Dr Jeffrey Christiansen
OPTIMA Research Fellows
Dr Jeffrey Christiansen is an OPTIMA research fellow based at Melbourne Connect. He received his PhD from RMIT University in 2019, focusing on developing algorithms to solve discrete stochastic optimisation problems. Jeffrey’s other research and teaching interests include metaheuristics, integer programming, and combinatorial optimisation, including both theoretical advancements and practical implementation.
Dr Jip J. Dekker
OPTIMA Research Fellows
Jip is an OPTIMA research fellow based at Monash University’s Faculty of Information Technology, in the Department of Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. His research focuses on programming languages and tools to model and solve combinatorial optimisation problems. In particular, his research has involved the improved implementation and optimisation of the MiniZinc constraint modelling language and the creation of advanced interfaces to different types of solving technologies. Jip works with OPTIMA CIs Professor Peter Stuckey and Assoc. Professor Guido Tack.
Dr Mario Andrés Muñoz
OPTIMA Research Fellows
Dr Mario Andrés Muñoz’s research focuses primarily on understanding what makes a problem easy or hard for an optimization or machine learning method, through scientific experimentation, visualization, predictive modelling, and statistical inference techniques. With a keen interest in interdisciplinary work, he has published in fields as diverse as Biomechanics, Power Networks, Resources Engineering, Corporate Social Responsibility, and Computational Biology. He received his PhD from The University of Melbourne in 2014. Prior to joining OPTIMA, he was a Research Fellow at the School of Mathematics and Statistics, The University of Melbourne. He has published over 50 papers, including 20 articles in leading journals, and currently co-supervises five PhD students. He is the main developer of the MATILDA computational engine for Instance Space Analysis.