Data, Algorithms, Combinatorics, and Optimization

The focus area Data, Algorithms, Combinatorics, and Optimization (DACO) deals with the study of discrete mathematical structures and probabilistic techniques and how they can be exploited algorithmically to design fast optimization procedures or used to analyze models and constructions which arise in data science.

This focus area has a multitude of facets and a strong interdisciplinary character, spanning topics from basic mathematical questions to industrial collaborations. Combinatorics deals with the study of discrete structures like graphs. It has a rich mathematical theory that is interesting in its own and furthermore builds a crucial basis for mathematical optimization algorithms and appear naturally in many problems in data science.

Courses offered by the Institute for Operations Research (IFOR) allow students to build up a strong background on discrete mathematics, probabilistic methods, mathematical optimization, and mathematics of data science and to learn a variety of skills linked to mathematical modelling, the design and analysis of algorithms, and various computational aspects.

The courses offered at the Department of Mathematics within DACO can be found under "Education" on the IFOR website.