Research

I am an applied mathematician and a computer scientist.

My research interests focus on algorithms, combinatorial optimization and integer programming, and more in general operations research. I am particularly interested in the mathematical and computational foundations of discrete optimization as well as in both the geometric approach (polyhedral combinatorics, convex geometry, cutting plane algorithms, and branch&cut methods) and in the algebraic approach (matroid and majorization theory and, more in general, optimization over partial ordered sets) to combinatorial optimization problems. Specific optimization problems I have worked on include: linear, nonlinear and uncertain network design problems, (versions of) the Steiner tree problem, coloring, covering, and partitioning problems, routing problems, (generalized versions of) the traveling salesman and the quadratic assignment problems, and nonlinear inverse problems.

I am deeply interested in solving optimization problems arising from practical applications. Hence, I often collaborate with scientists from other disciplines (e.g., biologists, medical doctors, engineers) to mathematically model and solve problems arising from their domain of expertise. The theoretical analysis of such models and the need to solve them as efficiently as possible inspire my research activity and spur me to investigate the use of large scale optimization techniques, high performance computing, and massively parallel search algorithms to tackle and solve these problems as fast as possible. Specific application areas I have contributed to so far include phylogenetics and molecular evolution, genomewide association studies, telecommunications, manufacturing, and information theory.

My research activities have been supported by the Belgian National Fund for Scientific Research, the Louvain Foundation, the U.S. National Institutes of Health, the Belgian American Educational Foundation (BAEF), and the European Marie Curie Fellowship Program.