About

I joined the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County as an assistant professor in Fall 2006 after completing a two-year postdoctoral appointment in the Optimization and Uncertainty Estimation Department at the Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico. I received my Ph.D. in applied mathematics from the University of Chicago in 2004, my dissertation being directed by Todd Dupont and Ridgway Scott.

Research interests

My primary research area is numerical analysis of partial differential equations, with current focus on multilevel algorithms for PDE-constrained optimization problems. My secondary research area is numerical optimization.

Teaching interests

My teaching has been focused on graduate classes, ​primarily numerical analysis, linear algebra, and numerical linear algebra.

Education

  • Ph D, MathematicsUniversity of Chicago (2004)

Publications

Presentations

  • Multilevel methods for optimal control of elliptic equations with stochastic coefficients discretized using stochastic collocation 2026 SIAM Conference on Uncertainty Quantification · SIAM · Oral Presentation Sumaya Alzuhairy (Author), Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Bedrich Sousedik (Author)
  • Low-rank Gradient Flow - a First Order Algorithm for Non-convex Optimization 2026 INFORMS Optimization Society Conference · INFORMS · Oral Presentation
  • Multilevel methods for optimal control of elliptic equations with stochastic coefficients discretized using stochastic collocation 2025 European Conference on Computational Optimization · Oral Presentation Sumaya Alzuhairy (Author), Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Bedrich Sousedik (Author)
  • Low-rank Gradient Flow - a First Order Algorithm for Non-convex Optimization 2025 The Third Joint SIAM/CAIMS Annual Meetings · SIAM · Oral Presentation
  • Low-rank Gradient Flow - a First Order Algorithm for Non-convex Optimization 2025 NSF PI Meeting · NSF · Oral Presentation
  • Efficient Multilevel Methods for Material Properties Inversion in Heat Transfer Problems 2025 22nd Copper Mountain Conference On Multigrid Methods · Front Range Scientific Computations · Oral Presentation Alex Sheranko (Author), Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Liviu Marin (Author)
  • Efficient Multilevel Methods for Material Properties Inversion in Heat Transfer Problems 2025 SIAM Conference on Computational Science and Engineering · SIAM · Oral Presentation Alex Sheranko (Author), Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Liviu Marin (Author)
  • Efficient multigrid methods for the numerical solution of optimization problems constrained by partial differential equations 2024 2024 Fall Fourier Talks · University of Maryland, College Park · Oral Presentation
  • Multilevel methods for optimal control of elliptic equations with stochastic coefficients discretized using stochastic collocation 2024 Modeling and Optimization: Theory and Applications (MOPTA) · Lehigh University · Oral Presentation Sumaya Alzuhairy (Author), Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Bedrich Sousedik (Author)
  • Low-rank Gradient Flow - a First Order Algorithm for Non-convex Optimization 2024 25th International Symposium on Mathematical Programming (ISMP) · Oral Presentation
  • Low-rank Gradient Flow - a First Order Algorithm for Non-convex Optimization 2024 18th Copper Mountain Conference on Iterative Methods · Front Range Scientific Computations, Inc. · Oral Presentation
  • Multilevel methods for optimal control of elliptic equations with stochastic coefficients discretized using stochastic collocation 2023 Numerical Analysis, Numerical Modeling, Approximation Theory (virtual) · University of Cluj, Romania · Oral Presentation Sumaya Alzuhairy (Author), Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Bedrich Sousedik (Author)
  • Multilevel methods for optimal control of elliptic equations with stochastic coefficients discretized using stochastic collocation 2023 The Finite Element Circus · The University of Notre Dame · Oral Presentation Sumaya Alzuhairy (Author), Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Bedrich Sousedik (Author)
  • Multilevel methods for optimal control of elliptic equations with stochastic coefficients discretized using stochastic collocation 2023 The Tenth Congress of Romanian Mathematicians · Institute of Mathematics of the Romanian Academy · Oral Presentation Sumaya Alzuhairy (Author), Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Bedrich Sousedik (Author)
