Background

Professional Appointments

Education

  • Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (minor in Mathematics), MIT, September, 2011.
  • S.M. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, MIT, 2008.
  • B.S. in Electrical Engineering, University of Maryland, 2006.
  • B.S. in Mathematics, University of Maryland, 2006.

Selected Distinctions

  • The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers (2019)
  • Sloan Fellowship in Computer Science (2017)
  • Egon Balas Prize in Optimization (2024)
  • Distinguished Teaching Award of the Princeton School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (2023)
  • Young Researchers Prize of the INFORMS Optimization Society (2018)
  • Multidisciplinary University Research Initiative (MURI) award (2018)
  • The Innovation Award of the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (2018)
  • Phi Beta Kappa Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching (2017)
    Awarded annually to two professors across Princeton University
  • DARPA Young Faculty Award (2017)
  • Google Faculty Research Award (2016)
  • NSF CAREER (2016-2021)
  • Best SICON Paper Prize (2015)
    For one of two most outstanding papers in SIAM J. on Control and Optimization during 2013-2015.
  • Plenary Speaker, SIAM Conference on Optimization (2021)
  • Plenary Speaker, Colombian Conference on Applied and Industrial Mathematics (2022)
  • Princeton University's Howard B. Wentz, Jr. Junior Faculty Award (2016) for excellence in research and teaching.
  • Distinguished Teaching Award of the Princeton School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (2023)
  • Excellence in Teaching of Operations Research Award of the Institute for Industrial and Systems Engineers (2017)
  • Teaching Award of the Princeton Engineering Council (four-time recipient, Fall 2014, Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2023)
    For ORF 363/COS323, "Computing and Optimization"
  • AFOSR YIP (2014-2017)
    Office of Scientific Research Young Investigator Program Award (AF career award)
  • INFORMS Computing Society Prize (2012)
    For best series of papers at the interface of Operations Research and Computer Science
  • IBM Watson Herman Goldstine Fellowship in Mathematical Sciences (2012,2013)
    Awarded annually to at most two candidates in all areas of mathematical and computer sciences.
    Only one fellowship awarded in 2012.
  • Best Paper Award (2013)
    30th IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA)
  • NSF Junior Oberwolfach Fellowship  (2015)
  • NSF Junior Oberwolfach Fellowship (2014) 
  • AMS-Simons Travel Award (2012-2014)
  • Best Student-Paper Award Finalist, 47th IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (2008)
  • Young Engineer Prize, 1st Place Award, Washington Society of Engineers (2006)
  • Best undergraduate technical paper, 1st Prize, District of Columbia Council of Eng. (2006)

Current Research Interests

  • Optimization: Algebraic methods in optimization, semidefinite programming, polynomial optimization.
  • Computational aspects of dynamics and control: Optimization-based Lyapunov theory for verification of dynamical systems.
  • Control-oriented learning: Learning dynamical systems from trajectory observations subject to side information.
  • Algorithms and complexity: Computational complexity in numerical optimization, convex relaxations in combinatorial optimization.
  • I am also interested in applications of these tools to semialgebraic problems in systems theory, machine learning, portfolio management, robotics, and mathematical economics.

A popular-science description of some research papers

Curriculum Vitae & Bio