Ruth Misener

Ruth Misener is a Professor in the Department of Computing at Imperial College London, where she leads the Computational Optimization Group and holds the BASF/RAEng Research Chair in Data-Driven Optimization (2022–2027). She is affiliated with the Faculty of Engineering and contributes to interdisciplinary research institutes including the Data Science Institute, the Institute for Molecular Science and Engineering, and the Sargent Centre for Process Systems Engineering.

Her research lies at the intersection of numerical optimization, operations research, and machine learning, with applications in chemical engineering, bioprocess optimization, energy systems, and industrial scheduling. She develops global optimization algorithms for mixed-integer nonlinear programs (MINLP), focusing on real-world challenges such as heat recovery network design, petrochemical process optimization, and robust bioreactor operation. A key innovation is her work on optimizing over machine learning surrogates, including tree ensembles and neural networks, enabling data-driven decision-making under uncertainty.

Her recent publications demonstrate a strong trend toward integrating Bayesian optimization with active learning, explainable AI, and industrial applications, particularly in collaboration with BASF, Royal Mail, and Eli Lilly. She develops and maintains open-source optimization tools such as ROmodel, OMLT, and ENTMOOT, which are publicly available on GitHub.

• STEM for Britain acceptance
• Runner-Up Presentation Award at PSE@ResearchDayUK
• Best Quality Poster to Simon Olofsson
• 1st Poster Prize at UK/Ireland Annual Meeting of the Society for Industrial & Applied Mathematics (2018)
• 2nd Poster Prize at Centre for Process Systems Engineering Industrial Consortium Meeting (2017)
• 1st Poster Prize at 2nd PSE@ResearchDayUK (2017)
• 2nd Presentation Prize at Department of Computing Research Associate Symposium (2017)
• Runner-Up for May Hicks Award (via student Natasha Page)

Ruth supervises a dynamic research team and has examined and mentored numerous PhD students, including Jean Kossaifi, Robert Walecki, Alexander Thebelt, and Toby Boyne. She leads major research grants, including the BASF/RAEng Research Chair and the IConIC Prosperity Partnership, and collaborates with industry partners to advance continuous manufacturing and data-driven process optimization. Her team actively disseminates work through open-access publications, video presentations, and social media.