Decision Sciences area to host seminar on ‘Proximity-based Approximation Algorithms for Integer Bilevel Programs’ on 14 February
Session to be led by Prof. Sriram Sankaranarayanan, Operations and Decision Sciences, IIM Ahmedabad
6 February, 2025, Bengaluru: The Decision Sciences (DS) area will host a seminar on, ‘Proximity-based Approximation Algorithms for Integer Bilevel Programs’, to be led by Prof. Sriram Sankaranarayanan, Operations and Decision Sciences, IIM Ahmedabad, from 11.30 am to 12.30 pm on 14 February 2025, at Classroom K-11.
Abstract of talk: Bilevel programs model sequential interactions between two players with misaligned objectives and are useful for various games. While efficient algorithms exist when the follower solves a continuous problem, these become significantly harder after introducing integer variables. While these problems are 2p- 
(requiring exponentially many calls to an NP-complete oracle), the researchers propose a constant call algorithm for the special case of minimizing a convex quadratic function over an integer lattice. Using proximity concepts from integer programming, the researchers show that this algorithm provides an additive approximation to the optimal solution. Furthermore, they modify it to run in polynomial time with a bounded approximation loss.
About the speaker: Dr. Sriram Sankaranarayanan is an Assistant Professor in the area of Operations and Decision Sciences at IIM Ahmedabad. He also serves as the Co-chairperson of the Brij Disa Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. His research focuses on two key areas, namely, Algorithm Development for Games, where he develops cutting-edge algorithms to address challenges arising from interactions among multiple firms; and Game-Theoretic Modeling of Supply Chains, where his studies reveal counterintuitive firm behavior under various scenarios and he proposes policies to enhance coordination or improve overall welfare in these systems. His contributions to research have been recognized with the Vidhya Varidhini Education Foundation (VVEF) Outstanding Researcher of the Year Award at IIM Ahmedabad in March 2024.
Decision Sciences area to host seminar on ‘Proximity-based Approximation Algorithms for Integer Bilevel Programs’ on 14 February
Session to be led by Prof. Sriram Sankaranarayanan, Operations and Decision Sciences, IIM Ahmedabad
6 February, 2025, Bengaluru: The Decision Sciences (DS) area will host a seminar on, ‘Proximity-based Approximation Algorithms for Integer Bilevel Programs’, to be led by Prof. Sriram Sankaranarayanan, Operations and Decision Sciences, IIM Ahmedabad, from 11.30 am to 12.30 pm on 14 February 2025, at Classroom K-11.
Abstract of talk: Bilevel programs model sequential interactions between two players with misaligned objectives and are useful for various games. While efficient algorithms exist when the follower solves a continuous problem, these become significantly harder after introducing integer variables. While these problems are 2p- (requiring exponentially many calls to an NP-complete oracle), the researchers propose a constant call algorithm for the special case of minimizing a convex quadratic function over an integer lattice. Using proximity concepts from integer programming, the researchers show that this algorithm provides an additive approximation to the optimal solution. Furthermore, they modify it to run in polynomial time with a bounded approximation loss.
About the speaker: Dr. Sriram Sankaranarayanan is an Assistant Professor in the area of Operations and Decision Sciences at IIM Ahmedabad. He also serves as the Co-chairperson of the Brij Disa Centre for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. His research focuses on two key areas, namely, Algorithm Development for Games, where he develops cutting-edge algorithms to address challenges arising from interactions among multiple firms; and Game-Theoretic Modeling of Supply Chains, where his studies reveal counterintuitive firm behavior under various scenarios and he proposes policies to enhance coordination or improve overall welfare in these systems. His contributions to research have been recognized with the Vidhya Varidhini Education Foundation (VVEF) Outstanding Researcher of the Year Award at IIM Ahmedabad in March 2024.