Stationarity and regularity in variational analysis with applications to optimization. This project will significantly develop the theoretical basis of variational analysis and optimization. Improving the understanding of regularity and stationarity issues in optimization theory will lead to major national benefits in increasing efficiencies and reducing costs in many fields of human endeavour on a national and international level.
Design and Construction Error Mitigation in Infrastructure Projects. Human errors committed during the design and construction process of infrastructure projects increase costs by as much as 25 per cent. The costs associated with such errors would be significantly higher in the event of an engineering failure and loss of life. This research will develop a model that can be used to mitigate errors and improve the performance and safety of infrastructure projects. A reduction in errors will reduce ....Design and Construction Error Mitigation in Infrastructure Projects. Human errors committed during the design and construction process of infrastructure projects increase costs by as much as 25 per cent. The costs associated with such errors would be significantly higher in the event of an engineering failure and loss of life. This research will develop a model that can be used to mitigate errors and improve the performance and safety of infrastructure projects. A reduction in errors will reduce the financial burden placed on taxpayers for cost overruns experienced as well as improve the profitability of organisations. This will lead to greater investment, and contribution to gross domestic product.Read moreRead less
Optimising progress towards elimination of malaria. The project aims to advance mathematical knowledge by developing novel tools appropriate for modelling disease elimination. We will apply these new mathematical tools to the significant problem of malaria elimination in Vietnam. The expected outcomes are new tools for modelling disease elimination on a fine spatial resolution with heterogeneities in individual patient characteristics, calibrating models to household level data on disease transm ....Optimising progress towards elimination of malaria. The project aims to advance mathematical knowledge by developing novel tools appropriate for modelling disease elimination. We will apply these new mathematical tools to the significant problem of malaria elimination in Vietnam. The expected outcomes are new tools for modelling disease elimination on a fine spatial resolution with heterogeneities in individual patient characteristics, calibrating models to household level data on disease transmission and designing intervention strategies for maximum effect on disease transmission. The innovative combination of modelling, inference and optimisation ensures that the mathematical methods developed will be broadly applicable to modelling elimination strategies for other infectious diseases.
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An intelligent machine modelling assistant for combinatorial optimisation. This project aims to discover key fundamental technologies for automating assistance to non-expert users in the formulation of mathematical models. Through automating the modelling of combinatorial optimization problems, this research will generate new knowledge to address the fundamental challenges of automatic mathematical modelling. This intelligent assistant will enable synthesis of new mathematical models through th ....An intelligent machine modelling assistant for combinatorial optimisation. This project aims to discover key fundamental technologies for automating assistance to non-expert users in the formulation of mathematical models. Through automating the modelling of combinatorial optimization problems, this research will generate new knowledge to address the fundamental challenges of automatic mathematical modelling. This intelligent assistant will enable synthesis of new mathematical models through the utilisation of pioneering natural language processing components and novel custom-made machine-readable knowledge bases. The outcome of this research will broaden access to high-quality models by non-expert workforce and alleviate the shortage of expert mathematicians, bringing significant social and economic benefits.Read moreRead less
Large scale nonsmooth, nonconvex optimisation. This project aims to develop, analyse, test and apply (sub) gradient-based methods for solving large scale nonsmooth, nonconvex optimisation problems. Large scale problems with complex nonconvex objective and/or constraint functions are among the most difficult in optimisation. This project will generate new knowledge in numerical optimisation and machine learning. The use of structures and sparsity of large scale problems will lead to the developme ....Large scale nonsmooth, nonconvex optimisation. This project aims to develop, analyse, test and apply (sub) gradient-based methods for solving large scale nonsmooth, nonconvex optimisation problems. Large scale problems with complex nonconvex objective and/or constraint functions are among the most difficult in optimisation. This project will generate new knowledge in numerical optimisation and machine learning. The use of structures and sparsity of large scale problems will lead to the development of better models, and more accurate and robust methods. The expected outcomes of the project are ready-to-implement and apply numerical methods for solving large-scale, nonsmooth, nonconvex optimisation problems, as well as problems in machine learning and regression analysis.Read moreRead less
