Challenges in real-world optimisation: Bilevel optimisation

Abstract In bilevel optimisation, an optimisation problem (lower level) is nested within another (upper level). An example is where farmers attempt to optimise their crop yield (lower level) through the excessive use of fertilisers, leading to undesirable negative environmental impacts (higher level). Another example is in fire response, where the allocation of appropriate vehicles/firefighters to be dispatched to accidents is imperative to minimising damage (lower level). However, the placement of response units is directly relevant to minimising response time to the accident site (upper level). In this talk, we introduce real-world examples of bilevel optimisation, approaches, and ongoing challenges. Bio Estefania Yap is a Research Fellow at the University of Melbourne. She recently completed her PhD at the University of Melbourne. Her current research interests involve testing optimisation methods on simulations of real-world problems.