Homepage of Carola Doerr (formerly Winzen)

photo of Carola Doerr

Carola Doerr
Sorbonne University
(formerly Université Pierre et Marie Curie - Paris 6)
LIP6, équipe Recherche Opérationnelle
case 169, 4 place Jussieu
75252 Paris Cedex 05
France

Email: Carola [dot] Doerr "at" lip6.fr
Phone: 0033 (0)1 44 27 70 64

Selected Recent Activities and News

Research Interests

  • Mathematical and empirical aspects of iterative optimization heuristics (aka randomized search heuristics) such as local search algorithms, evolutionary algorithms, and other black-box optimization techniques
    At the moment, I am particularly interested in online algorithm configuration and different aspects of benchmarking.
  • Black-box complexity, aka randomized query complexity
  • Randomized and quasi-randomized algorithms in general
  • Geometric discrepancies, in particular computational aspects of the star discrepancy

Publications

A complete list of publications can be found here.
My Google scholar profile and the dblp entry are more or less complete (as far as dblp is complete, note that it does not list some of the works on discrepancies nor some of the book chapters).
For all other data bases, please note that they are usually incomplete because of the change of my family name in 2012.

Teaching and Student Supervision

Courses:

PostDocs:

  • Hao Wang (01/2020-08/2020, now Assistant professor at LIACS, Leiden University, NL)

PhD Students:

  • Co-Advisor of PhD student Diederick Vermetten (Leiden University, 01/2020-).
    Subject: Combined Algorithm Selection and Configuration
    Co-supervising with with Thomas Bäck
  • Co-Advisor of PhD student Quentin Renau (02/2019-).
    Subject: Artificial Intelligence for the Configuration of Sensor Networks
    CIFRE thesis with Thales Research, co-supervised with Johann Dreo and Benjamin Doerr.
  • Advisor of PhD student Anja Jankovic (10/2018-).
    Subject: Online Algorithm Configuration
    Funded by an EDITE scholarship.
  • Co-Advisor of PhD student Furong Ye (10/2017-).
    Subject: Discrete Optimization Benchmarking
    PhD student at Leiden University, co-supervising with Thomas Bäck
  • Co-Advisor of PhD student Jing Yang (10/2015-09/2018).
    Title of her PhD thesis: From a Complexity Theory of Evolutionary Computation to Superior Randomized Search Heuristics
    PhD student at Ecole Polytechnique, co-supervised with Benjamin Doerr.

Bachelor/Master Students and PhD interns:

  • Co-Advisor of Master student Dominik Schröder (Leiden University, 07/2020-04/2021).
    Title of the project: Dynamic algorithm selection for continuous black-box optimization (joint with Thomas Bäck and Hao Wang)
  • Co-Advisor of Master student Amine Aziz-Alaoui (ISAE-SUPAERO, summer 2020).
    Title of the project: Automated Algorithm Design using Exploratory Landscape Analysis (joint with Benjamin Doerr and Johann Dreo)
  • Advisor of Master student Andy Rabetafika (ISAE-SUPAERO, summer 2020).
    Title of the project: Machine learning and discrepancy theory (joint with Benjamin Doerr and Johann Dreo)
  • Advisor of Master student Raphaël Cosson (MPRI, Paris Diderot Univ., summer 2019).
    Title of the project: Online Configuration of Heuristic Optimization Algorithms
  • Co-Advisor of Master student Vincent Aubry (MPRI, ENS, summer 2019).
    Title of the project: Query Complexity of Mastermind (joint with Benjamin Doerr)
  • Co-Advisor of Master student Anissa Kheireddine (Sorbonne University, summer 2019).
    Title of the project: Dynamic Algorithm Configuration for Interactive Learning (joint with Thibaut Lust)
  • Co-Advisor of Master student Diederick Vermetten (Leiden University, summer 2019).
    Title of the project: Online Selection of CMA-ES Variants (joint with Thomas Bäck)
  • Advisor of student intern Nathan Buskulic (Sorbonne University, summer 2018).
    Title of the project: Optimal Evolutionary Algorithms with Dynamic Parameters
  • Co-Advisor of Master student Anja Jankovic (Sorbonne University, summer 2018).
    Title of the project: Randomness in Scheduling (joint with Fanny Pascual and Nguyễn Kim Thắng)
  • Advisor of Master student Eduardo Carvalho Pinto (MPRI, Ecole Polytechnique, summer 2017).
    Title of the project: Self-Adjusting Parameter Choices for Discrete Black-Box Optimization
  • Co-Advisor of Master student Jing Yang (Ecole Polytechnique, summer 2015).
    Title of the project: Tight Bounds for the Unbiased Black-Box Complexity of OneMax (joint with Benjamin Doerr)
  • Co-Advisor of Master student Axel de Perthuis de Laillevault (Ecole Polytechnique, summer 2014).
    Title of the project: Evolutionary Algorithms with Iterated Initial Sampling (joint with Benjamin Doerr)
  • Co-Advisor of the Master student Franziska Ebel (MPI, defended spring 2013).
    Title of the thesis: Lessons from the Black-Box: Fast Crossover-Based Genetic Algorithms (joint with Benjamin Doerr)
  • Advisor of PhD student intern G. Ramakrishna (MPI, summer 2012).
    Title of the project: Computing Minimum Cycle Bases in Graphs of Bounded Treewidth
  • Advisor of Master student Vijay Ingalalli (MPI, defended autumn 2011).
    Title of the thesis: Evolutionary Algorithms to Compute Lower Bounds for the Star Discrepancy
  • Co-Advisor of student intern Jong-Hyun Lee (MPI, winter 2011/12).
    Title of the project: Playing Mastermind with Constant Size Memory (joint with Benjamin Doerr and Reto Spöhel)

