Award Abstract # 2238682
CAREER: Fine-Grained Complexity and Algorithms for Structured Linear Equations and Linear Programs

NSF Org: CCF
Division of Computing and Communication Foundations
Recipient: RUTGERS, THE STATE UNIVERSITY
Initial Amendment Date: January 20, 2023
Latest Amendment Date: April 10, 2025
Award Number: 2238682
Award Instrument: Continuing Grant
Program Manager: Karl Wimmer
kwimmer@nsf.gov
 (703)292-2095
CCF
 Division of Computing and Communication Foundations
CSE
 Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering
Start Date: February 1, 2023
End Date: January 31, 2028 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $499,330.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $253,344.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2023 = $109,463.00
FY 2025 = $143,881.00
History of Investigator:
  • Peng Zhang (Principal Investigator)
    pz149@rutgers.edu
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: Rutgers University New Brunswick
3 RUTGERS PLZ
NEW BRUNSWICK
NJ  US  08901-8559
(848)932-0150
Sponsor Congressional District: 12
Primary Place of Performance: Rutgers University New Brunswick
110 Freinghuysen Rd
Piscataway
NJ  US  08854-8087
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
06
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): M1LVPE5GLSD9
Parent UEI:
NSF Program(s): Algorithmic Foundations
Primary Program Source: 01002324DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
01002526DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT

01002627DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT

01002728DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 1045, 7926, 9102
Program Element Code(s): 779600
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.070

ABSTRACT

Abstract:
Linear equations and linear programs are ubiquitous in computational mathematics, engineering, machine learning, and data science, and they are powerful primitives for developing various algorithmic paradigms. Unfortunately, the currently best-known algorithms for solving general linear equations and linear programs run in super-quadratic time, which can be prohibitively slow for modern large-scale datasets. In practice, however, many linear equations and programs exhibit additional structures that enable significantly faster solvers. This project aims (1) to identify and classify structures that can accelerate solving linear equations and linear programs and those that can not and (2) to understand how fast we can solve general linear equations and linear programs. Another major part of this project is to provide multi-disciplinary education and research training for graduate, undergraduate, and high school students and to broaden the participation of women and underrepresented students in STEM fields.

This project aims to study fine-grained complexity and algorithms for structured linear equations and structured linear programs and focuses on three major goals. The first goal is to establish ``equivalent`` classes for structured linear equations and linear programs so that if we can solve one problem fast, we can immediately solve all the problems in the same equivalence class equally fast. The second goal is to develop efficient solvers for structured linear equations and linear programs that arise commonly from practice. Examples include generalized Laplacians with additional geometric structures, dense instances such as kernel matrices, and random instances. Finally, the third goal is to better understand the time complexity of general linear equations and linear programs. For example, can we solve general linear equations and linear programs faster than matrix multiplication? What are the runtime lower bounds under the Strong Exponential Time Hypothesis?

This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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Ding, Ming and Zhang, Peng "Efficient 1-Laplacian Solvers for Well-Shaped Simplicial Complexes: Beyond Betti Numbers and Collapsing Sequences" Leibniz International Proceedings in Informatics (LIPIcs):31st Annual European Symposium on Algorithms (ESA 2023) , 2023 https://doi.org/10.4230/LIPIcs.ESA.2023.41 Citation Details

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