COOP is a group of researchers interested in developing theoretical techniques and practical tools for solving real world optimization problems. Many optimization problems that arise in industry are solved using ad hoc approaches, often driven by the need to get to market first. Such approaches may provide acceptable solutions for small instances, but do not scale well with increasing size. At the same time, academics have made great strides both in modelling and in developing techniques to solve large scale instances of such problems. Integer Programming solvers have also evolved over the years, putting us within reach of solving realistic instances of problems in industry. However, most of these techniques are quite sophisticated and require a deep understanding before they can be used in conjunction with the solvers. In addition, the actual problems that arise in industry also have to be clearly understood before using these techniques to solve them. Our group plans to invest time to understand these problems, and apply sophisticated techniques to solve realistic instances of these problems. It plans to build a real connection between academic research and industry. Our activities include:
  1. Large scale optimization in Logistics, Transportation, and Scheduling
  2. Approximation Algorithms
  3. Optimization in Bioinformatics