Education & Positions at the Optimisation Group

Optimisation is a set of methods and tools for solving optimisation problems. Such problems arise in many application domains, such as scheduling, planning, configuration, control, design, biology, finance, transport, logistics, and so on. Many companies are successfully deploying optimisation technologies, making knowledge thereof a useful asset on the job market.

Courses

We teach the following courses:

• Combinatorial Optimisation using Constraint Programming (10 credits, course 1DL441), taught in periods 1 and 2 (September to January) every autumn, given since 2003; also open to postgraduate students.

• Modelling for Combinatorial Optimisation (5 credits, course 1DL448), next taught in period 3 (January to March) of 2018; given since 2015; also open to postgraduate students.

• Optimisation (5 credits, course 1TD184), taught in period 4 (October to December) every autumn.

The first two courses can be taken in any sequence. If you want to take only one of them, then note that 1DL449 is an overview course on combinatorial optimisation, where you will learn to use problem solvers of five technologies, whereas 1DL441 is an algorithms course, where you will learn the details behind solvers of one technology; in both courses, the input to the solvers will be a model describing the what (but not the how) of a combinatorial optimisation problem, and optionally some high-level hints on how to solve it.

The course in optimisation (1TD184) addresses optimisation with continuous variables. The course consists in basic theories, optimality conditions, and methods for unconstrained optimisation, constrained nonlinear optimisation, and linear programming. This course can be taken independently of the first two courses.

PhD and Postdoc

We have postdoc / PhD funding available from time to time, though unfortunately not right now. Please only contact us for a postdoc / PhD if you have already secured your own funding (from your government, say) or are very likely to do so (and would need a letter of intent from us). Such applications must include a CV, education transcripts (unofficial scans are initially acceptable), and a statement of purpose, explaining how your interests and qualifications relate to our work. Do not include any actual reference letters, but rather contact information to at least three referees: we will contact them if need be. Electronic attachments must be in PDF or JPG format. Applications that do not comply with these instructions will not be answered. All research here is supervised in English, and all correspondence and publications must be written in English, using LaTeX for publications.

Master (MSc) or Bachelor (BSc) Thesis

We continuously generate interesting problems. If you are keen on pursuing a research and/or development task for an MSc or BSc thesis, then contact us. Applicants must normally have spent at least a semester at Uppsala University and have passed a course on Constraint Programming. Informal applications can be made in person. Written applications must include a CV, education transcripts (informal ones are initially acceptable), and a statement of purpose, which explains how your interests and qualifications relate to our work. Electronic attachments must be in PDF or JPG format. Written applications that do not comply with these instructions will not be answered. Salaries or expenses are not paid (as is often the custom in Sweden for MSc / BSc internships at university research groups), so you must have your own funding. Fortunately, we offer a stimulating environment and exciting topics: note that three recent theses supervised by our group received awards! All work is supervised in English.

Resources for those working with us: Your thesis (even its drafts) must be written in Oxford English, as required in the UU English Style Guide (which you should read), prepared using LaTeX, and compliant with our Check List and Style Manual. Consider using our style file astra.sty, explained in astra.pdf. Read the formal requirements for MSc and BSc theses, some advice on English for Swedes, some guidelines for writing a thesis, and a list of Common Errors in English Usage.

Summer Internship

We normally no longer take summer interns. If you have an exceptionally well-motivated case nevertheless and request neither a salary, nor travel expenses, nor visa support, then contact us, following the MSc and BSc instructions below.