School of Mathematical & Statistical Sciences Colloquium

Speaker: Kaisa Miettinen, University of Jyvaskyla- Finland, Industrial Optimization Group, Faculty of Information Technology

Title: Introduction Multiobjective Optimization: Some Interactive Methods

Abstract: Optimization problems typically have several conflicting objective functions to be optimized simultaneously and we need multiobjective optimization methods to solve them. Because of the conflict, there are many so-called Pareto optimal solutions with different trade-offs among the objectives and we need additional preference information from a decision maker to find the most preferred solution.
We characterize different classes of multiobjective optimization methods and concentrate on interactive ones, where the decision maker takes actively part in the solution process. The NIMBUS method has been widely utilized and Pareto Navigator directed at computationally expensive problems. The NAUTILUS method family questions starts from the worst possible objective function values and proceeds without the need of trading off. Finally, NAUTILUS-Navigator hybridizes the two methods for computationally expensive problems. We also share some experiences in solving real problems and outline our thematic research area DEMO focusing on data-driven decision support.

Short bio: Kaisa Miettinen is Professor of Industrial Optimization of the University of Jyvaskyla.  Her research interests include theory, methods, applications and software of nonlinear multiobjective optimization including interactive and evolutionary approaches. She heads the Research Group on Industrial Optimization and is the director of the thematic research area Decision Analytics utilizing Causal Models and Multiobjective Optimization (DEMO).  She has authored over 160 refereed journal, proceedings and collection papers, edited 14 proceedings, collections and special issues and written a monograph Nonlinear Multiobjective Optimization. She is a member of the Finnish Academy of Science and Letters and the Immediate-Past President of the International Society on Multiple Criteria Decision Making (MCDM). She belongs to the editorial boards of six international journals and the Steering Committee of Evolutionary Multi-Criterion Optimization. She has worked at International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis in Austria, KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden and Helsinki School of Economics in Finland. In 2017, she received the Georg Cantor Award of the International Society on MCDM for independent inquiry in developing innovative ideas.