Most of us never notice the incredible work it takes to serve our daily needs. Flick the switch, and we have light. Go to the supermaket, and the shelves are lined with every imaginable good. In a disaster, we expect emergency services to take care of us.

All these come through the system we call civilisation.

It works, but it can always be improved to make it more efficient, and more robust. How? By computer modelling.

This is the mission of today's guest, Pascal Van Hentenryck, leader of the Optimisation group at NICTA.

Phone interview by Alice and Rod

Featured music provided courtesy Nelson Walkom.