2021 Q3 Quarterly Report
Bergman, David
The 2021 Q3 Quarterly Report is available at http://cp2014.a4cp.org/node/1378.
The report contains information about the most recent CP conference, including the ACP award winners:
John Hooker, Research Excellence Award
Ferdinando Fioretto, Early Career Award
Margarita Castro, Doctoral Research Award
Congratulations!
The report also has information about the upcoming CP Winter School on Decision Diagram for Optimization, to be held virtually November 29th – December 2nd. Please tell your colleagues who might be interested!
The Winter School website, with information about the talks and a tentative schedule (subject to change), is here: https://sites.google.com/view/acpwinterschool2021/home.
The registration link for the Winter School is here: https://uconn.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_3WRa1um89mntnQq.
If you have any questions, please email Andre Cire (Andre...@Rotman.utoronto.ca) and David Bergman (david....@uconn.edu).
David Bergman
Secretary of the Association for Constraint Programming
Peter Nightingale
We are advertising a 2.5 year postdoc position at York, the topic
is constraint-based model reformulation and I would welcome
applications from candidates with experience of any of the
following: CP, SAT, SMT, OR techniques such as MIP, or
metaheuristics.
The advert is available here: https://www.jobs.ac.uk/job/CLC762/research-associate
Please do forward to anyone who may be interested.
Best wishes,
Peter Nightingale
--------------------------
Department
The Department of Computer Science is seeking to appoint a Research Associate for 2.5 years to join the EPSRC-funded project Solver Feedback Loops for Automated Constraint Modelling. The role is to conduct research on modelling and solving of decision and optimisation problems.
Decision and optimisation problems such as planning, scheduling, logistics, and resource allocation are ubiquitious, and providing optimized timely solutions to these difficult problems often has substantial economic value. The goal of the project is to enable automatic solving of larger and more difficult problems than currently possible. To achieve this, we will exploit solver feedback loops -- a promising technique for improving the model of a decision or optimisation problem, thus improving solver effectiveness. Rewriting a model is called reformulation, and prior work in this area has shown that reformulation can be highly effective.
The successful applicant will build on several years of research (at York and elsewhere) in model reformulation, where a constraint-based model of a decision or optimisation problem is automatically improved while also being specialised for a solver or class of solvers.
Women are underrepresented in the department, and we would welcome applications from female candidates for this role.
Role
- To develop new reformulation techniques to improve the performance of constraint solving methods (including constraint solvers, SAT and SMT solvers, mixed-integer programming and related methods, and metaheuristic methods).
- To implement the new techniques in a prototype system and to evaluate them
- To develop a suitable method for selecting and configuring the new reformulations, based on existing algorithm selection and tuning techniques
- To conduct individual and collaborative research projects, duties to include: analysis and interpretation of research data; use of appropriate research techniques and methods; writing up of research results and dissemination through publications, seminar and conference presentations and public engagement and outreach activities; contributing to the identification of possible new areas of research
Skills, Experience & Qualification needed
- First degree in Computer Science or cognate discipline
- PhD in Computer Science or cognate discipline, or equivalent experience
- Knowledge in modelling and/or solving of decision-making or optimisation problems, in order to engage in high quality researchin the area
- Knowledge of a range of relevant research techniques and methodologies
- Highly developed communication skills to engage effectively with a wide-ranging audience, both orally and in writing, using a range of media
- Ability to write up research work for publication in high profile journals and peer-reviewed conferences, and to engage in public dissemination
- Competency to make presentations at conferences or exhibit work in other appropriate events
- Ability to implement research ideas or proposals to create prototype software systems
- Experience of carrying out both independent and collaborative research
- Experience of modelling and solving decision or optimisation problems using any of the following approaches: constraint programming, SAT or SMT, mixed integer programming or similar, or metaheuristics.
Application date: 7th January 2022
For informal enquiries: please contact Peter Nightingale on peter.ni...@york.ac.uk
The University strives to be diverse and inclusive – a place where we can ALL be ourselves.
We particularly encourage applications from people who identify as Black, Asian or from a Minority Ethnic background, who are underrepresented at the University.
We offer family friendly, flexible working arrangements, with forums and inclusive facilities to support our staff. #EqualityatYork
-- Dr Peter Nightingale Lecturer, Department of Computer Science University of York Disclaimer: https://www.york.ac.uk/about/legal-statements/email-disclaimer/