattak. “Development of a Traffic Incident Model Involving Multiple Municipalities for Inclusion in Large Microscopic Evacuation Simulations.” International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, sent to production 22 December 2017.
Elzie*, Terra, Erika Frydenlund, Andrew Collins, and R. Michael Robinson, “Conceptualizing Intra- and Inter-Group Dynamics within a Controlled Crowd Evacuation,” Journal of emergency management (Weston, Mass.) 03/2015; 13(2):109-20. DOI: 10.5055/jem.2015.0224.
Elzie*, Terra, Erika Frydenlund, Andrew J. Collins, and R. Michael Robinson, “Panic that Spreads: Sociobehavioral Contagion in Pedestrian Evacuations.” Transportation Research Record: Journal of the Transportation Research Board, No. 2586, Transportation Research Board, Washington, D.C., 2016, pp. 1-8.
Robinson, R. Michael, Andrew Collins, and Asad Khattak, Modeling the Impact of Traffic Incidents During Hurricane Evacuations Using a Large Scale Microsimulation, International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 9 September 2017, DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2017.09.013.
Robinson, R. Michael and Barry Ezell, “Criticality Assessment for a Regional Maritime Economy,” Journal of Emergency Management, accepted for publication November 2019.
