Research

Publications

Maintenance policy optimization for generic systems under limited inspection and maintenance resources

• A. Li, Y. Wei*, Y. Li, and Y. Cheng, “Group Inspection and Maintenance Policy Design for a Heterogeneous Multi-Component System”, Computers & Industrial Engineering, vol. 218, Article 112140, 2026.
• Y. Wei, S. Zhao, and Y. Cheng*, “An Optimal Bi-Level Inspection and Maintenance Policy for a Multi-Component System: An Enhanced Successively Approximated Point-Based Value-Iteration Algorithm”, Engineering Management, published online, 2026, doi: 10.1007/s42524-026-5185-4.
• Y. Wei, H. Liao, and Y. Cheng*, “Making an Optimal Inspection-Free Maintenance Decision for a Coherent System Subject to Hidden Malfunctions”, IISE Transactions, vol. 58, no. 7, pp. 800–814, 2026.
• Y. Wei, A. Li, Y. Li, and Y. Cheng*, “An Optimal Predictive Inspection and Maintenance Policy for a Multi-State System: A Belief-Based SMDP Approach”, Reliability Engineering & System Safety, vol. 265, part B, Article 111497, 2026.
• Y. Wei, A. Li, Y. Cheng*, and Y. Li, “An Optimal Multi-Level Inspection and Maintenance Policy for a Multi-Component System with a Protection Component”, Computers & Industrial Engineering, vol. 201, Article 110898, 2025.
• S. Zhao, Y. Wei, Y. Li, and Y. Cheng*, “A Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning (MARL) Framework for Designing an Optimal State-Specific Hybrid Maintenance Policy for a Series k-out-of-n Load-Sharing System”, Reliability Engineering & System Safety, vol. 265, part A, Article 111587, 2026.
• Y. Cheng, Y. Wei, and H. Liao*, “Optimal Sampling-Based Sequential Inspection and Maintenance Plans for a Heterogeneous Product with Competing Failure Modes”, Reliability Engineering & System Safety, vol. 218, Article 108181, 2022.

Integrated maintenance and system-specific joint decision-making for mission-critical and production systems

• Y. Wei, S. Zhao, and Y. Cheng*, “An Optimal Joint Predictive Maintenance and Mission Abort Policy Under a Cumulative Working Time Success Criterion”, Risk Analysis, vol. 45, no. 11, pp. 3958–3969, 2025.
• S. Zhao, Y. Wei, Y. Li, and Y. Cheng*, “An Optimal Joint Maintenance and Mission Abort Policy for a System Executing Multi-Attempt Missions”, Reliability Engineering & System Safety, vol. 266, part A, Article 111667, 2026.
• Z. Huang, Y. Wei, and Y. Cheng*, “A Quantitative Framework for Performance-Based Reliability Prediction for a Multi-Component System Subject to Dynamic Self-Reconfiguration”, Reliability Engineering & System Safety, vol. 262, Article 111188, 2025.
• S. Zhao, Y. Wei, Y. Cheng*, and Y. Li, “A State-Specific Joint Size, Maintenance, and Inventory Policy for a k-out-of-n Load-Sharing System Subject to Self-Announcing Failures”, Reliability Engineering & System Safety, vol. 257, part B, Article 110855, 2025.

Service reliability modeling and maintenance policy optimization for self-service systems

• Y. Wei, Y. Cheng*, and H. Liao, “A Quantitative Maintenance Policy Development Framework for a Fleet of Self-Service Systems”, Naval Research Logistics, vol. 72, no. 5, pp. 750–767, 2025.
• Y. Wei and Y. Cheng*, “An Optimal Two-Dimensional Maintenance Policy for Self-Service Systems with Multi-Task Demands and Subject to Competing Sudden and Deterioration-Induced Failures”, Reliability Engineering & System Safety, vol. 255, Article 110628, 2025.
• Y. Wei, Y. Cheng*, and H. Liao, “Fleet Service Reliability Analysis of Self-Service Systems Subject to Failure-Induced Demand Switching and a Two-Dimensional Inspection and Maintenance Policy”, IEEE Transactions on Automation Science and Engineering, vol. 22, pp. 10029–10044, 2025.

