An Exact Method for Nonlinear Network Flow Interdiction Problems

We study network flow interdiction problems with nonlinear and nonconvex flow models. The resulting model is a max-min bilevel optimization problem in which the follower’s problem is nonlinear and nonconvex. In this game, the leader attacks a limited number of arcs with the goal to maximize the load shed and the follower aims at minimizing … Read more

Wasserstein Regularization for 0-1 Loss

Wasserstein distributionally robust optimization (DRO) finds robust solutions by hedging against data perturbation specified by distributions in a Wasserstein ball. The robustness is linked to the regularization effect, which has been studied for continuous losses in various settings. However, existing results cannot be simply applied to the 0-1 loss, which is frequently seen in uncertainty … Read more

Decision-making with Side Information: A Causal Transport Robust Approach

We consider stochastic optimization with side information where, prior to decision-making, covariate data are available to inform better decisions. To hedge against data uncertainty while capturing the information structure revealed from the conditional distribution of random problem parameters given the covariate values, we propose a distributionally robust formulation based on causal transport distance. We derive … Read more

Data-driven Multistage Distributionally Robust Linear Optimization with Nested Distance

We study multistage distributionally robust linear optimization, where the uncertainty set is defined as a ball of distribution centered at a scenario tree using the nested distance. The resulting minimax problem is notoriously difficult to solve due to its inherent non-convexity. In this paper, we demonstrate that, under mild conditions, the robust risk evaluation of … Read more

A Projected-Search Interior Method for Nonlinear Optimization

This paper concerns the formulation and analysis of a new interior method for general nonlinearly constrained optimization that combines a shifted primal-dual interior method with a projected-search method for bound-constrained optimization. The method involves the computation of an approximate Newton direction for a primal-dual penalty-barrier function that incorporates shifts on both the primal and dual … Read more

Robust Two-Stage Optimization with Covariate Data

We consider a generalization of two-stage decision problems in which the second-stage decision may be a function of a predictive signal but cannot adapt fully to the realized uncertainty. We will show how such problems can be learned from sample data by considering a family of regularized sample average formulations. Furthermore, our regularized data-driven formulations … Read more

An Explicit Spectral Fletcher-Reeves Conjugate Gradient Method for Bi-criteria Optimization

In this paper we propose a spectral Fletcher-Reeves conjugate gradient-like method (SFRCG) for solving unconstrained bi-criteria minimisation problems without using any technique of scalarization. We suggest an explicit formulae for computing a descent direction common to both criteria. This latter verifies furthermore a sufficient descent property which does not depend on the line search nor … Read more