Yazdandoost Hamedani Receives NSF Funding on First Attempt

Erfan Yazdandoost Hamedani, who joined the college as a research professor in 2020 and started a tenure track position in 2021, has received $225,000 in National Science Foundation funding for his project, “Computationally Efficient Algorithms for Large-Scale Bilevel Optimization Problems.” 

“Only about 22% of applications for NSF funding in the Division of Electrical, Communications and Cyber Systems are actually awarded, and it’s especially rare for faculty members to receive NSF funding the first time they apply for it,” said Young-Jun Son, head of the Department of Systems and Industrial Engineering. “I’m extremely proud to have Erfan as a member of the department.” 

Yazdandoost Hamedani’s work will focus on bilevel optimization, which is a mathematical model for solving problems that require hierarchical decision-making processes between two or more decision-makers. These problems are more challenging than classical optimization problems, because of the correlation between the decision-makers. For example, if a restaurant owner is trying to decide on the appropriate price for a menu item to maximize profits, their ability to make a decision is affected by potential customers looking at the quality and price, who may decide to eat somewhere else if the price is too high. The decision of one party affects the decision of the other.

Algorithms for solving bilevel optimization problems also allow researchers to solve sophisticated artificial intelligence problems, such as few-shot meta-learning, which allows systems to learn how to complete classification tasks using a small number of samples. Bilevel optimization has also applications in other areas including energy storage and investment in power systems.

“I’m very pleased and thankful to NSF for such a great opportunity,”Yazdandoost Hamedani said. “This award makes me feel delighted and more determined to pursue the research that excites me.”