Sebastian Pokutta

Artificial Intelligence, Optimization, and Machine Learning. Professor @TUBerlin, Vice President @ZuseInstitute, Chair @MATH+, Chair @MODAL

Research Lab

My group works on Artificial Intelligence, Optimization, and Machine Learning; from foundational algorithms to real-world systems. We develop new optimization and learning methods with a focus on efficiency and sustainability, combine learning with decision-making, and build agentic AI systems for complex tasks. A particular focus is on AI4Science and AI4Math, where we use AI to drive mathematical discovery and scientific insight. Recent examples include global forest monitoring from satellite data, entanglement certification via optimization, new constructions in extremal combinatorics, AI-assisted mathematical proofs, and AI for creativity and education. group homepage more about research and projects

TL;DR. We use computers to learn from data and make better decisions.

ETC. Hashed Commitments AI News

Prospective Students. If you are interested in working in our group or writing your MS/BS thesis please check our openings.

Select Recent Papers

(see publications for a complete list)

  1. Zimmer, M., Pelleriti, N., Roux, C., and Pokutta, S. (2026). The Agentic Researcher: A Practical Guide to AI-Assisted Research in Mathematics and Machine Learning. Preprint. [arXiv] [summary] [code] agenticai4mathml
  2. Pauls, J., Schrödter, K., Ligensa, S., Schwartz, M., Turan, B., Zimmer, M., Saatchi, S., Pokutta, S., Ciais, P., and Gieseke, F. (2026). ECHOSAT: Estimating Canopy Height Over Space And Time. Preprint. [arXiv] [code] [visuals] ai4sciencemlsustainability
  3. Khoruzhii, K., Gelß, P., and Pokutta, S. (2026). Tensor Decomposition for Non-Clifford Gate Minimization. Preprint. [arXiv] compalgquantum
  4. Geiselmann, Z., Joswig, M., Kastner, L., Mundinger, K., Pokutta, S., Spiegel, C., Wack, M., and Zimmer, M. (2026). Patchworked Curves of Degree Seven. Preprint. [arXiv] ai4mathalggeomcombinatoricscompalg
  5. Halbey, J., Deza, D., Zimmer, M., Roux, C., Stellato, B., and Pokutta, S. (2026). Lower Bounds for Frank-Wolfe on Strongly Convex Sets. Preprint. [arXiv] complexityfwlowerboundsopt
  6. Berthold, T., Kamp, D., Mexi, G., Pokutta, S., and Pólik, I. (2026). Global Optimization for Combinatorial Geometry Problems Revisited in the Era of LLMs. To Appear in Proceedings of ISCO, Lecture Notes in Computer Science. [arXiv] computationalllmnlpopt
  7. Xiao, W., Besançon, M., Gelß, P., Hendrych, D., Klus, S., and Pokutta, S. (2026). Graph Isomorphism: Mixed-Integer Convex Optimization from First-Order Methods. To Appear in Proceedings of CPAIOR. [arXiv] computationalgraphsmipopt
  8. Haase, J., and Pokutta, S. (2026). The Hidden Cost of Tokenization: Why (most) Non-English Speakers Pay More for Less. Preprint. [arXiv] fairnessllmmlmultilingual
  9. Pelleriti, N., Spiegel, C., Liu, S., Martínez-Rubio, D., Zimmer, M., and Pokutta, S. (2026). Neural Sum-of-Squares: Certifying the Nonnegativity of Polynomials with Transformers. To Appear in Proceedings of the International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR). [arXiv] ai4mathcompalgml
  10. Zimmer, M., Roux, C., Wagner, M., Hendrych, D., and Pokutta, S. (2025). SparseSwaps: Tractable LLM Pruning Mask Refinement at Scale. Preprint. [arXiv] llmmlpruningsparsity
  11. Wagner, M., Roux, C., Zimmer, M., and Pokutta, S. (2025). A Free Lunch in LLM Compression: Revisiting Retraining after Pruning. Preprint. [arXiv] llmmlpruningsparsity
  12. Roux, C., Zimmer, M., d’Aspremont, A., and Pokutta, S. (2025). Don’t Be Greedy, Just Relax! Pruning LLMs via Frank-Wolfe. Preprint. [arXiv] fwllmmloptpruningsparsity
  13. Gonnermann-Müller, J., Haase, J., Fackeldey, K., and Pokutta, S. (2025). FACET: Teacher-Centred LLM-Based Multi-Agent Systems – Towards Personalized Educational Worksheets. Preprint. [arXiv] educationhaiillmmlmultiagent
  14. Haase, J., and Pokutta, S. (2025). Beyond Static Responses: Multi-Agent LLM Systems as a New Paradigm for Social Science Research. Preprint. [arXiv] haiimlsocial
  15. Braun, G., Carderera, A., Combettes, C. W., Hassani, H., Karbasi, A., Mokthari, A., and Pokutta, S. (2025). Conditional Gradient Methods. MOS-SIAM Series on Optimization. [PDF] [arXiv] mloptsurvey
  16. Abbas, A., Ambainis, A., Augustino, B., Bärtschi, A., Buhrman, H., Coffrin, C., Cortiana, G., Dunjko, V., Egger, D. J., Elmegreen, B. G., Franco, N., Fratini, F., Fuller, B., Gacon, J., Gonciulea, C., Gribling, S., Gupta, S., Hadfield, S., Heese, R., … Zoufal, C. (2024). Quantum Optimization: Potential, Challenges, and the Path Forward. Nature Reviews Physics. [PDF] [arXiv] optphysicsquantumsurvey
  17. Pokutta, S. (2024). The Frank-Wolfe algorithm: a short introduction. Jahresbericht Der Deutschen Mathematiker-Vereinigung, 126, 3–35. [PDF] [arXiv] mlopt

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