Member until 2016.

I am no longer a member of the research group. If you are interested in my work, feel free to contact me:
eMail: pfaff [at] mathematik.tu-darmstadt.de

Research and Interests

Interests

• Hyperbolic Conservation Laws
• Optimization with PDEs/Optimal Control
• Traffic Flow Modeling

Latest Project

CRC/Transregio 154: Mathematical Modelling, Simulation and Optimization Using the Example of Gas Networks

Former Project

DFG-Schwerpunktprogramm SPP 1253 „Optimization with Partial Differential Equations“:
Project: Optimal Control of Switched Networks for Nonlinear Hyperbolic Conservation Laws

Publications

Dissertation (PhD Thesis)

Optimal Control of Hyperbolic Conservation Laws on Bounded Domains with Switching Controls, Technische Universität Darmstadt, 2015, ISBN 978-3-8439-2409-2, Verlag Dr. Hut, [PDF].

Paper/Preprints

• S. Pfaff, S. Ulbrich, Optimal Control of Scalar Conservation Laws by On/Off-Switching, Optimization Methods and Software. DOI 10.1080/10556788.2016.1236796.
• S. Pfaff, S. Ulbrich, Optimal Boundary Control of Nonlinear Hyperbolic Conservation Laws with Switched Boundary Data, SIAM Journal on Control and Optimization, Vol. 53 (2015), No. 3, pp. 1250–1277. [PDF:Preprint]
• S. Pfaff, S. Ulbrich, and G. Leugering, Optimal Control of Nonlinear Hyperbolic Conservation Laws with Switching. In: G. Leugering, P. Benner, S. Engell, A. Griewank, H. Harbrecht, M. Hinze, R. Rannacher, and S. Ulbrich (eds.). Trends in PDE Constrained Optimization. Springer International Publishing, Int. Ser. Numer. Math. 165, pp. 109-131, 2014. [PDF:Preprint]

Diploma Thesis

Minimization of polynomial and rational objective functions over semi-algebraic sets via SDP-Relaxations (Minimierung polynomialer und rationaler Zielfunktionen über semialgebraischen Mengen mittels SDP-Relaxierungen), supervised by Prof. Dr. Stefan Ulbrich

Talks

• 28th European Conference on Operational Research (EURO2016), Poznań University of Technology – PUT, Poland, 05.07.2016 (invited):
  Optimal Boundary Control of Scalar Conservation Laws with Switching Controls
• 15th International Conference on Hyperbolic Problems (HYP2014), National Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics – IMPA, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, 31.07.2014:
  Optimal Control of a Nonlinear Hyperbolic Conservation Law with Switching
• SIAM Conference on Optimization 2014 (OP14), San Diego, California, USA, 19.05.2014:
  Optimal Control of Nonlinear Hyperbolic Conservation Laws with Switching
• 26th IFIP TC7 Conference 2013 on System Modelling and Optimization, Alpen-Adria Universität Klagenfurt, Austria, 10.09.2013:
  Optimal Control of Networks of Nonlinear Hyperbolic Conservation Laws
• International Conference on Continuous Optimization (ICCOPT 2013), Caparica, Lisbon, Portugal, 30.07.2013:
  Optimal Control of Nonlinear Hyperbolic Conservation Laws at a Junction
• Symposium on Variational Inequalities and PDE-constrained Optimization (VIS), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Germany, 21.02.2013 (invited):
  Optimal boundary control for nonlinear hyperbolic conservation laws with source terms
• 21st International Symposium on Mathematical Programming (ISMP), Berlin, Germany, 24.08.2012:
  Optimal boundary control for nonlinear hyperbolic conservation laws with source terms
• 14th International Conference on Hyperbolic Problems (HYP2012), Università di Padova, Italy, 26.06.2012:
  Optimal Boundary Control for Nonlinear Hyperbolic Balance Laws
• 3rd Conference on Optimization Methods and Software (OMS), Chania, Crete, Greece, 14.05.2012:
  Optimal Boundary Control for Nonlinear Hyperbolic Conservation Laws with Source Terms
• Annual Meeting of SPP 1253, Kloster Banz, Bad Staffelstein, Germany, 26.09.2011:
  Optimal Control of Switched Networks for Nonlinear Hyperbolic Conservation Laws

Lecture Assistance

• Summer 2016: Integrationstheorie (Prof. Dr. R. Farwig)
• Winter 2015/16: Mathematik I für Maschinenbau (Dr. C. Wichelhaus)
• Summer 2015: Innere Punkte Verfahren der konvexen Optimierung (Prof. Dr. S. Ulbrich)
• Winter 2014/15: Einführung in die Optimierung (Prof. Dr. S. Ulbrich)
• Summer 2014: Mathematik IV für Elektrotechnik / Mathematik III für Informatik (Prof. Dr. M. Pfetsch)
• Winter 2013/14: Nichtlineare Optimierung (Prof. Dr. S. Ulbrich)
• Summer 2013: Mathematik IV für Elektrotechnik / Mathematik III für Informatik (Prof. Dr. S. Ulbrich)
• Summer 2012: Mathematik IV für Elektrotechnik / Mathematik III für Informatik (Prof. Dr. M. Kiehl)
• Summer 2011: Mathematik IV für Elektrotechnik / Mathematik III für Informatik (Prof. Dr. S. Ulbrich)
• Winter 2010/11: Nichtlineare Optimierung (Prof. Dr. S. Ulbrich)