Optimization and Operational Research PhD

The work in the Operational Research and Optimization research group is in three main areas: the mathematical and computing aspects of optimization, combinatorial optimization, and energy systems.

The core technology in optimization is the solution of large sparse linear and quadratic problems, and we provide world-class expertise in the two main solution methods for these: the simplex method and the interior point method. In combinatorial optimization, we provide expertise for modelling real-world problems using integer linear programming formulations and for deriving efficient exact and heuristic algorithms to solve them.

Specialist expertise in energy includes optimization of system planning and optimization, security of supply risk analysis, and decision support for public policy. We also have interests in PDE-constrained optimization, global optimization, decomposition methods, parallel computing, industrial applications of optimization and stochastic optimization.

Being part of the Operational Research and Optimization group will give you the opportunity to meet and confer with academics worldwide. You will be a member of the Edinburgh Research Group in Optimization (ERGO) which, through its regular seminar series, attracts local and international researchers interested in the development of operational research and optimization. As a group, we are currently collaborating with researchers in Denmark, the Netherlands, Canada, USA, Italy, Norway, China, France, Spain, Germany and Turkey, and are invited to give addresses and organise workshops at major optimization, OR and energy conferences.