Homepage
  • Lab Members
  • Research
  • Teaching
  • Service
  • News

Rohit Kannan

Assistant Professor at Virginia Tech

  • Blacksburg, VA

  • Email

  • CV

  • Google Scholar

  • Github

  • Web of Science

  • ORCiD

  • Linkedin

  • VT Webpage

Biography

I am an Assistant Professor in the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech. Previously, I was a postdoc in the Center for Nonlinear Studies and Applied Mathematics and Plasma Physics groups at Los Alamos National Laboratory, and a postdoc in the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery at UW-Madison. I obtained my Bachelor's in Chemical Engineering from IIT Madras and my Master's and Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering from MIT.

My research lies at the intersection of global optimization, optimization under uncertainty, and applied machine learning. My current focus is on exploring new paradigms that integrate machine learning with global optimization and optimization under uncertainty, designing numerical algorithms with strong theoretical guarantees, and developing scalable implementations for energy systems applications.

For Prospective Ph.D. Students: I am always excited to collaborate with talented and driven students! If you are highly motivated to pursue a Ph.D. in my lab and have a strong background in mathematics or operations research, please email me your resume and unofficial transcripts. I will reach out to students whose backgrounds align with current research opportunities.

Education

  • Ph.D. in Chemical Engineering, 2018

    Massachussets Institute of Technology

  • Master of Science, 2014

    Massachussets Institute of Technology

  • Bachelor of Technology, 2012

    Indian Institute of Technology, Madras

Research Interests

  • Learning + Optimization
  • Optimization Under Uncertainty
  • Global Optimization
  • Computational Optimization
  • Energy & Process Systems

Selected Honors and Awards

  • Excellence in Teaching Spotlight, Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning, VT, 2024
  • VT Presidential Principles of Community Group Award (as part of ISE InclusiveVT), 2024
  • Received Several Thank-a-Teacher Notes from Students, 2023-2024
  • Center for Nonlinear Studies Postdoctoral Fellowship, LANL, 2021-2022
  • George M. Keller Graduate Fellowship, MIT, 2012-2013
  • Reliance Heat Transfer Pvt. Ltd. Award for Academic Excellence, IIT Madras, 2012
  • Oil and Natural Gas Corporation Scholarship, Government of India, 2012
  • Institute Merit Awards, IIT Madras, 2010, 2011
  • EPFL, DAAD WISE & MITACS Globalink Summer Research Fellowships, 2011

Cite

Copy Download