On 6^th August 2025, I travelled from Adelaide to Melbourne to attend the AI-OPT 2025 workshop. This travel was supported by the Travel Grant by OPTIMA. The workshop was held on 7-8 August 2025 in Manhari Room, Melbourne Connect, and was organized to bring together researchers working in the field of optimization across Australia. The workshop was filled with presentations showcasing current research on optimization as well as discussion of research opportunities. This workshop facilitates the participants to build networking and have collaboration across universities in Australia on the optimization field.

As a first-year PhD student, I found this workshop extremely valuable. Through the sessions, I gained a broader perspective on many directions and applications of optimization research. I also learned that optimization is very versatile and impactful, not only in theoretical development, such as black-box optimization, multi-objective optimization, neural networks, scheduling, and Large Language Model, but also can be applied in various fields. Examples presented includes parking lots pricing, drone routing, electric vehicles, optimization for chemotherapy, inventory management, and mining. I also had the opportunity to practice presenting my research, which was both challenging and rewarding.

This workshop also provided an excellent opportunity for me to present my own work. I delivered a talk titled “Traveling Thief Problem with Time Windows”. I learned much about public speaking as well from observing how other speakers did their talks and responded to questions during the Q&A sessions. It is such a good experience to talk in front of experts and peers.

I also like the early career researcher discussion and grant opportunities session, which was particularly insightful for someone at the start of their research journey. Hearing from experienced researcher about their pathways and writing experiences gave me a clearer understanding of how to plan my own research trajectory and seek future funding opportunities. Another highlight was the industry collaboration and grant opportunities session. This session showcased partnerships on optimization research, demonstrating how optimization techniques are applied in real-world. This reinforced the importance of aligning research with practical needs and gave me ideas on how my own work could be made more relevant to potential industry partners.

In addition to formal sessions, the workshop offered many informal networking opportunities. I was able to opportunity to meet many optimization experts and other international PhD students from various universities. These interactions allowed me to share experiences, discuss research challenges, and explore potential collaborations.

Overall, attending the AI-OPT 2025 Workshop has been an enriching experience. It expanded my knowledge, improved my presentation and communication skills, and allowed me to connect with a broader research community. I am deeply grateful for OPTIMA for providing the travel grant that made my participation possible. The workshop has not only enhanced my academic development but has also inspired me to actively engage in the optimization research community in the years ahead. I hope that this kind of workshop will be held continuously so more researchers and students can benefit from the knowledge exchange and collaboration opportunities it offers.

Helen Y. Angmalisang