Christian Kirches

Christian Kirches is a full professor at the Institute for Mathematical Optimization within the Carl-Friedrich-Gauß-Fakultät (Faculty of Mathematics, Technische Universität Braunschweig). His research focuses on nonlinear optimization, mixed-integer optimal control, and robust optimization for dynamic systems. He was awarded the Klaus-Tschira prize (2011) for public science communication and the Hengstberger prize (2014) for junior researchers, and received an ERC Consolidator Grant (2022) for his work on optimization under uncertainty.

• Alumni of Heidelberg University (Diploma, Doctorate, Habilitation)
• Former resident associate at Argonne National Laboratory and postdoctoral appointee at the University of Chicago
• Leader of a junior research group (2013–2017) at Heidelberg University

His recent publications highlight advancements in mixed-integer nonlinear programming, real-time control systems, and optimization for sustainable energy and transportation. He collaborates with researchers on projects like wind farm control, hydrogen aviation networks, and chromatography process optimization. His methodological work on sum-up rounding, trust-region algorithms, and combinatorial integral approximation has been published in journals such as SIAM Journal on Optimization, Mathematical Programming, and IEEE Control Systems Letters. Kirches also serves as area coordinator for Optimization Online and was associate editor for OR Spectrum (2022–2024).

Scientific Awards:

• Klaus-Tschira Prize (2011)
• Hengstberger Prize (2014)
• ERC Consolidator Grant (2022)

He is an elected member of the COIN-OR initiative and contributes to open-source optimization software. His lab at TU Braunschweig develops algorithms for dynamic systems under uncertainty, with applications in energy management, autonomous traffic, and industrial processes.