Mr. Nicolas Bonifas
Ecole Polytechnique, Paris and IBM Ilog
Photo albums:

CLASS LECTURE I:: Basics of Constraint-based Scheduling

Abstract:

We will introduce a framework in which to model a very generic class of scheduling problems using constraint programming, and explain why scheduling is one of the most successful application of constraint programming. We will also give a brief introduction to the modeling paradigm used in the IBM Ilog CP Optimizer solver.

Required reading: Philippe Laborie and Jerome Rogerie. Reasoning with Conditional Time-Intervals. FLAIRS conference, 555-560. 2008.

Recommended reading:

CLASS LECTURE II: Propagating the Cumulative Constraint

Abstract:

The cumulative constraint is at the heart of constraint-based scheduling and is one of the most famous global constraint. We will give an overview of the different propagation techniques for the cumulative constraint, exposing the trade-offs between propagation speed and propagation strength.

Required reading: Abder Aggoun and Nicolas Beldiceanu. Extending chip in order t\ o solve complex scheduling and placement problems. Math. Comput. Model., 17(7):57-73, April 1993.

Recommended reading:

Biographical information:

Nicolas Bonifas is an alumni of the Ecole Normale Superieure de Lyon, France and currently a Ph.D. student at the Ecole Polytechnique, Paris, France under the supervision of Prof. Philippe Baptiste and at IBM Ilog where he works in the CP Optimizer group with Dr. Philippe Laborie, Dr. Jerome Rogerie, and Dr. Petr Vilim. His background is in mathematics and computer science with a deep interest in optimization. He especially likes using strong theory to solve practical problems. He has also been working on theoretical topics in optimization, notably on bounding the diameter of polytopes and on combinatorial and geometrical properties of Euclidean lattices.