Decomposition and Duality: New Approaches to Integer and Stochastic Integer Programming. Because of their rich modelling capabilities, integer programs are widely used in industry for decision making and planning. However their solution algorithms do not have the maturity of their cousins in convex optimisation, where the theory of strong duality is ubiquitous. Efficient methods for convex optimisation under uncertainty do not apply to the integer case, which is highly non-convex. Furthermore, i ....Decomposition and Duality: New Approaches to Integer and Stochastic Integer Programming. Because of their rich modelling capabilities, integer programs are widely used in industry for decision making and planning. However their solution algorithms do not have the maturity of their cousins in convex optimisation, where the theory of strong duality is ubiquitous. Efficient methods for convex optimisation under uncertainty do not apply to the integer case, which is highly non-convex. Furthermore, integer models usually assume the data is known with certainty, which is often not the case in the real world. This project will develop new theory and algorithms to enhance the analysis of integer models, including those that incorporating uncertainty, while also enabling the use of parallel computing paradigms. Read moreRead less
Applying search theory for eradicating invasive species. Invasive species have major economic and environmental impacts in Australia and are a major cause of extinctions worldwide. Monitoring is crucial for the timely control of invasive species in sensitive environments. Early detection increases the probability of eradication and increased accuracy in detection reduces the impact of control programs on non-target species. Efficient monitoring also is crucial in determining whether eradication ....Applying search theory for eradicating invasive species. Invasive species have major economic and environmental impacts in Australia and are a major cause of extinctions worldwide. Monitoring is crucial for the timely control of invasive species in sensitive environments. Early detection increases the probability of eradication and increased accuracy in detection reduces the impact of control programs on non-target species. Efficient monitoring also is crucial in determining whether eradication has succeeded. Search Theory has been applied for over 60 years in a wide range of non-biological monitoring problems, resulting in large increases in target detection rates. Gains of a similar magnitude in invasive species detection would greatly enhance Australia's capacity to manage these threats.Read moreRead less
Switching Dynamics Approach for Distributed Global Optimisation . This project aims to create a breakthrough switching dynamics approach and new technology to speed up finding optimal solutions. It will develop a distributed switching dynamics based optimisation scheme for global optimisation problems in industrial big-data environments where timely decision making is required. It will result in a practical technology for industry optimisation problems such as economic energy dispatch in smart g ....Switching Dynamics Approach for Distributed Global Optimisation . This project aims to create a breakthrough switching dynamics approach and new technology to speed up finding optimal solutions. It will develop a distributed switching dynamics based optimisation scheme for global optimisation problems in industrial big-data environments where timely decision making is required. It will result in a practical technology for industry optimisation problems such as economic energy dispatch in smart grids and optimal charging and discharging tasks in a large network of electric vehicles, helping Australian power industry improve efficiency and security, as well as training the next generation scientists and engineers for Australia in this emerging field.Read moreRead less
Footprints in instance space: visualising the suitability of optimisation algorithms. Optimisation problems underpin the efficiency and effectiveness of many critical sectors (e.g., healthcare, manufacturing, and defence). The project will provide both practitioners and researchers with powerful new tools to develop a much more robust understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of a variety of optimisation algorithms.
Mechanism design for next generation random access wireless protocols. Australia is well placed to take the lead in replacing carbon-intensive travel by teleconferencing, because of its isolation and geographic dispersion. Because these large distances introduce inevitable delays, it is important that the network itself add as little delay as possible for such real-time services. Our novel and practical resource allocation scheme will enable Australians (including Australian industries and rural ....Mechanism design for next generation random access wireless protocols. Australia is well placed to take the lead in replacing carbon-intensive travel by teleconferencing, because of its isolation and geographic dispersion. Because these large distances introduce inevitable delays, it is important that the network itself add as little delay as possible for such real-time services. Our novel and practical resource allocation scheme will enable Australians (including Australian industries and rural communities) to receive better service at lower cost. This project will put Australia on the international stage as a leading contributor to wireless Internet technology. We will provide training for PhD students and postdoctoral fellows in this important area.Read moreRead less