Conic Geometric Programming

We introduce and study conic geometric programs (CGPs), which are convex optimization problems that unify geometric programs (GPs) and conic optimization problems such as linear programs (LPs) and semidefinite programs (SDPs). A CGP consists of a linear objective function that is to be minimized subject to affine constraints, convex conic constraints, and upper bound constraints … Read more

Trust-Region Problems with Linear Inequality Constraints: Exact SDP Relaxation, Global Optimality and Robust Optimization

The trust-region problem, which minimizes a nonconvex quadratic function over a ball, is a key subproblem in trust-region methods for solving nonlinear optimization problems. It enjoys many attractive properties such as an exact semi-definite linear programming relaxation (SDP-relaxation) and strong duality. Unfortunately, such properties do not, in general, hold for an extended trust-region problem having … Read more

Robust Optimization of Sums of Piecewise Linear Functions with Application to Inventory Problems

Robust optimization is a methodology that has gained a lot of attention in the recent years. This is mainly due to the simplicity of the modeling process and ease of resolution even for large scale models. Unfortunately, the second property is usually lost when the cost function that needs to be robustified is not concave … Read more

A Robust Formulation of the Uncertain Set Covering Problem

This work introduces a robust formulation of the uncertain set covering problem combining the concepts of robust and probabilistic optimization. It is shown that the proposed robust uncertain set covering problem can be stated as a compact mixed-integer linear programming model which can be solved with modern computer software. This model is a natural extension … Read more

A cutting surface algorithm for semi-infinite convex programming with an application to moment robust optimization

We first present and analyze a central cutting surface algorithm for general semi-infinite convex optimization problems, and use it to develop an algorithm for distributionally robust optimization problems in which the uncertainty set consists of probability distributions with given bounds on their moments. The cutting surface algorithm is also applicable to problems with non-differentiable semi-infinite … Read more

Exploring the Modeling Capacity of Two-stage Robust Optimization — Two Variants of Robust Unit Commitment Model

To handle significant variability in loads, renewable energy generation, as well as various contingencies, two-stage robust optimization method has been adopted to construct unit commitment models and to ensure reliable solutions. In this paper, we further explore and extend the modeling capacity of two-stage robust optimization and present two new robust unit commitment variants, the … Read more

Interdiction Games on Markovian PERT Networks

In a stochastic interdiction game a proliferator aims to minimize the expected duration of a nuclear weapons development project, while an interdictor endeavors to maximize the project duration by delaying some of the project tasks. We formulate static and dynamic versions of the interdictor’s decision problem where the interdiction plan is either pre-committed or adapts … Read more

2-Stage Robust MILP with continuous recourse variables

We solve a linear robust problem with mixed-integer first-stage variables and continuous second stage variables. We consider column wise uncertainty. We first focus on a problem with right hand-side uncertainty which satisfies a “full recourse property” and a specific definition of the uncertainty. We propose a solution based on a generation constraint algorithm. Then we … Read more

Robust combinatorial optimization with cost uncertainty

We present in this paper a new model for robust combinatorial optimization with cost uncertainty that generalizes the classical budgeted uncertainty set. We suppose here that the budget of uncertainty is given by a function of the problem variables, yielding an uncertainty multifunction. The new model is less conservative than the classical model and approximates … Read more

Distributionally Robust Convex Optimization

Distributionally robust optimization is a paradigm for decision-making under uncertainty where the uncertain problem data is governed by a probability distribution that is itself subject to uncertainty. The distribution is then assumed to belong to an ambiguity set comprising all distributions that are compatible with the decision maker’s prior information. In this paper, we propose … Read more