Designing fairer and more efficient decisions with maths

How can we make decisions that are both fair and efficient when everyone is pursuing their own interests? Sophie Klumper explored this question during her PhD research at CWI.

CWI PhD defence of Sophie Klumper (N&O), 23 October 2025, at the UvA. Own picture.

Joakim Blikstad wins 2025 EATCS Distinguished Dissertation Award

Can algorithms be both fast and simple? Joakim Blikstad has shown that they can. His PhD thesis from 2024 presented new combinatorial algorithms for solving some of the most fundamental problems in …

Joakim Blikstad. (Own picture.)

Honourable mention Christiaan Huygens Prize for Lucas Slot

The Christiaan Huygens Science Prize 2024 was awarded to Jan Willem van Ittersum for his PhD dissertation in mathematics. Lucas Slot and Rosa Schwarz both received an honourable mention. Slot (ETH Zürich) …

Lucas Slot nominated for the Christiaan Huygens Prize 2024. Cropped. Original photo: Paul Voorham.

International Symposium on Mathematical Programming (ISMP) in Amsterdam in 2027

CWI researchers Daniel Dadush and Monique Laurent will be co-chairs of the conference.

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SIAM Student Paper Prize for Lucas Slot

Lucas Slot, former PhD student of CWI, received the SIAM Student Paper Prize 2024 for a paper that he wrote during his time at CWI.

Portrait of Lucas Slot during his time at CWI (2018).

Stieltjes Prize 2022-2023 for Lucas Slot

Former CWI PhD student Lucas Slot has been awarded the Stieltjes Prize for the best mathematical PhD thesis in the Netherlands. Slot did his PhD research at CWI, defended his thesis ‘cum …

Lucas Slot, giving his Stieljes Prize speech at NMC 2024 in Lunteren. Picture: Marieke Kranenburg.

Unlocking the mysteries of the Simplex-algorithm

The most popular optimization method is an algorithm, developed in 1947. Why is it still so successful? CWI researchers were able to shed some light on the matter.

Jop Briët by Ivar Pel (with cleaner whiteboard, ed. Paul). Header image.

Sophie Huiberts wins Gijs de Leve Prize

Sophie Huiberts won the Gijs de Leve Prize 2020-2023 for the best PhD thesis in Mathematics of Operations Research in that period. She is the first woman to get this prize.

Sophie Huiberts giving a lecture at CWI. Picture: Léa Junger (ca. 2022). With focus area.