Hot Research Projects

Listed below are some research topics that I currently want to study. Unfortunately time limitations exists and many of these nice open problems will stay on my "wish list" for some time. These topics may be suitable projects for both serious BSc(Hons) and graduate students. (More information regarding these project areas is available from other links of my home page or by contacting me directly.)

• Explore (adiabatic) quantum computing algorithms for combinatorial hard optimization problems.
• Parallel graph algorithms for both multi-core CPUs or high-performance GPUs.
• Develop "good" construction techniques for generating sparse bounded-degree broadcast graphs.
• Various network design problems: (1) for directed graphs, (2) planar networks, (3) fault-tolerant, (4) symmetric routing protocols, (5) relaxed time, ...
• Find a feasible algorithm for enumerating graphs of bounded pathwidth and treewidth. (E.g., invent canonic forms within the basic t-parse operator/algebraic representations.)
• Compare and invent practical data clustering algorithms. What heuristics work best for different input?
• Experimental testing of heuristics for graph coloring and other hard graph problems.
• Distributed algorithms, possibly using membrane computing models.
• Theory and practice of graph databases.

Several other practical projects are available and I am happy to discuss the possibility of pursuing other topics.

Supervised Student Topics

PhD students

• Chi-Kou Shu. Computing Exact Approximations of a Chaitin Omega Number (with C. Calude), 2003
• Joshua J. Arulanandham. Natural Algorithms (with C. Calude), 2005
• Masoud Khosravani. Searching for Optimal Caterpillars, 2011
• Yum-Bum Kim. Distributed/Molecular computing with P Modules (with R. Nicolescu), 2013
• Kuai Wei. Runtime Analysis of the (1+1) Memetic Algorithms, 2014
• Cecilia Wang, Deep Learning for Computer Vision (with B. Khoussainov), 2022
• Nguyet Thi Nhu Tran. Global Path Planning in Three-dimensional Constrained Spaces (with S. Linz), 2022
• Alec Henderson. Finding Exoplanents by Gravatational Microlensing (with R. Nicolescu), 2022
• Nan Huang. Quantum and Randomness (with C. Calude), 2023
• Richard Hua. Adiabatic Quantum Computing (with C. Calude), 2023
• Jose Manuel Aguero Trejo, Quantum Randumess (with C. Calude), TBA
• Shahrokh Heidari, Quantum Image Processing (with C. Calude and P. Delmas), TBA

MSc students

• Liu Xiong. Vertex Cover Obstructions and a Minor Containment Algorithm
• Zili Deng. Exploiting Parse Trees for Graphs of Bounded Treewidth
• Fang Guo. Finding the Minimum Broadcast Time of Bounded Degree Networks by Backtracking
• Zhou (Joe) Peng. Drawing Graphs of Bounded Treewidth / Pathwidh Treewidth
• Fengjie Wu. A Framework for Memetic Algorithms
• Alfred (Nian) Zhou. The Broadcasting Problem for Bounded-Degree Directed Networks
• Ming Li. A Distributed Graph Algorithm Platform
• Terry W. Johnson. Small World Graphs (with C. Calude)
• Rongwei Lai. Computational Expansion Approach for Network Design
• Lea Chii Deng. The Evolution of Coronaviruses: SARS-CoV and HCov-NL63 (with H. Ross)
• Kai Shang. XML Based Distributed Programming Contest Control (with R. Nicolescu)
• Yun-Bum Kim. Graph Compounding for the (Degree, Diameter) Problem
• Itamar Amith. Test sets and bounded treewidth automata.
• Aisha Fenton. The Bees Algorithm for the Vehicle Routing Problem
• Tania Roblot. The Computation of Finite-State Complexity (with C. Calude)
• Sonny Datt. Membrane Topological Discovery Algorithms for P Systems
• Ralph Versteegen. Computing Obstruction Sets (with M. Conder)
• Andrew Probert. An Algebraic Representation of Branch Decomposition: Algorithms and Applications
• David Elliott. Computing Obstruction Sets for Almost Outerplanar Graphs
• Alex Fowler. QUBO formulations for D-wave (with C. Calude)
• Arash Heidarian. Clustering and Community Mining in Social Networks (with Y.-S. Koh)
• Niu Liu, Constructing Secure Efficient Networks
• Rong Wang. Adiabatic Quantum Computing with QUBO Formulations
• Kai Liu, Solving Optimization Problems Using Adiabatic Quantum Computing

