Postdoctoral scholarship (2 years) within Optimization and Learning for Distributed Decision Systems

The Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics is offering a postdoctoral scholarship within the project “Optimization and Learning for Distributed Decision Systems”. The scholarship is full-time for two years, with a starting date of 1 November 2026, or by agreement. The Department of Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics conducts research in computational mathematics, discrete mathematics, mathematical modeling and analysis, geometry, mathematical statistics, and the mathematical foundations of artificial intelligence. The postdoctoral scholar will join the Mathematical Programming Group, which develops theory, methods, and software for large-scale optimization and decision problems, with applications in machine learning and data science. The group’s research includes nonconvex optimization, stochastic optimization, distributed and federated optimization, operator splitting methods, and optimization with quantum computers. Project description: How can independent decision-makers be coordinated toward a shared goal when their data, objectives, and constraints remain private? This project explores this question through optimization and learning methods for distributed decision systems. The central idea is to model coordination as a bilevel optimization problem, where local agents make their own decisions and a coordinating mechanism learns from these decisions to improve global performance. Within the project the postdoctoral researcher will have the opportunity to develop mathematical models, study theoretical properties, design algorithms, and explore applications in areas such as supply chains, energy systems, or multi-agent coordination. The project offers flexibility to build on the researcher’s own expertise in optimization, machine learning, federated learning, control, or operations research. The scholarship is hosted by the Mathematical Programming Group at Umeå University, a creative and international research environment focused on optimization, machine learning, and mathematical foundations of AI. This postdoctoral scholarship is financed and administered by the Kempe Foundation. The stipend is tax-free and will be 750 000 SEK for two years, corresponding to 375 000 SEK per year. Life in Umeå: Umeå is a young, creative, and steadily growing city of about 135,000 people, where students make up a big part of everyday life. That mix gives the city an easy-going yet lively feel, with plenty of cafés, pubs, small venues, and cultural events, without the stress or pace of a big city. Day to day, though, Umeå is simply a comfortable place to live, safe, compact, and easy to get around, especially by bike. As the largest city in northern Sweden, it offers what you need while staying friendly, calm, and close to home. What people often appreciate most is how close you stay to nature here. Read more and apply: https://www.umu.se/en/work-with-us/postdoctoral-scholarships/postdoctoral-scholarship-2-years-within-optimization-and-learning-for-distributed-decision-systems--_944781/

Last updated: 10 June 2026