Leonidas Pitsoulis

Abstract: Matroid theory originated from the attempt  to combine the combinatorial and algebraic aspects of graphs and matrices into a common abstract notion. Considering that graphs constitute a natural framework for most combinatorial optimization problems, it is natural to expect that a generalization of graphs will provide a unified abstract setting upon which many combinatorial optimization problem properties can be examined. In this talk we will present some of the most important algorithmic and structural connections between matroids and optimization, as well as recent advances and open problems in the area.