Ariel Kulik

Ariel Kulik is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management at Ben-Gurion University. He previously held postdoctoral positions at the Technion (hosted by Roy Schwartz) and CISPA (hosted by Dániel Marx). His research focuses on parameterized approximation algorithms, polynomial-time approximation algorithms for resource allocation problems (e.g., knapsack, bin packing, submodular maximization), and algorithmic optimization under constraints.

Education: Ph.D. (2021) in Computer Science from Technion IIT, supervised by Hadas Shachnai; M.Sc. (2011) in Computer Science from Technion, Summa Cum Laude; B.A. (2005) in Mathematics and Computer Science from The Open University, Summa Cum Laude.

Key research areas include parameterized complexity, approximation algorithms for combinatorial optimization problems, and submodular function maximization. His work often addresses knapsack variants, matroid optimization, and the development of efficient approximation methods under budget or structural constraints.

Notable contributions include advancements in FPTAS/FPTAS for budgeted matroid independent sets, parameterized approximation techniques for vector knapsack, and exponential-time approximation algorithms leveraging novel algorithmic frameworks. His research bridges theoretical foundations with practical algorithm design for resource allocation challenges.

He has advised Ph.D. student Ilan Doron-Arad (joint with Hadas Shachnai). His publications span top venues in theoretical computer science and optimization, including FOCS, SODA, ICALP, and Algorithmica.