Sven Polak

Sven Polak is an Assistant Professor at Tilburg University in the Department of Econometrics and Operations Research, part of the Tilburg School of Economics and Management. He holds a PhD in Mathematics from the University of Amsterdam (2019) and a Master's in Dutch Law from the same institution (2017). Prior to his academic role, he worked as an operations research engineer at ORTEC and as a postdoctoral researcher at Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica (CWI) in Amsterdam. His research focuses on the intersection of discrete mathematics and optimization, particularly convex relaxations, algebraic techniques, and coding theory.

Polak's educational background includes a Bachelor's in Mathematics from the University of Amsterdam (2012) and advanced studies in algebraic geometry and combinatorics. His research interests span semidefinite programming, combinatorial optimization, graph theory, and applications in coding and queueing systems. He has taught courses on linear algebra, operations research methods, and networks and semidefinite programming at the PhD level.

His work has been published in leading journals such as Mathematical Programming, Quantum, and SIAM Journal on Applied Algebra and Geometry. He actively participates in academic conferences, presenting on topics like crossing numbers, mutually unbiased bases, and computational complexity. Polak also maintains an interest in running, with notable achievements recorded in his World Athletics profile.