23/06/2020

Clara Lage defends doctoral thesis on Thursday (25)

If the social isolation adopted as a result of the coronavirus had any positive point in Clara Lage's life, it was the fact that it brought some tranquility during the final stretch of her doctoral thesis. From France, she will defend her work “Quality of the Price Signal in Stochastic Optimization for Energy” next Thursday (25), at 12 pm, via videoconference. There will be a broadcast on IMPA's YouTube channel.

“It was a difficult time, as my concentration decreased and I was also trying to understand what was happening around me, the consequences of the pandemic. But, overall, the work environment was calm,” he reflects.

In her thesis, Clara explores a function capable of describing a given objective as accurately as possible, such as efficiency or profit. She also describes the natural constraints that exist, such as production capacity and the costs involved in the process. "The field of research is called stochastic optimization because within this process we always consider that something is random, that there is something probabilistic in the problem, whether in the function we want to maximize, or in the constraints."

The techniques developed and applied aim to map deficiencies related to energy generation where hydroelectric power plants have a significant share, in order to devise solutions. To obtain accurate real-world results, a partnership was established with the French company Engie, which provided algorithms and data.

Clara considers the diverse applications of the optimization field, including the main technologies developed today, an incentive to delve deeper into the subject. "I like to understand how things work and, at the same time, I like the structure of mathematics where everything needs to be rigorously justified."

For her, mathematics is a language capable of translating the most rigorous thought that humankind has achieved. "It's about talking about something where we know all the definitions and variables. It's also an important tool for understanding the world and the technologies present in our lives."

Originally from Florianópolis (SC), she had few dreams regarding her profession, but says she is inspired by her parents, who are teachers. During adolescence, she became interested in STEM subjects and discovered that the field "wasn't as far away as I thought." "But when I considered studying engineering, for example, I was afraid of taking all those subjects about such different things and, in the end, not knowing anything in depth."

Now, the future PhD in mathematics is preparing to say goodbye to IMPA, after almost seven years connected to the institution. "I first encountered IMPA during the Summer Course, in my second year of college, and through the books I used during my undergraduate studies in mathematics and scientific computing at the Federal University of Santa Catarina."

Next, she packed her bags and headed to Rio de Janeiro, where she began her postgraduate studies. “The master's program at IMPA was a very enriching experience because I made friends I plan to keep for life and because I lived in another city, which is an important experience,” she emphasizes. “I took courses in many areas, learned a lot, and deepened my knowledge in the field of probability.”

The transition to optimization research “was by chance.” Inspired by the field of mathematical applications, Clara sought out professors who could guide her in this new phase. Under the guidance of Mikhail Solodov, she also worked with co-supervisor Claudia Segastizábal and her supervisor at Engie, Guillaume Erbs. Even so, probability was not left behind. When dissecting particularities of the electricity generation system, “ the fact that weather forecasting is uncertain constitutes the random part of the problem.”

One of the main academic results so far has been the article "Multiplier Stabilization Applied to Two-Stage Stochastic Programs," focused on the theoretical field, where he discusses the mathematical foundations he studied. "There's another article on the way, which should be published soon after my doctorate, and it's more practical. In it, I talk about the data from the partnership with Engie."

After her thesis defense, Clara plans to pursue postdoctoral studies and to "try to find her place in the research field." The future researcher's goals extend beyond her own career. "I hope that at some point I can contribute, through research and outside of it, to helping people in general better understand what science is and how mathematics can help us think about the world, beyond the university."