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Combinatorial optimization algorithms for graph problems are usually designed afresh for each new problem with careful attention by an expert to the problem structure. In this work, we develop a new framework to solve any combinatorial…
We study mechanism design problems in the {\em ordinal setting} wherein the preferences of agents are described by orderings over outcomes, as opposed to specific numerical values associated with them. This setting is relevant when agents…
We develop a new algorithmic technique that allows to transfer some constant time approximation algorithms for general graphs into random order streaming algorithms. We illustrate our technique by proving that in random order streams with…
Optimization problems consist of either maximizing or minimizing an objective function. Instead of looking for a maximum solution (resp. minimum solution), one can find a minimum maximal solution (resp. maximum minimal solution). Such…
We study the computational complexity of the map redistricting problem (gerrymandering). Mathematically, the electoral district designer (gerrymanderer) attempts to partition a weighted graph into $k$ connected components (districts) such…
We study the problem of finding a small subset of items that is \emph{agreeable} to all agents, meaning that all agents value the subset at least as much as its complement. Previous work has shown worst-case bounds, over all instances with…
Interdiction problems are leader-follower games in which the leader is allowed to delete a certain number of edges from the graph in order to maximally impede the follower, who is trying to solve an optimization problem on the impeded…
Recent advances in machine learning (ML) have shown promise in aiding and accelerating classical combinatorial optimization algorithms. ML-based speed ups that aim to learn in an end to end manner (i.e., directly output the solution) tend…
We propose an algorithm to calculate the exact solution for utility optimization problems on finite state spaces under a class of non-differentiable preferences. We prove that optimal strategies must lie on a discrete grid in the plane, and…
We study the computational complexity of optimally solving multi-robot path planning problems on planar graphs. For four common time- and distance-based objectives, we show that the associated path optimization problems for multiple robots…
Consider a principal who wants to search through a space of stochastic solutions for one maximizing their utility. If the principal cannot conduct this search on their own, they may instead delegate this problem to an agent with distinct…
We study budget constrained network upgradeable problems. We are given an undirected edge weighted graph $G=(V,E)$ where the weight an edge $e \in E$ can be upgraded for a cost $c(e)$. Given a budget $B$ for improvement, the goal is to find…
We study truthful mechanisms for allocation problems in graphs, both for the minimization (i.e., scheduling) and maximization (i.e., auctions) setting. The minimization problem is a special case of the well-studied unrelated machines…
The benefits of a recently proposed method to approximate hard optimization problems are demonstrated on the graph partitioning problem. The performance of this new method, called Extremal Optimization, is compared to Simulated Annealing in…
One powerful technique to solve NP-hard optimization problems in practice is branch-and-reduce search---which is branch-and-bound that intermixes branching with reductions to decrease the input size. While this technique is known to be very…
Motivated by real-world applications, we study the fair allocation of graphical resources, where the resources are the vertices in a graph. Upon receiving a set of resources, an agent's utility equals the weight of a maximum matching in the…
Consider a generalization of the classical binary search problem in linearly sorted data to the graph-theoretic setting. The goal is to design an adaptive query algorithm, called a strategy, that identifies an initially unknown target…
Given a graph $G$, the NP-hard Maximum Planar Subgraph problem asks for a planar subgraph of $G$ with the maximum number of edges. The only known non-trivial exact algorithm utilizes Kuratowski's famous planarity criterion and can be…
Energies with high-order non-submodular interactions have been shown to be very useful in vision due to their high modeling power. Optimization of such energies, however, is generally NP-hard. A naive approach that works for small problem…
For an ordered point set in a Euclidean space or, more generally, in an abstract metric space, the ordered Nearest Neighbor Graph is obtained by connecting each of the points to its closest predecessor by a directed edge. We show that for…