Student Profile: Robert Hickingbotham

Robert Hickingbotham

Monash University

Biography

Robert is currently studying a Bachelor of Science and Engineering at Monash University in Melbourne, with an extended major in mathematics, and material engineering. He has previously completed a research project in mathematics which involved looking at Lamplighter Random Walks. His main areas of interest within mathematics is graph theory as well as optimisation. In his spare time, Robert enjoys reading and studying the evidence for Christianity. He intends on undertaking postgraduate studies in mathematics in order to pursue a career in academia.

Splitting integer linear programs with a Lagrangian axe

Lagrangian methods are great for splitting large real-world optimisation problems into more manageable parts. However currently this is normally done manually. This project will look for ways to analyse the mathematical structure of a collection of such optimisation problems to try to automatically find good ways to split problems. The project provides an opportunity to learn about advanced optimisation methods and develop skills in computational mathematics.