Job Information
- Organisation/Company: Inria, the French national research institute for the digital sciences
- Research Field: Computer science
- Researcher Profile: First Stage Researcher (R1)
- Application Deadline: 31 Dec 2026 - 00:00 (UTC)
- Country: France
- Type of Contract: Temporary
- Job Status: Full-time
- Hours Per Week: 38.5
- Offer Starting Date: 1 Mar 2027
- Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme
- Reference Number: [contact details available in the full listing]
- Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No
Offer Description
Multi-objective combinatorial optimization aims at simultaneously optimizing several, potentially conflicting, objective functions over a discrete decision space. In many combinatorial optimization problems, objective functions exhibit a gray-box structure, e.g., they can be decomposed into sub-functions involving only a restricted number of decision variables. Such structure can be exploited to design specialized and computationally efficient optimization algorithms.
For example, for many binary optimization problems, objective functions can be represented using a bounded-degree Walsh/Fourrier transform, providing a natural framework for analyzing and exploiting variable interactions. Other combinatorial problem representations may also be considered, provided that they expose a suitable structure that can be leveraged by specialized gray-box evolutionary and search operators.
While gray-box optimization has received increasing attention in the single-objective setting, the study of gray-box multi-objective optimization remains largely unexplored. This internship aims to contribute to this emerging research direction by developing new algorithmic approaches for efficiently navigating the landscape of multi-objective combinatorial optimization problems.
A particular focus will be placed on Pareto Local Optima (PLOs). PLOs generalize the notion of local optima to the multi-objective setting by considering the dominance relation. The general objective of the internship is to develop new tunneling mechanisms that allow optimization algorithms to efficiently navigate between PLO solutions, potentially enabling the discovery of high-quality regions of the Pareto set that are difficult to reach through conventional local search.
Depending on the candidate's background and interests, the work may involve theoretical analysis, algorithm design, experimental evaluation, or a combination of these aspects.
The internship may focus on one or more of the following research directions:
- Analyzing Pareto Local Optima under tunneling mechanisms such as partition crossover. Study the structure and properties of Pareto Local Optima (PLOs) that can be exploited by partition crossover and related gray-box operators.
- Designing new multi-objective tunneling mechanisms. Develop and investigate partition-crossover-based mechanisms to efficiently move between PLOs, with a particular focus on (i) decomposition-based multi-objective optimization and cooperation between neighboring subproblems and/or (ii) Dominance based techniques.
- Integrating tunneling into (HPC-)accelerated multi-objective search algorithms. Incorporate partition crossover and related tunneling mechanisms into specialized evolutionary and local-search algorithms, especially by exploiting parallel and high-performance computing to accelerate the search.
Consequently, the internship may involve:
- reviewing the literature on gray-box optimization, multi-objective optimization, local search, and Pareto Local Optima
- analyzing existing gray-box optimization algorithms
- conducting theoretical or empirical analyses of fitness landscapes and PLO structures
- designing new tunneling operators and search mechanisms
- implementing and experimentally evaluating new optimization algorithms
- designing computational experiments and analyzing algorithmic performance
- exploiting parallel and HPC computing when relevant
- contributing to scientific publications and/or research software.
The internship is intended as a research-oriented project, and the research questions and methodology will be refined continously according to the results obtained during the internship.
Where to apply
Website: https://jobs.inria.fr/public/classic/en/offres/[contact details available in the full listing]
Requirements
Skills/Qualifications
A strong interest in conducting fundamental research and exploring open-ended applied algorithmic questions is particularly welcome. Good programming skills are expected.
Specific Requirements
The internship will involve both fundamental and applied research in gray-box multi-objective optimization. The candidate will have the opportunity to work on open research problems, contribute to the development of new optimization algorithms, and potentially contribute to scientific publications resulting from the work.
Languages: FRENCH
Level: Basic
Languages: ENGLISH
Level: Good
Additional Information
Benefits
- Subsidized meals
- Partial reimbursement of public transport costs
- Leave: 7 weeks of annual leave + 10 extra days off due to RTT (statutory reduction in working hours) + possibility of exceptional leave (sick children, moving home, etc.)
- Possibility of teleworking (after 6 months of employment) and flexible organization of working hours
- Professional equipment available (videoconferencing, loan of computer equipment, etc.)
- Social, cultural and sports events and activities
- Access to vocational training
- Social security coverage
According to current regulations: €4.50 per hour
Selection process
Please submit your CV and your cover letter
Website for additional job details: https://jobs.inria.fr/public/classic/en/offres/[contact details available in the full listing]
Work Location(s)
- Number of offers available: 1
- Company/Institute: Inria
- Country: France
- City: Villeneuve d'Ascq
Contact
- City: LE CHESNAY CEDEX
- Website: http://www.inria.fr
- Street: Domaine de Voluceau - Rocquencourt
- Postal Code: 78153
