Data-Driven Risk-Averse Two-Stage Stochastic Program with ζ-Structure Probability Metrics

The traditional two-stage stochastic programming approach assumes the distribution of the random parameter in a problem is known. In most practices, however, the distribution is actually unknown. Instead, only a series of historic data are available. In this paper, we develop a data-driven stochastic optimization approach to providing a risk-averse decision making under uncertainty. In … Read more

Randomized Derivative-Free Optimization of Noisy Convex Functions

We propose STARS, a randomized derivative-free algorithm for unconstrained optimization when the function evaluations are contaminated with random noise. STARS takes dynamic, noise-adjusted smoothing step-sizes that minimize the least-squares error between the true directional derivative of a noisy function and its finite difference approximation. We provide a convergence rate analysis of STARS for solving convex … Read more

Nonlinear chance constrained problems: optimality conditions, regularization and solvers

We deal with chance constrained problems (CCP) with differentiable nonlinear random functions and discrete distribution. We allow nonconvex functions both in the constraints and in the objective. We reformulate the problem as a mixed-integer nonlinear program, and relax the integer variables into continuous ones. We approach the relaxed problem as a mathematical problem with complementarity … Read more

A Stabilised Scenario Decomposition Algorithm Applied to Stochastic Unit Commitment Problems

In recent years the expansion of energy supplies from volatile renewable sources has triggered an increased interest in stochastic optimization models for hydro-thermal unit commitment. Several studies have modelled this as a two-stage or multi-stage stochastic mixed-integer optimization problem. Solving such problems directly is computationally intractable for large instances, and alternative approaches are required. In … Read more

The Value of Stochastic Programming in Day-Ahead and Intraday Generation Unit Commitment

The recent expansion of renewable energy supplies has prompted the development of a variety of efficient stochastic optimization models and solution techniques for hydro-thermal scheduling. However, little has been published about the added value of stochastic models over deterministic ones. In the context of day-ahead and intraday unit commitment under wind uncertainty, we compare two-stage … Read more

Existence of Nash equilibrium for Chance-Constrained Games

We consider an n-player strategic game with finite action sets. The payoffs of each player are random variables. We assume that each player uses a satisficing payoff criterion defined by a chance-constraint, i.e., players face a chance- constrained game. We consider the cases where payoffs follow normal and elliptically symmetric distributions. For both cases we … Read more

A Distributionally-robust Approach for Finding Support Vector Machines

The classical SVM is an optimization problem minimizing the hinge losses of mis-classified samples with the regularization term. When the sample size is small or data has noise, it is possible that the classifier obtained with training data may not generalize well to pop- ulation, since the samples may not accurately represent the true population … Read more

A Stochastic Optimization Model for Designing Last Mile Relief Networks

In this study, we introduce a distribution network design problem that determines the locations and capacities of the relief distribution points in the last mile network, while considering demand- and network-related uncertainties in the post-disaster environment. The problem addresses the critical concerns of relief organizations in designing last mile networks, which are providing accessible and … Read more

Algorithmic innovations and software for the dual decomposition method applied to stochastic mixed-integer programs

We develop algorithmic innovations for the dual decomposition method to address two-stage stochastic programs with mixed-integer recourse and provide a parallel software implementation that we call DSP. Our innovations include the derivation of valid inequalities that tighten Lagrangian subproblems and that allow the guaranteed recovery of feasible solutions for problems without (relative) complete recourse. We … Read more

Quantitative Stability Analysis of Stochastic Quasi-Variational Inequality Problems and Applications

We consider a parametric stochastic quasi-variational inequality problem (SQVIP for short) where the underlying normal cone is de ned over the solution set of a parametric stochastic cone system. We investigate the impact of variation of the probability measure and the parameter on the solution of the SQVIP. By reformulating the SQVIP as a natural equation … Read more