Data-driven Policies For Two-stage Stochastic Linear Programs

A stochastic program typically involves several parameters, including deterministic first-stage parameters and stochastic second-stage elements that serve as input data. These programs are re-solved whenever any input parameter changes. However, in practical applications, quick decision-making is necessary, and solving a stochastic program from scratch for every change in input data can be computationally costly. This … Read more

Folding Mixed-Integer Linear Programs and Reflection Symmetries

For mixed-integer linear programming and linear programming it is well known that symmetries can have a negative impact on the performance of branch-and-bound and linear optimization algorithms. A common strategy to handle symmetries in linear programs is to reduce the dimension of the linear program by aggregating symmetric variables and solving a linear program of … Read more

A simulation framework for Formula 1 race strategy based on pit-stop optimization

In modern Formula~1, strict regulations and highly optimized cars limit performance gains through hardware, increasing the importance of strategic decision-making. This work tackles the problem of computing a race strategy that minimizes total race time by jointly optimizing tire stints, compound selection, fuel load, and Energy Recovery System (ERS) deployment. We present a high-performance simulation … Read more

A single loop method for quadratic minmax optimization

We consider a quadratic minmax problem with coupled inner constraints and propose a method to compute a class of stationary points. To motivate the need to compute such stationary points, we first show that they are meaningful, in the sense that they can be locally optimal for our problem under suitable linear independence and second-order … Read more

Column Generation for Generalized Min-Cost Flows with Losses

The generalized flow problem deals with flows through a network with losses or gains along the arcs. Motivated by energy networks, this paper concentrates on the case with losses along cycles. Such networks can become extremely large, mostly because they are considered over large time horizons. We therefore develop a column generation approach for a … Read more

Optimization in Theory and Practice

Algorithms for continuous optimization problems have a rich history of design and innovation over the past several decades, in which mathematical analysis of their convergence and complexity properties plays a central role. Besides their theoretical properties, optimization algorithms are interesting also for their practical usefulness as computational tools for solving real-world problems. There are often … Read more

An extension of an interior-point method to include risk aversion in large-scale multistage stochastic optimization

In the earlier paper “On solving large-scale multistage stochastic optimization problems with a new specialized interior-point approach, European Journal of Operational Research, 310 (2023), 268–285” the authors presented a novel approach based on a specialized interior-point method (IPM) for solving (risk neutral) large-scale multistage stochastic optimization problems. The method computed the Newton direction by combining … Read more

Extracting Alternative Solutions from Benders Decomposition

We show how to extract alternative solutions for optimization problems solved by Benders Decom- position. In practice, alternative solutions provide useful insights for complex applications; some solvers do support generation of alternative solutions but none appear to support such generation when using Benders Decomposition. We propose a new post-processing method that extracts multiple optimal and … Read more

Inspection Games with Incomplete Information and Heterogeneous Resources

We study a two-player zero-sum inspection game with incomplete information, where an inspector deploys resources to maximize the expected damage value of detected illegal items hidden by an adversary across capacitated locations. Inspection and illegal resources differ in their detection capabilities and damage values. Both players face uncertainty regarding each other’s available resources, modeled via … Read more