Encyclopedia of Optimization

The goal of the Encyclopedia of Optimization is to introduce the reader to a complete set of topics that show the spectrum of research, the richness of ideas, and the breadth of applications that has come from this field.

In 2000, the first edition was widely acclaimed and received high praise. J.B. Rosen crowned it “an indispensable resource” and Dingzhu Du lauded it as “the standard most important reference in this very dynamic research field”. Top authors such as Herbert Hauptman (winner of the Nobel Prize) and Leonid Khachiyan (the Ellipsoid theorist) contributed and the second edition keeps these seminal entries.

The second edition builds on the success of the former edition with more than 150 completely new entries, designed to ensure that the reference addresses recent areas where optimization theories and techniques have advanced. Particularly heavy attention resulted in health science and transportation, with entries such as “Algorithms for Genomics”, “Optimization and Radiotherapy Treatment Design”, and “Crew Scheduling”.

Reviews of the First Edition:

"The five volumes, plus an Index, of the Encyclopedia of Optimization are a major resource for anyone interested in optimization and its many applications . . . these volumes will enable the user to quickly understand and make use of specific methods of optimization, and to apply them to applications of interest. . . . The articles included in this Encyclopedia represent an invaluable source of information for anyone interested in optimization and its applications.”
―Professor J.B. Rosen, Computer Science Department, University of California at San Diego

"This is an extensively comprehensive piece of work that has been compiled by experts in a wide variety of areas throughout the world . . . this collection promises to be a valuable initial source of reference for many years to come.”
―Professor Hanif D. Sherali, Thomas Rice Chaired Professor of Engineering, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

"Without any doubt the publishing of Encyclopedia of Optimization is an outstanding event of scientific life. Scientists can only thank and congratulate the Editors Prof. Floudas and Prof. Pardalos, Advisory Board and more than 400 contributors for perfect realization of this well-timed idea. . . . It will be of interest to researchers, students and managers in a variety of disciplines where the study of optimization and its application is relevant: operations research and management science, economics and finance, control and modeling, logistics and many others. Even historians can find here biographies of selected outstanding researchers in the field of optimization and historical reviews in some articles . . . like a bridge to get to the heart of optimization and serving to disseminate ideas of optimization being an integral part of modern mathematics.”
―Professor Naum Shor, Ukranian Academy of Sciences, Ukraine

"The Encyclopedia of Optimization covers practically all existing areas of optimization. It is essential that modern and recent results are presented by experts and the reader can get the information directly from the ‘horse’s mouth’. This is an essential advantage of the Encyclopedia. . . . it is a very successful publication which can be used by everybody who is involved in research and applications of optimization . . . it can be recommended for university libraries and industrial research institutes.”
―Professor V.F. Demyanov, St. Petersburg State University, Russia

"The Encyclopedia of Optimization is a rich and comprehensive source of information on the many areas of its subject matter. It includes material on discrete, continuous, deterministic, and stochastic optimization problems, and it provides a convenient starting point for further research and exploration of the literature. This should be a very valuable reference work for researchers and practitioners of optimization alike.”
―Professor Dimitri P. Bertsekas, Department of Electrical Engineering, MIT

"I was really overwhelmed when I received this six-volume Encyclopedia of Optimization . . . covers many new fields of optimization in addition to complete discussions about standard topics by active researchers in each field. . . . it should serve as an important reference for all who are involved in the field of optimization, which after more than half a century from its birth, is being applied to more and more difficult, important and practical problems.”
―Professor H. Konno, Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan

"In a world of excessive scientific specialization, it becomes increasingly difficult to stay informed of the many developments in areas related to one’s field of expertise. To close this gap, the Encyclopedia of Optimization aims to provide researchers with simple, clear and up to the state-of-the-art presentations of various aspects in optimization. The five volumes of short papers on all possible topics in optimization, from theory, models and algorithms seem to cover the needs of most researchers. The articles are written by known specialists, and those that I have read met my expectation. I learned the main idea, and get clues to pursue my investigations for deepening my understanding. I am sure that many others will find the collection as useful as I do. . . . the authors were obliged to convey their expertise in two or three pages made each contribution a challenge, and often results in sharp, up-to-the-point papers. Not only useful, but also enjoyable!”
―Professor Jean-Philippe Vial, University of Geneva, Switzerland

"There is no doubt that the Encyclopedia of Optimization will become the standard most important reference in this very dynamic research field. . . . it is a great tool for searching, forming and validating initial ideas, browsing and brainstorming.”
―Professor Ding-Zhu Du, Computer Science Department, University of Minnesota, and Chinese Academy of Sciences

". . . to let you know what a valuable resource I am finding the Encyclopedia of Optimization to be for my students as well as myself. . . an outstanding job and the topics selected are incredibly timely . . . the citations at the end of each subject are very helpful and time saving.”
―Professor Anna Nagurney, Department of Finance and Operations Management, School of Management, University of Massachusetts