Resilience modeling and optimization for engineered networks

• Y. Wei, Y. Cheng, and H. Liao*, “Optimal Maintenance of a Critical Infrastructure Subject to Dependent Recurrent Hazards”, Sustainable and Resilient Infrastructure, published online, 2025, doi: 10.1080/23789689.2025.2574202.
• Y. Wei, Y. Cheng*, H. Liao, and E. A. Elsayed, “Resilience Modeling for an Engineered Network with Multimodal Performance under Multiple Recurrent Hazards”, Reliability Engineering & System Safety, vol. 266, part A, Article 111640, 2026.
• Y. Wei, Y. Cheng*, and H. Liao, “Optimal Resilience-Based Restoration of a System Subject to Recurrent Dependent Hazards”, Reliability Engineering & System Safety, vol. 247, Article 110137, 2024.

Ongoing Works

• Y. Wei, S. Zhao, G. Liu, Y. Cheng*, and Y. Li, “An Optimal Condition-Based Maintenance Policy for a Multi-Component Coherent System with Multiple Malfunction Levels”, under revision.
• Y. Wei, S. Zhao, Y. Cheng*, and H. Liao, “Maintenance Enhancement for a Fleet of Self-Service Systems Using Customer Incentives”, under revision.

Talks

• 2026 Annual Conference of the Reliability Engineering Branch of the Chinese Association for Applied Statistics, May 16–18, 2026, Nanjing, Jiangsu, China — “Maintenance Enhancement for a Fleet of Self-Service Systems Using Customer Incentives.”
• 2026 Annual Conference of the Reliability Society of the Operations Research Society of China, April 24–26, 2026, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China — “Maintenance Enhancement for a Fleet of Self-Service Systems Using Customer Incentives.”
• IISE Annual Conference & Expo 2025, May 29–June 3, 2025, Atlanta, GA, USA — “An Optimal Incentive-Embedded Maintenance Policy for a Fleet of Self-Service Systems Subject to Imperfect Monitoring.”
• 2025 NSFC-RGC Conference on Frontiers of Digital Twins in Intelligent Manufacturing and Smart Cities, April 25–28, 2025, Hong Kong — “State Transition Analysis in a Fleet of Service Systems under a Three-Dimensional Maintenance Policy.”
• 15th Annual International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management, February 18–20, 2025, Singapore — “Multimodal Resilience of an Engineered System Subject to Dependent Hazards.”
• 15th Annual International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management, February 18–20, 2025, Singapore — “An Optimal Joint Sampling, Inspection, and Maintenance Plan for One-Shot Units.”
• 2024 INFORMS Conference on Service Science, June 22–24, 2024, Macao — “Maintenance Policy Optimization for Self-Service Systems with Periodic Demand Arrivals and Random Failure-Induced Demand Switchings.”
• 27th International Conference of Hong Kong Society for Transportation Studies (HKSTS), December 11–12, 2023, Hong Kong — “Optimization of Train Timetable Scheduling and Rerouting for Passenger Evacuation during Typhoon Periods: A Stochastic Programming Approach.”
• IISE Annual Conference & Expo 2023, May 20–23, 2023, New Orleans, LA, USA — “Optimal Maintenance Policy for a Fleet of Self-Service Systems Subject to Dynamic Failure-Induced Demand Switch.”

Service

• Technical Committee Member, 2026 10th International Conference on Reliability Engineering (ICRE 2026), July 19–21, 2026, Hangzhou, China.
• Session Chair, “Monitoring, Prognosis, and Maintenance in Manufacturing and Electric Vehicle Systems”, IISE Annual Conference & Expo 2025, May 29–June 3, 2025, Atlanta, GA, USA.
• Session Chair, “Modeling, Optimization, and Learning for Complex Systems”, IISE Annual Conference & Expo 2025, May 29–June 3, 2025, Atlanta, GA, USA.
• Reviewer, Reliability Engineering & System Safety, 2023–present.
• Reviewer, Computers & Industrial Engineering, 2023–present.
• Reviewer, IEEE Transactions on Reliability, 2024–present.