Semi-discrete optimal transport problems, which evaluate the Wasserstein distance between a discrete and a generic (possibly non-discrete) probability measure, are believed to be computationally hard. Even though such problems are ubiquitous in statistics, machine learning and computer vision, however, this perception has not yet received a theoretical justification. To fill this gap, we prove that … Read more
Optimal stopping is a fundamental class of stochastic dynamic optimization problems with numerous applications in finance and operations management. We introduce a new approach for solving computationally- demanding stochastic optimal stopping problems with known probability distributions. The approach uses simulation to construct a robust optimization problem that approximates the stochastic optimal stopping problem to any … Read more
Peak/off-peak spreads on European electricity forward and spot markets are eroding due to the ongoing nuclear phaseout in Germany and the steady growth in photovoltaic capacity. The reduced profitability of peak/off-peak arbitrage forces hydropower producers to recover part of their original profitability on the reserve markets. We propose a bi-layer stochastic programming framework for the … Read more
Knowledge-based determination of the best-possible experimental setups for nanoparticle design is highly challenging. Additionally, such processes are accompanied by noticeable uncertainties. Therefore, protection against these uncertainties is needed. Robust optimization helps determining such best possible processes. The latter guarantees quality requirements regardless of how the uncertainties, e.g. with regard to variations in raw materials, heat … Read more
Real-life parallel machine scheduling problems can be characterized by: (i) limited information about the exact task duration at scheduling time, and (ii) an opportunity to reschedule the remaining tasks each time a task processing is completed and a machine becomes idle. Robust optimization is the natural methodology to cope with the first characteristic of duration … Read more
Optimal transport distances are popular and theoretically well understood in the context of data-driven prediction. A flurry of recent work has popularized these distances for data-driven decision-making as well although their merits in this context are far less well understood. This in contrast to the more classical entropic distances which are known to enjoy optimal … Read more
Set-valued optimization using the set approach is a research topic of high interest due to its practical relevance and numerous interdependencies to other fields of optimization. However, it is a very difficult task to solve these optimzation problems even for specific cases. In this paper we study set-valued optimization problems and develop a multiobjective optimization … Read more
We investigate a challenging task in ambulatory care, the minimizing of delays of patient transports. In practice, a limited number of vehicles is available for non-rescue transports. Furthermore, the dispatcher rarely has access to complete information when establishing a transport plan for dispatching the vehicles. If additional transport is requested on demand then schedules need … Read more
The European gas market is organized as a so-called entry-exit system with the main goal to decouple transport and trading. To this end, gas traders and the transmission system operator (TSO) sign so-called booking contracts that grant capacity rights to traders to inject or withdraw gas at certain nodes up to this capacity. On a … Read more
Utility preference robust optimization (PRO) models are recently proposed to deal with decision making problems where the decision maker’s true utility function is unknown and the optimal decision is based on the worst case utility function from an ambiguity set of utility functions. In this paper, we consider the case where the ambiguity set is … Read more