Matthias Koeppe

Matthias Koeppe is a Professor of Mathematics at the University of California, Davis, with additional appointments as a Faculty Member in Applied Mathematics, Computer Science graduate programs, UC Davis TETRAPODS Institute of Data Science (UCD4IDS), and as a Faculty Affiliate at the UC Davis Center for Data Science and Artificial Intelligence Research (CeDAR) and UC Davis DataLab. His work uniquely bridges theoretical mathematics with practical software implementation, focusing on optimization and discrete mathematics.

Dr. Koeppe completed his academic education at Otto-von-Guericke-Universität Magdeburg, earning his Ph.D. in Mathematics in 2002 with a dissertation titled "Exact Primal Algorithms for General Integer and Mixed-Integer Linear Programs," advised by Robert Weismantel. His academic journey progressed from Researcher at Otto-von-Guericke University (2003-2008) to Assistant Professor (2008-2010), Associate Professor (2010-2012), and Full Professor (2012-present) at UC Davis.

Professor Koeppe's research centers on mathematical optimization (particularly integer programming), computational discrete mathematics, and mathematical software development. His seminal contributions include extensive work on the Gomory-Johnson infinite group problem, cut-generating functions, and rational generating functions for integer programming. He has developed several critical software packages including LattE integrale for lattice point enumeration, 4ti2 for algebraic computations, and cutgeneratingfunctionology for cut-generating function research. As the lead developer of SageMath since 2015 (where he is the #1 contributor by authored commits), and creator of passagemath (a pip-installable modularized fork) since October 2024, he has significantly advanced mathematical computation accessibility.

His publication record shows a clear evolution from foundational integer programming algorithms to specialized areas like multi-row cuts and generating function methods, with recent emphasis on software implementation and accessibility. The work consistently demonstrates how theoretical advances can be translated into practical computational tools.

• Fakultätspreis 2000 for the best diploma thesis, Department of Mathematics, Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg
• GOR Dissertation Award 2003 of the German Operations Research Society (GOR)
• Fakultätspreis 2003 for the best dissertation, Department of Mathematics, Otto-von-Guericke University of Magdeburg

Professor Koeppe has mentored numerous doctoral students including Amitabh Basu (now at Johns Hopkins), Robert Hildebrand (Virginia Tech), Brandon Dutra (Google), Yuan Zhou (University of Kentucky), Jiawei Wang (Uber), and Chun Yu Hong (Google). His research has been supported by multiple NSF grants including "High-performance computations with rational generating functions" (2009-2013), "Infinite-dimensional relaxations of mixed-integer optimization problems" (2013-2017), and "Collaborative Research: Next-Generation Cutting Planes" (2020-2025).

As the lead developer of SageMath and founder of passagemath, Professor Koeppe directs substantial software development efforts that have created essential infrastructure for mathematical research worldwide. His workgroup at UC Davis combines deep theoretical investigation with practical software engineering, fostering an environment where mathematical theory directly informs computational practice and vice versa, making significant contributions to both academic research and practical applications in optimization.