The Value of Robust Assortment Optimization Under Ranking-based Choice Models

We study a class of robust assortment optimization problems that was proposed by Farias, Jagabathula, and Shah (2013). The goal in these problems is to find an assortment that maximizes a firm’s worst-case expected revenue under all ranking-based choice models that are consistent with the historical sales data generated by the firm’s past assortments. We … Read more

Tractable Robust Supervised Learning Models

At the heart of supervised learning is a minimization problem with an objective function that evaluates a set of training data over a loss function that penalizes poor fitting and a regularization function that penalizes over-fitting to the training data. More recently, data-driven robust optimization based learning models provide an intuitive robustness perspective of regularization. … Read more

Distributionally Robust Optimization with Expected Constraints via Optimal Transport

We consider a stochastic program with expected value constraints. We analyze this problem in a general context via Distributionally Robust Optimization (DRO) approach using 1 or 2-Wasserstein metrics where the ambiguity set depends on the decision. We show that this approach can be reformulated as a finite-dimensional optimization problem, and, in some cases, this can … Read more

Exact Methods for Discrete Γ-Robust Interdiction Problems with an Application to the Bilevel Knapsack Problem

Developing solution methods for discrete bilevel problems is known to be a challenging task – even if all parameters of the problem are exactly known. Many real-world applications of bilevel optimization, however, involve data uncertainty. We study discrete min-max problems with a follower who faces uncertainties regarding the parameters of the lower-level problem. Adopting a … Read more

A Robust Optimization Method with Successive Linear Programming for Intensity Modulated Radiation Therapy

Intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) is one of radiation therapies for cancers, and it is considered to be effective for complicated shapes of tumors, since dose distributions from each irradiation can be modulated arbitrary. Fluence map optimization (FMO), which optimizes beam intensities with given beam angles, is often formulated as an optimization problem with dose … Read more

A Branch & Bound Algorithm for Robust Binary Optimization with Budget Uncertainty

Since its introduction in the early 2000s, robust optimization with budget uncertainty has received a lot of attention. This is due to the intuitive construction of the uncertainty sets and the existence of a compact robust reformulation for (mixed-integer) linear programs. However, despite its compactness, the reformulation performs poorly when solving robust integer problems due … Read more

Adjustability in Robust Linear Optimization

We investigate the concept of adjustability — the difference in objective values between two types of dynamic robust optimization formulations: one where (static) decisions are made before uncertainty realization, and one where uncertainty is resolved before (adjustable) decisions. This difference reflects the value of information and decision timing in optimization under uncertainty, and is related … Read more

Robust CARA Optimization

We propose robust optimization models and their tractable approximations that cater for ambiguity-averse decision makers whose underlying risk preferences are consistent with constant absolute risk aversion (CARA). Specifically, we focus on maximizing the worst-case expected exponential utility where the underlying uncertainty is generated from a set of stochastically independent factors with ambiguous marginals. To obtain … Read more

Pareto Robust Optimization on Euclidean Vector Spaces

Pareto efficiency for robust linear programs was introduced by Iancu and Trichakis. We generalize their approach and theoretical results to robust optimization problems in Euclidean spaces with affine uncertainty. Additionally, we demonstrate the value of this approach in an exemplary manner in the area of robust semidefinite programming (SDP). In particular, we prove that computing … Read more

Appointment Scheduling for Medical Diagnostic Centers considering Time-sensitive Pharmaceuticals: A Dynamic Robust Optimization Approach

This paper studies optimal criteria for the appointment scheduling of outpatients in a medical imaging center. The main goal of this study is to coordinate the assignments of radiopharmaceuticals and the scheduling of outpatients on imaging scanners. We study a special case of a molecular imaging center that offers services for various diagnostic procedures for … Read more