Department of Computer Science

Meet Alexander Leguizamón-Robayo - new Ph.D. student in the DEIS group

Meet Alexander Leguizamón-Robayo - new Ph.D. student in the DEIS group

Please welcome Alexander Leguizamón-Robayo who will be joining the Department of Computer Science as a Ph.D. student in the DEIS group as of January 1, 2022.

Last modified: 20.12.2021

DESCRIBE YOUR RESEARCH AREA AND FOCUS

I started doing control and optimization for chemical processes in an area called process systems engineering. This is a mix of computer science, applied mathematics and control engineering used to solve problems in the (bio)chemical industry. Later, I decided to strengthen my theoretical foundations and decided to pursue a masters in pure mathematics. The focus of it was the area of differential geometry, in particular the study of vector bundles and Poisson geometry. One way of thinking about these areas is to consider all the possible trajectories of a mechanical system at the same time, instead of studying only one at a time as one does in undergrad.

My research is a mix between mathematics and computer science. The main aim of my research is finding ways to translate constructions from theoretical mathematics into efficient algorithms. This provides a way for professionals of other disciplines to leverage tools from advanced mathematics in their work without needing to know all the details involved.

PROJECTS YOU ARE/WILL BE INVOLVED IN?

I will be working under the supervision of Prof. Max Tschaikowski in the project called “Continuous-time models for machine learning”. The main aim of this project is to propose efficient reduction algorithms that preserve optimality.

Let us consider an example: suppose you have a vehicle with 1000 levers and you want to use them to move this vehicle from point A to point B using the minimum amount of fuel possible. A reduction algorithm allows you to obtain a smaller number of levers, say 500, such that the vehicle can be operated with those 500 levers as if we were using the initial 1000 levers. If the reduction algorithm preserves optimality, then the route found using the smaller amount of levers that consumes the minimum amount of fuel is the same as the route found if we had used the original 1000 levers.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE TO CONTINUE YOUR CAREER AT AALBORG UNIVERSITY?

The way the project combines theory and applications was my primary motivation. At Aalborg, there is a strong international community, which I am looking forward to experience. Last but not least, I want to gain pedagogic insights from the Problem Based method.

FUN AND OTHER FACTS?

I like martial arts, learning languages, walking in nature and playing guitar.

CONTACT INFO

aleguizamonr@gmail.com

alexaleg.github.io

GOOGLE SCHOLAR PROFILE

Alexander Leguizamón-Robayo

Department of Computer Science, Aalborg University

Selma Lagerlöfs Vej 300
9220 Aalborg East, Denmark

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