Resume

Chris Maes

Summary

I love creating software to solve problems. I am a skilled developer with a strong background in mathematics. I am an expert in linear algebra and numerical optimization.

Education

Stanford University PhD Computational and Mathematical Engineering September 2005 - November 2010

Thesis: A Regularized Active-set Method for Sparse Convex Quadratic Programming

  • Developed QPBLUR, a quadratic programming solver with block-LU updates and regularization. QPBLUR was used as a subproblem solver in SNOPT, a sequential quadratic programming algorithm for constrained nonlinear optimization

Massachusetts Institute of Technology SB Applied Mathematics September 2001 - June 2005

Experience

Apple Software Engineer June 2016 - present
  • Developing optimization solvers
Gurobi Optimization Senior Software Developer January 2012 - January 2016
  • Developed a new sparse LU solver and ordering method for initial basis selection in LP crossover
  • Developed a heuristic for MIP models containing fixed-charge network flow structure
  • Developed the automatic tuning tool grbtune that helps users find the best algorthmic parameters for their MIP models
  • Developed the Gurobi MATLAB interface
  • Lead the design and development of the Gurobi Instant Cloud: a service that allows users to instantly get access to clusters performing distributed optimization in the cloud
MIT Operations Research Center Postdoctoral Associate October 2010 - December 2011
  • Developed a large-scale implementation of an MIP model for routing air traffic in the presence of thunderstorms
  • Designed algorithms for computing adaptive policies for two-stage linear programming under uncertainty
Stanford University Research Assistant January 2008 - August 2010
  • Worked with an interdisciplinary team of mathematicians and systems biologists to devise an optimization-based model of the metabolic system of unicellular organisms
  • The team received a three-year grant from the Department of Energy to explore the model's use in biological hydrogen production
Google Summer of Code: Scilab Consortium Open-source Developer June 2009 - August 2009
  • Developed SPARTAN, a sparse trust-region algorithm for large systems nonlinear equations for use in the open-source MATLAB clone SCILAB
Electric Power Research Institute Research Assistant June 2007 - November 2007
  • Formulated and solved global optimization problems with bilinear objectives and equilibrium constraints to compute optimal bidding strategies in an electric power market
Wolfram Research Research Fellow June 2004 - August 2004
Wolfram Research Intern June 2004 - August 2004
  • Implemented an add-on package to Mathematica for nonuniform B-Spline interpolation

Programming Languages

I've written significant programs in:
  • C
  • Python
  • Matlab
  • Javascript
  • OCaml
  • Mathematica
  • Fortran 95
I've written smaller programs in:
  • C++
  • Java
  • C#
  • Haskell
  • Scheme
  • Perl
  • R

Technologies