news

Stay updated with the latest news and insights from Rafał Kucharski and his research group at Jagiellonian University. Explore updates on transportation systems, machine learning applications, urban mobility solutions, and innovative academic projects shaping the future of mobility.

  • Last year, we closed on a strong note

    26 Jan 2026

    We are thrilled to inform that the publication, first-authored by Michał Bujak, has been published in the European Journal of Operational Research 💣 In this article we propose a personalised pricing strategy for ride-pooling that integrates traveller behaviour with shared-trip economics to maximise expected profitability while reducing vehicle mileage through population heterogeneity. For our team, this is a gratifying culmination of a very hard-working year 🏋️
  • Balancing efficiency and safety: Meet the DEEN model

    11 Dec 2025

    💡 How can we balance network efficiency with virus safety? In our study published in Social Network Analysis and Mining we show how the DEEN (Deep Epidemic Efficiency Network) model can: ✅ increase system efficiency ✅ reduce the risk of virus spread We tested it on: 🚕 ride-pooling services in New York City, 🇵🇱 economic exchange between regions in Poland, 🌐 peer-to-peer information networks. Example? Dividing 150 NYC taxi riders into 4 groups more than doubled the epidemic threshold, while system utility dropped by only 13%!
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  • The last conference of the year with our participation

    05 Dec 2025

    During one of the most prestigious conferences in the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence research, NeurIPS2025 our team presented how URB lays the foundation for smarter autonomous vehicle routing for future urban traffic 🚗 URB is a comprehensive benchmarking framework that standardizes AV routing evaluation in realistic traffic scenarios and makes research in this domain more accessible. The study also presents our initial leaderboard of MARL solutions. We hope that URB will catalyze advancements towards efficiency and equity for future urban traffic. We’re thankful for all the great discussions and feedback! Leaving San Diego, we’re full of energy and buzzing with new ideas. Find out more about URB
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  • Our SimFLEX publication is now available in Journal of Public Transportation 💣

    14 Nov 2025

    🤔 Thinking about launching an on-demand feeder service in your city? 🫡 But where? And how will people travel? 🧪 Meet SimFLEX — a simulation framework that shows where on-demand feeder buses can be most effective, using spatial data, demand modelling, shared-ride creation, and traveller learning to deliver KPIs like attractiveness and waiting-time reduction. 💡 Bronowice or Skotniki in Kraków? ➡️ Skotniki! Our team at Jagiellonian University supported the City of Krakow in the HE SUM Project, contributing to the launch of the successful LajkBus. Excellent work in Journal of Public Transportation is now available.
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  • Rafal is attending TECH-ON! Kraków & Małopolska Region

    30 Oct 2025

    Already today, during TECH-ON! Kraków & Małopolska Region Rafał, together with other invited speakers, will take part in the panel discussion Future City Innovations and in the debate Innovative Cities — What Are They Like?, moderated by dr hab. Jacek Gądecki from AGH University of Science and Technology. They will explore what makes a city truly innovative. Who, what, and how shapes cities that are future-ready, resilient to crises, and friendly to their residents? What types of innovations drive such urban development — technological, social, or systemic? What does it mean for a city to be innovative — and who makes it so, and how? This will be a great opportunity to present the latest research findings from our COeXISTENCE group 💡🔍
  • GMUM workshops 2025

    21 Oct 2025

    Another edition of the workshops organized by GMUM (Group of Machine Learning Research) is behind us, bringing with it many inspiring discussions on the applications of artificial intelligence, new ideas, and connections made. We look forward to continued collaboration and promising research!
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