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Zachary Friggstad is an Associate Professor in the Department of Computing Science at the University of Alberta. He received his B.Sc. in Computing Science from the University of Lethbridge in 2005, followed by an M.Sc. and a Ph.D. in Computing Science from the University of Alberta in 2007 and 2011, respectively. His research areas focus on Algorithmics, particularly in the fields of Discrete Optimization, Approximation Algorithms, and Mathematical Programming. Friggstad designs algorithms to address discrete optimization problems, which often include challenging cases such as vehicle routing, facility placement, resource allocation, and job scheduling, many of which are NP-hard. He aims to develop efficient algorithms capable of finding optimum or near-optimum solutions through the use of heuristics and proven approximation techniques, especially emphasizing tractable convex relaxations of problems. His teaching includes specialized courses intended for individual study and exploring specific topics within Computing Science and Computer Engineering.
Department: Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Management