Latest Academic Works
Evolutionary algorithms for optimizing pessimistic bilevel problems and min-max problems
This thesis investigates two distinct but related optimization problems: bilevel and minmax problems, in the context of evolutionary algorithms (EAs). Bilevel optimization involves hierarchical decision-making, where decisions at the upper level are subject to constraints defined by the solutions of an optimization problem at the lower level. These problems are …
Representing and exploiting benchmarking data for optimisation and learning
The rapid advancements in Machine Learning (ML) and Black-Box Optimization (BBO) have led to an increased reliance on benchmarking data for evaluating and comparing algorithms across diverse domain tasks. However, the effective exploitation of this data is hindered by challenges such as syntactic variability, semantic ambiguity, and lack of standardization. …
Autonomous generation of robot behaviour for effective task execution
The pursuit of autonomous robot learning is aimed at enabling robots to seamlessly integrate into our daily lives, enhancing our efficiency and convenience. On the other hand, in the industrial sector, autonomous robot learning plays a vital role in keeping up with the rapidly evolving market demands. As products and …
Development and employment of untargeted and targeted tools for virus detection in the frame of water-based epidemiology
Traditional methods of studying viruses are limited in their ability to detect novel pathogens, but recent advances in high-throughput sequencing (HTS) are changing that. HTS allows researchers to probe deeply into the virome of various hosts and environments, identifying known and unknown viral species. However, a targeted approach, like quantitative …
Towards understanding the impact of problem landscapes in numerical black-box optimization
In optimization, it is well known that algorithm performance is dependent on the problem being solved. As a consequence of this, achieving good optimization results requires correctly matching an optimization problem to a specific optimization algorithm that performs well on that problem. For this to be possible, knowledge of both …
Lead magnesium niobate titanate thick films prepared by aerosol deposition method
The miniaturization of electronic devices requires the fabrication of functional components in the form of μm-sized thick films. Some of the most promising functional materials are relaxor-ferroelectric (1-x)Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3–xPbTiO3 (PMN–100xPT), as they exhibit versatile dielectric, piezoelectric and relaxor-ferroelectric properties. However, the integration of functional ceramic thick films with non-conventional substrates such …
Surfaces and interfaces in the growth of SrTiO3 on Si by pulsed laser deposition
SrTiO3 (STO) thin films are used as buffer layers that enable epitaxial integration of various functional oxides with silicon. When pulsed laser deposition (PLD) is used to grow STO on Si, a thin amorphous layer is formed at the STO-Si interface that limits the use of such heterostructures in certain …
Laser Ablation - Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (LA-ICPMS) - Fundamental Study of Ablation and Deposition Processes
Laser ablation (LA) is a versatile technique that can be used for the elemental analysis of diverse materials as well as for synthesis purposes, i.e. for pulsed laser deposition (PLD) of a wide range of materials. Analysis and synthesis will only be successful if the ablated material can be stoichiometrically …