  • Multilevel methods for optimal control of elliptic equations with stochastic coefficients discretized using stochastic collocation 2023 21st Copper Mountain Conference on Multigrid Methods · Front Range Scientific Computations, Inc., SIAM · Oral Presentation Sumaya Alzuhairy (Author), Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Bedrich Sousedik (Author)
  • Towards multigrid preconditioning for distributed optimal control of fractional parabolic equations with coarsening in space and time 2022 17th Copper Mountain Conference on Iterative Methods (virtual) · Oral Presentation Harbir Antil (Author), Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter)
  • Optimal order multigrid preconditioners for the distributed control of parabolic equations with coarsening in space and time 2022 Latest trends and insights into matrix theory, iterative methods, and preconditioning, Philadelphia, PA, March 2022. · Temple University · Oral Presentation Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Mona Hajghassem (Author)
  • Optimal order multigrid preconditioners for the distributed control of parabolic equations with coarsening in space and time 2022 Numerical Analysis, Numerical Modeling, Approximation Theory (virtual) · University of Cluj · Oral Presentation Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Mona Hajghassem (Author)
  • Optimal order multigrid preconditioners for the distributed control of parabolic equations with coarsening in space and time 2021 20th Copper Mountain Conference On Multigrid Methods · Oral Presentation Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Mona Hajghassem (Author)
  • Optimal order multigrid preconditioners for the distributed control of parabolic equations with coarsening in space and time 2021 2021 SIAM Conference on Computational Science and Engineering · Oral Presentation Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Mona Hajghassem (Author)
  • Multigrid Preconditioning for Fractional PDE-Constrained Optimization Problems 2021 2021 SIAM Conference on Computational Science and Engineering · Oral Presentation Harbir Antil (Author), Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Kiefer Green (Author)
  • Multigrid Preconditioning for Fractional PDE-Constrained Optimization Problems 2020 50th Anniversary Finite Element Circus · Oral Presentation Harbir Antil (Author), Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Kiefer Green (Author)
  • Multigrid Methods for Optimal Control Problems Constrained by Fluid Flows 2019 Finite Element Circus · Virginia Tech · Oral Presentation Ana Maria Soane (Author), Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter)
  • Multigrid preconditioning for PDE-Constrained optimization: two new applications 2019 Applied Math Seminar · US Naval Academy · Oral Presentation
  • Multigrid Preconditioners for Optimization-based Domain Decomposition of Elliptic Equations 2019 SIAM Conference on Computational Science & Engineering (CSE19) · Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics · Oral Presentation Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Michael Retzlaff (Author)
  • Multigrid Preconditioning for Space-time Distributed Optimal Control of Parabolic Equations 2019 SIAM Conference on Computational Science & Engineering (CSE19) · Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics · Oral Presentation Mona Hajghassem (Author & Presenter), Andrei Draganescu (Author)
  • Optimal-order multigrid preconditioning in the semi-smooth Newton method solution process for certain PDE-constrained optimization problems 2018 Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach
  • Multigrid preconditioning for PDE-Constrained optimization: two new applications 2018 Applied and Computational Math Seminar · George Mason University · Seminar
  • Efficient Multilevel Methods for the Optimal Control of Large-Scale Stochastic Partial Differential Equations 2018 9th International Conference “Inverse Problems: Modeling and Simulation” · Oral Presentation Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Bedrich Sousedik (Author), Sumaya Alzuhairy (Author)
  • Efficient Multilevel Methods for the Optimal Control of Large-Scale Stochastic Partial Differential Equations 2018 DelMar Numerics Day · Oral Presentation Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Bedrich Sousedik (Author), Sumaya Alzuhairy (Author)
  • Algebraic Multigrid Preconditioning of Distributed Optimal Control Problems Constrained by Elliptic Equations Based on Smoothed Aggregation 2016 Finite Element Circus · University of Maryland, College Park · Oral Presentation
  • Algebraic Multigrid Preconditioning of Distributed Optimal Control Problems Constrained by Elliptic Equations Based on Smoothed Aggregation 2016 Fourteenth Copper Mountain Conference on Iterative Methods · Front Range Scientific Computations, Inc., SIAM · Oral Presentation
