Research
The research interests of the chair are in the design and analysis of efficient algorithms, a fundamental field in computer science. The algorithm design is associated with the construction of suitable data structures and complexity-theoretic investigations.
A particular focus of our scientific work is on the design of online and approximations algorithms. This line of research examines algorithmic problems for which optimal solutions are hard or even impossible to compute. Many optimization problems that arise in practice are inherently online, i.e., relevant input arrives incrementally over time. Whenever a new input portion arrives, an algorithm has to react and produce partial output without knowledge of any future input. Due to the handicap of not knowing the future, an algorithm typically cannot compute optimal solutions. Well known and highly relevant in practice are NP-hard optimization problems. These problems cannot be solved optimally in polynomial time, assuming that the complexity classes P and NP are not equal (P ≠ NP). The goal in both areas is to design algorithms that compute provably good approximations.
Further research interests of the team address the field of algorithmic game theory. Here we study computer science problems that involve a large number of autonomous, selfish agents. Of interest are stable states, so called Nash equilibria, in which no agent has the incentive to deviate from his/her strategy. Relevant is the performance of such states relative to the social optimum (Price of Anarchy, Price of Stability).
Moreover, we have worked in the area of algorithm engineering, an approach that integrates algorithm design, analysis and implementation. Thereby, one can bridge the gap between theory and practice.
Research Training Group AdONE
The research training group “Advanced Optimization in a Networked Economy (AdONE)”, funded by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, DFG) investigates the efficient allocation of scare and expensive resources in a networked economy. This program, promoting doctoral researchers, pursues scientific work at the intersection of management science, informatics, and mathematics. It is hosted in the TUM School of Management and the TUM School of Computation, Information and Technology.
Research Training Group ConVeY
The research training group “Continuous Verification of CYber-Physical Systems (ConVeY)”, funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), investigates cyber-physical systems that increasingly integrate networks, computers, sensors, and actuators. These complex systems often work in safety-critical environments, interact with the physical world and must cope with its continuous behavior. The goal of the ConVeY, promoting doctoral researchers, is the design of techniques for the verification of such systems. One focus is on AI-based approaches. This research training group is hosted in the Institut for Informatics of LMU and the Department of Computer Science of TUM.
Research Hub 6G-life
The hub 6G-life, funded by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (resp. Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space), pursues innovative research for 6G communication networks. This involves investigating fundamental questions about data transmission and distributed computing resources in such networks. The goal is also to develop new approaches for sustainability, security, resilience, and latency. The hub is hosted at TU Dresden and TU Munich. The chair was affiliated from 2021 to 2025.
ERC Advanced Grant: Algorithmic Performance Guarantees
This project studied algorithmic performance guarantees for classical and modern optimization problems, which often cannot be solved to optimality. It investigated research questions that had remained unsolved for many years or even decades, or that arise in modern applications. The range of research topics included (a) resource management in computer systems, (b) data structures, (c) graph problems and their connection to internet advertising, (d) complex networks, and (e) massively parallel systems. The project was funded by the European Research Council (ERC) from 2016 to 2021 with €2.5 million.
Project Energy-Efficient Scheduling
This project was part of the Priority Programme 1736 “Algorithms for Large Datasets”, which was funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG) from 2014 to 2023. The aim of the project on energy-efficient scheduling was to investigate algorithmic techniques that save energy in hardware environments and thus support the processing of large datasets at the system level. One focus of the work was on the technique of dynamic speed scaling.
Funding within the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Programme of the German Research Foundation
The Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize awarded to Susanne Albers in 2008 included a research grant of €2.5 million, which could be used entirely freely and without administrative burden for further scientific work between 2009 and 2015. Special thanks are due to the German Research Foundation (DFG)!