Project and BSc(Hon) students

• Wendy Gong. Infinite games played on finite graphs
• Jianquan (John) Zhang. A linear-time pathwidth algorithm (in C++)
• Haobi Wang. Broadcasting heuristics and planar networks
• Liu Xiong. A CGI-based research report presentation system
• Wenxiang (David) Deng. Testing a fixed-parameter vertex cover algorithm
• See Mu Kim. User friendly interface for maintaining BibTex databases
• Huanming Gu. Depth-first tidy layout algorithm for trees
• Qinghu (Alex) Zeng. Complexity aspects of network design
• Lisa Chen. Latex exercise answer book development and typesetting
• Xiaomin Wang. An algorithm for enumerating all maximum matchings in bipartite graphs
• Qiaosheng Shi. An instructional automata library
• Yiguo (Oliver) Yango. Grid assisted graph drawing
• Lester Tan. An assignment submissions and marking system (with R. Nicolescu)
• So (Sophia) Young Park Lee. A conference submission web server (MySQL/PHP)
• Simona Dragomir. Register machines study (with C. Calude)
• Danhong (Jessica) Qu. A platform independent archiving tool
• Tudor (Eugen) Cristea. Technical report server front-end organizer (JSP/Tomcat/XML)
• Jacky Wing Wai Wan. An implementation of update networks algorithms
• Jarrett Walsh. Automata for graph minors
• Jane He. Programming contest projects
• Nordira Khoussainova. Java based implementation of finite automata algorithms
• Rongwei Lai. Properties of vertex cover obstructions
• Aisha Fenton. Restricted broadcast graphs and dominating set algorithms
• Wang Renfeng. Project on quantum randomness (with C. Calude)
• Yingnan (Ivy) Jiang. Simplified register machine simulator (with C. Calude)
• John Deverall. Websites, a catalyst for student club participation?
• Matthew Steel. Fault-tolerant network design
• Alastair Abbott. Graph drawing of Cayley graphs
• Samuel Melese. Improved shortest paths algorithm (with Geoff Leyland)
• Jeremy Clive Read. Hybrid treemap algorithms
• Mikhail Gouline. Solviing NP-complete combinatorial problems using bee colonies.
• Danver Braganza. Academic graph library developed in Python
• Konstantine Schauwecker. Ipe motivated GUI interface for GraphTex
• Naraj Datt. Graph contaiment algorithms
• Rosie Nan Ke. Magic sequences and characterizations
• Ronald P.M. Chan. Algorithms for vertex-weighted graphs
• Graham Reihana. Experimentations on arithmetic progression graphs
• Nadia Kasto. Compressed register machine language and Omega (with C. Calude)
• Anatonia Modkova. First place elimination (network flow approach)
• Ralph Versteegen. Tree decompositions of Hypercube graphs (with J. Sneddon)
• Andrew Probert. A parallelized algorithm for processing graphs of bounded treewidth
• Jesse Kershaw. Parallel FPT algorithm for the k-Vertex Cover problem on a GPU device
• Rong Wang. Information distribution in networks
• Deqi Li. Contraction Hierarchies Algorithm: implementation and experiments
• Zongcheng (Lucas) Yang. New parallel broadcast algorithm
• Yiran (Ryan) Tao. Using GPU to solve difficult computational problems
• Laurence McFarlane. Embedding bounded treewidth graphs into the D-wave computer architecture
• Charles Auger. A database of interesting graphs within a graph database
• Yicheng (Daniel) Shi. Improvements to domjudge contest system
• Atiqah Dinon. Hueristic algorithms for graph embeddings
• Jinming He. Similarity detection in Python programming assignments
• David Dai. Vertex Cover on D-Wave quantum computer (with C. Calude)
• Zongcheng Yang. Graph embedding research for D-Wave computer architecture
• Amogh Shetty. Quantum computing and its applications in machine learning
• Eric Cheyne, Code similarity detection as an application of applied algorithmics
• Yan Koleshitskiy. Experimental results on D-Wave (with A. Nies)
• Ocean Wu. Discrete optimizations for the Minimum Broadcasting Time problem (with P. Riddle, M. Barley)
• Domonik Roje. QUBO formulations for Maximum Common Subgraph problems (with C. Calude)
• Siyuan Liu. Implementations of a Heuristic Minor-Embedding Algorithm for D-wave Architecture
• Jinglu Xu. Dynamic automarker scoreboard and random test cases
• Max Isbey. Python heap improvements and other data structure experiments.