  • Optimal Order Multigrid Preconditioners for Linear Systems Arising in the Semismooth Newton Method Solution Process of a Class of Control-Constrained Problems 2015 SIAM Conference on Applied Linear Algebra · SIAM · Oral Presentation Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Jyoti Saraswat (Author)
  • Multigrid Methods for Large-Scale Optimal Control Problems Constrained by Partial Differential Equations with Control Constraints 2015 Computational Mathematics Seminar · University of Pittsburgh · Lecture
  • Multigrid Preconditioning for Space-time Distributed Optimal Control Problems Constrained by Parabolic Equations 2015 SIAM Conference on Control and Applications · SIAM · Oral Presentation Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Mona Hajghassem (Author)
  • Optimal Order Multigrid Preconditioners for Linear Systems Arising in the Semismooth Newton Method Solution Process of a Class of Control-Constrained Problems 2015 Eighth Congress of Romanian Mathematicians · Oral Presentation Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Jyoti Saraswat (Author)
  • Efficient Multilevel Methods for Large-Scale Optimization Problems Constrained by Partial Differential Equations 2015 A Look Ahead · UMBC · Poster Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Mona Hajghassem (Author & Presenter)
  • New Results on Multigrid Preconditioning of Linear Systems arising in the Semi-smooth Newton Solution of Certain PDE-constrained Optimization Problems 2015 17th Copper Mountain Conference on Multigrid Methods · Front Range Scientific Computations, Inc., University of Colorado, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory · Oral Presentation Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Jyoti Saraswat (Author)
  • Optimal Order Multigrid Preconditioners for Linear Systems Arising in the Semismooth Newton Method Solution Process of a Class of Control-Constrained Problems 2015 SIAM Conference on Computational Science and Engineering · SIAM · Oral Presentation Andrei Draganescu (Author), Jyoti Saraswat (Author & Presenter)
  • Multigrid Preconditioning for Space-time Distributed Optimal Control Problems Constrained by Parabolic Equations 2015 SIAM Conference on Computational Science and Engineering · SIAM · Oral Presentation Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Mona Hajghassem (Author)
  • Multigrid Preconditioners for Boundary Control of Elliptic-constrained Optimal Control Problems 2015 SIAM Conference on Computational Science and Engineering · SIAM · Poster Andrei Draganescu (Author), Mona Hajghassem (Author & Presenter), Harbir Antil (Author)
  • Near-optimal multigrid preconditioning for distributed optimal control problems constrained by first order ordinary differential equations 2014 Mid Atlantic Numerical Analysis Day 2014 · Temple University · Oral Presentation Andrei Draganescu (Author), Mona Hajghassem (Author & Presenter)
  • ptimal-order Multigrid Preconditioners for Linear Systems arising in the Semi-smooth Newton Solution of Certain PDE-constrained Optimization Problems 2014 2014 European Multi- grid Conference · Oral Presentation Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Jyoti Saraswat (Author)
  • Near-optimal multigrid preconditioning for distributed optimal control constrained by first order ODEs 2014 Delmar Numerics Day 2014 · Oral Presentation Andrei Draganescu (Author), Mona Hajghassem (Author & Presenter)
  • Optimal-order Multigrid Preconditioners for Linear Systems arising in the Semi-smooth Newton Solution of Certain PDE-constrained Optimization Problems 2014 Thirteenth Copper Mountain Conference on Iterative Methods · Oral Presentation Andrei Draganescu (Author & Presenter), Jyoti Saraswat (Author)
  • Multigrid Solution of Distributed Optimal Control Problems Constrained by Semilinear Elliptic PDEs 2014 2014 Joint Mathematics Meetings · AMS, MAA, SIAM · Oral Presentation Andrei Draganescu (Author), Jyoti Saraswat (Author & Presenter)
  • Multigrid Preconditioners for Optimal Control Problems in Fluid Flow 2014 2014 Joint Mathematics Meetings · AMS, MAA, SIAM · Oral Presentation Andrei Draganescu (Author), Ana Maria Soane (Author & Presenter)

Grants and Contracts

  • Simons Visiting Professorship 2019 MFO and Simons Foundation · Funded
  • Efficient Solution Methods for Large-scale Optimization Problems Constrained by Time-dependent Partial Differential Equations 2014 Department of Energy · Grant · Funded
  • Multi-level Methods in PDE Constrained Optimization 2010 NSF,National Science Foundation 47.000 · Grant · Funded