Start
Feb 21, 2016 - 10:00
End
Feb 21, 2016 - 11:00
Venue
Room 240 Chemical Engineering
Event Type
Speaker
Dr. Urmila Diwekar from Vishwamitra Research Institute USA
Title
BONUS Algorithm for Large Scale Stochastic Nonlinear Programming Problems with Applications to Energy and Environment.
Abstract: Stochastic programming problems are very difficult to solve as they involve optimization as well as uncertainty analysis. Algorithms for solving large-scale nonlinear stochastic programming problems are very few in number as are the engineering applications of these problems. This seminar introduces an algorithm for large-scale stochastic nonlinear problems for both open equation systems and black box models. This algorithm is the Better Optimization of Nonlinear Uncertain Systems (BONUS) algorithm. Real-world applications of these algorithms in the areas of energy and environmental engineering are also detailed. Speaker bio: Dr. Urmila Diwekar is currently President of the Vishwamitra Research Institute (VRI www.vri-custom.org) a non-profit research organization that she founded in 2004 to pursue multidisciplinary research in the areas of Optimization under Uncertainty and Computer aided Design applied to Energy Environment and Sustainability. From 2002-2004 she was a Professor in the Departments of Chemical Engineering Bio Engineering and Industrial Engineering and in the Institute for Environmental Science and Policy at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). From 1991-2002 she was on the faculty of the Carnegie Mellon University with early promotions to both the Associate and the Full Professor level. In chemical engineering she has worked extensively in the areas of simulation design optimization control stochastic modeling and synthesis of chemical processes. She has made major contributions to research on batch distillation and this work is well recognized. She has also made productive contributions in fields as diverse as advanced power systems sustainability environmental management nuclear waste disposal molecular modeling pollution prevention renewable energy systems and biomedical engineering. She is the author of more than 155 peer-reviewed research papers and has given over 325 presentations and seminars and has chaired numerous sessions in national and international meetings. She has been the principal advisor to 40 Ph.D. and M.S. students and has advised 13 post-doctoral fellows and researchers. She has won several awards in her professional career including Cecil Award for Environmental Chemical Engineering from the Environmental Division of AIChE the Thiele award for outstanding contributions to chemical engineering the prestigious Energy and Sustainability award of the AIChE.