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James Ostrowski

Dan Doulet Faculty Fellow, Professor, Associate Department Head and Director of Graduate Studies

James Ostrowski

Contact Information

525D John D. Tickle Engineering Building,
817 Neyland Drive,
Knoxville, TN 37996-2315

Phone
865-974-7657

Email
[email protected]

Links
Google Scholar
ORCID

Research Areas

  • Quantum computing and quantum optimization algorithms (QAOA, quantum imaginary time evolution)
  • Combinatorial and integer optimization
  • Symmetry exploitation in mathematical programming
  • Power systems optimization (unit commitment, microgrids, transmission switching)
  • Machine learning theory (symmetry-invariant neural networks)
  • Network flow optimization
  • Stochastic and risk-informed optimization

Biography

James Ostrowski is a Professor and Associate Department Head in the Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. He earned his Ph.D. in Industrial Engineering from Lehigh University in 2009, following bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mathematics, statistics, and economics from Miami University.

Before joining UT Knoxville, he held postdoctoral fellowships at the University of Waterloo and Argonne National Laboratory. His research centers on combinatorial and integer optimization, with applications spanning quantum computing algorithms, power systems and unit commitment, symmetry exploitation in mathematical programming, and machine learning theory.

He has secured competitive federal research funding from sponsors including NSF, DOE, DARPA, and AFOSR, and was part of the University of Tennessee team selected in the DOE ARPA-E Grid Optimization Competition. He serves as Associate Editor of the INFORMS Journal on Computing and has advised twelve Ph.D. students to completion.

Education

  • Ph.D., Industrial Engineering, Lehigh University, 2009
  • M.S., Management Science, Lehigh University, 2007
  • M.A., Mathematics, Miami University (Oxford, OH), 2004
  • M.A., Statistics, Miami University (Oxford, OH), 2004
  • B.A., Mathematics and Statistics, Miami University (Oxford, OH), 2002
  • B.A., Economics, Miami University (Oxford, OH), 2002

Courses Taught

  • Introduction to Industrial Engineering Research
  • Graduate Seminar
  • Introduction to Proofs for Engineers
  • Optimization for Big Data
  • Network Flow Optimization
  • Integer Programming

Professional Services

  • Associate Editor, INFORMS Journal on Computing, 2022–present
  • Vice-Chair, Network Optimization, INFORMS Optimization Society, 2024–2025 (past role)
  • Member, INFORMS Computing Society Working Group on Quantum Computing, 2020–2022
  • Board of Advisors, INFORMS Computing Society, through 2022
  • Program Chair, INFORMS Computing Society (ICS) Conference, 2019
  • Sponsored Sessions Chair, INFORMS Annual Meeting, 2016
  • Program Chair, Mixed Integer Programming (MIP) Workshop, 2015
  • Invited Panelist, “Quantum Computing: Emerging Threats and Opportunities,” U.S. Capitol Hill briefing, 2024
  • Associate Department Head, Industrial and Systems Engineering, UT Knoxville, 2023–present
  • Director of Graduate Studies, Industrial and Systems Engineering, UT Knoxville, 2018–present
  • Faculty Search Committee Member, 2017, 2023, 2025

Awards & Recognitions

  • Selected Team, DOE ARPA-E Grid Optimization (GO) Competition — Tennessee team with LLNL and NREL, 2024
  • DOE Office of Science Early Career Research Program Award, 2017