Robert Hildebrand

Robert Hildebrand is an Assistant Professor in the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech. He holds a Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics from the University of California, Davis (2013). His research focuses on Mixed-Integer Nonlinear Programming, Integer Programming, Complexity Theory, and Redistricting Analytics, with applications in Operations Research and Discrete Geometry. He has received grants from the Air Force Office of Scientific Research and the Office of Naval Research, and the 2019 Sporn Teaching Award.

Education: Ph.D., Applied Mathematics (UC Davis, 2013); B.Sc., Mathematics (University of Puget Sound, 2008). Professional history includes postdoctoral roles at ETH Zurich (2013–2015), IBM Watson Research (2015–2017), and a Simons Institute Fellowship (2017). Current roles include Associate Editor for Discrete Optimization and service on INFORMS committees.

Research interests emphasize theoretical and computational aspects of optimization, with recent work on gerrymandering analysis, robotic assembly optimization, and algorithmic complexity bounds. Notable publications include advancements in integer programming formulations and scheduling algorithms for autonomous systems.

Grants include Virginia Tech's Whole Health Consortium (2024) for veterans' healthcare optimization and an ICTAS Seed Grant for autonomous fleet algorithms (2023). He advises students on topics like rectangle packing and robotic trajectory planning, with former students advancing to doctoral and industry roles.

Labs/Teams: Active in Virginia Tech's FASER Lab (robotics optimization) and collaborates with interdisciplinary groups on redistricting analytics and space exploration technologies.