Thierry Petit

Thierry Petit is an Adjunct Lecturer in the Graduate & Professional Studies department at Worcester Polytechnic Institute (WPI). He holds a Ph.D. in Computer Science from Montpellier University, France, and a 'French habilitation' (HDR). His research focuses on algorithmic approaches to discrete optimization, including Constraint Programming, Artificial Intelligence, and Operations Research. He has significant industry experience, beginning his career at ILOG (now IBM), and has contributed to optimization solvers and applications. He has designed and taught computer science and data science courses in French and American universities, emphasizing problem-solving and programming skills.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Computer Science, Montpellier University, France (2002)
• Habilitation à diriger des recherches (HDR), Université de Nantes, France (2014)

Research Interests: Dr. Petit specializes in constraint-based optimization techniques, including global constraints, constraint decomposition, and solution engineering. His work bridges theoretical advancements (e.g., efficient algorithms for over-constrained problems) with practical applications in scheduling, bioinformatics, and combinatorial optimization. He has also contributed to the development of constraint programming tools and frameworks.

Scientific Awards:

• Best Paper Award at IEEE-ICTAI 2017 for work on constraint linear decompositions.

Advising & Leadership: He has supervised research teams and students in internship and thesis/post-doctorate programs, fostering innovation in education and research management. His collaborative projects align with sustainable development goals, particularly in fostering quality education (SDG 4) and promoting innovation (SDG 9).

Labs & Teams: While no specific lab is mentioned, his contributions to constraint programming and optimization suggest involvement in computational research groups focused on algorithmic methodologies.