Academic Activities and Services to the Community

Selected Projects and Funding

  • COST action 15140 on Improving Applicability of Nature-Inspired Optimisation by Joining Theory and Practice (ImAppNIO)
    (2016-2020, vice chair and member of STSM and ITC grants selection committee)
  • DIM RFSI project Optimization Meets Systems Biology (Opt4SysBio), joint with Benno Schwikowski from Institut Pasteur.
    (2020-2022, PI)
  • Projet émergent of the Réseau Francilien en sciences informatiques on Automated Algorithm Selection for Discrete Black-Box Optimization (AlgoSelect)
    (2019-2021, PI)
  • Projet émergent of the Réseau Francilien en sciences informatiques on Online Configuration of Heuristic Optimization Algorithms
    (2018-2019, PI)
  • "`Projets de recherche conjoints"' (PRC CNRS/RFBR) project, joint with Benjamin Doerr, for collaboration with Arina Buzdalova and Maxim Buzdalov from ITMO University, Russia on Theoretical Foundation of Dynamic Parameter Selection for Randomized Optimization Heuristics
    (2020-2022, French PI)
  • Project of the LIP6 laboratory on interactive multi-objective optimization
    (2019, co-PI, together with Thibaut Lust)
  • Projects funded by PGMO, Fondation Mathématique Jacques Hadamard (FMJH) and/or Labex Mathématique Hadamard (LMH):
    • 2020: Understanding and Developing Evolutionary Algorithms via Mathematical Runtime Analyses (member)
    • 2019: Passive Radar Coverage Optimization (member)
    • 2018: Analysis of Evolutionary Algorithms: Beyond Expected Optimization Times (PI)
    • 2017: Self-Adjusting Parameter Choices in Heuristic Optimization (PI)
    • 2016: Parameter Optimization via Drift Analysis (PI)
    • 2015: How Randomness Helps in Scheduling Problems (member)
    • 2014: Towards a Complexity Theory for Black Box Optimization (PI)
  • Feodor Lynen Research Fellowship for Postdoctoral Researchers of the Alexander von Humboldt foundation
    (2012-2013, PostDoc grant, originally obtained for 2 years, but in 2013 I have been appointed the CNRS position)
  • Google Europe Fellowship in Randomized Algorithms
    (2010-2011, PhD grant (covered salary and travel expenses))

Recent Visitors

  • 03/2020: 3 weeks, Tome Eftimov, Jožef Stefan Institute, Slovenia
  • 02/2020: 1 month, Elena Raponi, University of Camerino, Italy
  • 11/2019: 2 weeks, Markus Wagner, Adelaide, Australia
  • 11/2019: 2 days, Hao Wang and Diederick Vermetten, LIACS, Leiden, The Netherlands
  • 09/2019: Michael Gnewuch, Osnabrück, Germany
  • 05/2019, 2 weeks: Frank Neumann, Adelaide, Australia
  • 05/2019, 1 week: Aneta Neumann, Adelaide, Australia
  • 02/2019, 1 week: Ofer M. Shir, Tel-Hai College and Migal-Galilee Research Institute, Israel
  • 11/2018, 3 days: Diederick Vermetten, LIACS, Leiden, The Netherlands
  • 11/2018, 1 week: Naama Horesh, Migal-Galilee Research Institute, Israel
  • 11/2018, 1 day: Luca Mossina, ISAE-SUPAERO, Toulouse
  • 11/2018, 1 day: Emmanuel Rachelson, ISAE-SUPAERO, Toulouse
  • 11/2018, 1 week: Johannes Lengler, ETH Zurich, Switzerland
  • 09/2018, 1 day: Arina Buzdalova and Maxim Buzdalov, ITMO University, St. Petersburg, Russia
  • 09/2018, 1 week: Nguyen Dang, St. Andrews, UK
  • 06/2018, 10 days: Markus Wagner, Adelaide, Australia
  • 05/2018, 3 weeks: Frank Neumann, Adelaide, Australia. invited professor
  • 05/2018, 1 week: Aneta Neumann, Adelaide, Australia

Short CV

Page last modified: October 3, 2020.