Real-World Application of Combinatorial Optimization Techniques

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue focuses on real-world applications of combinatorial optimization, inviting high‑quality original research papers that develop or apply combinatorial optimization models and algorithms to address practical problems in areas such as logistics, transportation, energy systems, telecommunications, manufacturing, healthcare, and finance. In addition, we welcome comprehensive review papers that systematically synthesize recent advances, identify emerging trends, and outline future research directions in the field of combinatorial optimization.

Topics of interest include exact methods, metaheuristics, graph and network optimization, data‑driven combinatorial optimization, as well as interpretable and robust decision-making models in complex real-world environments. Furthermore, we encourage contributions that explore the integration of Large Language Models (LLMs) with combinatorial optimization, such as LLM-driven algorithm design, automated heuristic generation, natural language-based problem formulation, and LLM-assisted decision-making.

We especially encourage contributions that combine theoretical advances with validated applications on real-world datasets or industrial case studies, demonstrating the practical value and added impact of advanced combinatorial optimization techniques for decision and control problems.

Dr. Huan Jin
Dr. Tianxiang Cui
Guest Editors

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