Short info
Research
My primary research focuses on the parameterized complexity of graph algorithms, with a special emphasis on graph modification algorithms and algorithms tailored for sparse networks.
I also do experimental algorithmics including algorithm engineering, machine learning, and recommender algorithms.
My current research projects are:
- Correlation clustering with overlapping data, to enhance clustering accuracy in datasets where entities belong to multiple categories simultaneously
- Autonomous drone inspection algorithms, focusing on optimizing path planning and real-time data processing techniques to improve the efficiency and accuracy of drone-based inspections in complex environments
- Network interdiction algorithms, which involves strategically disrupting or blocking flows through a network, such as transportation or communication channels, using limited resources to minimize unwanted activities like drug trafficking.
- Using submodular optimization for problems in energy transition.
- Improved algorithms for automatic differentiation.
I am affiliated with CEDAS: Center for Data Science at UiB. I serve as a principle investigator in the research project Algorithmic Foundations for Trustworthy AI, funded by the Trond Mohn Foundation. Additionally, I am engaged in the Machine Teaching for Explainable AI research project, which is supported by the Norwegian Research Council. I have also received funding from the NRC project Parameterized Complexity for Practical Computing (PCPC), led by Professor Mike R. Fellows.
Since 2021, I have taken on the role of editor of IT and Algoritmer in Store Norske Leksikon.
Program committee work:
- SC 2023, The International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage, and Analysis
- SWAT 2024, Scandinavian Symposium on Algorithm Theory
- Head (acting) of committee for sivilingeniør Data science
With over five years in the high-tech sector, I have gained proficiency in Python, C, C++, C#, and Java, and have in-depth experience with databases such as Postgres and MySQL/MariaDB. I had the honor of serving as the lead software engineering advisor for Equinor and played a key role in the FriskBy project, a crowdsourced initiative focused on air quality monitoring. My dedication to the open-source community is reflected in my numerous contributions and original projects, all of which can be explored on my GitHub profile: github.com/pgdr.
In addition to my teaching role at UiB, I have conducted numerous courses within the industry, covering topics such as machine learning, Python, software craftsmanship and development, Linux, Git, and competitive programming, among others.
Outreach
I have engaged extensively in knowledge transfer, delivering presentations and outreach to diverse audiences—including industry professionals, trade unions, policymakers, teachers, consultants, senior citizens, and others—on topics related to algorithmic decision-making, artificial intelligence, and machine learning.
Particularly compelling is the challenge of addressing responsibility in algorithmic decision-making, ensuring systems do not entrench bias or hinder social mobility. This involves exploring ways to integrate moral principles and societal values into the design and implementation of algorithms.
In 2024, I received the outreach award of the faculty of science and technology.
Lectures in 2025
- Lærernes dag, "hva vi snakker om når vi snakker om KI"
Lectures in 2024
- Telepensjonistenes landforbund, seminar om KI
- Direktoratet for høyere utdanning og kompetanse (HK-dir), seminar i Bergen, AI i offentlig sektor: Muligheter, etikk og tilsyn
- Fakultet for naturvitenskap og teknologi, Læringsdagen for administrativt ansatt, åpningsforedrag om KI
- Senioruniversitetet U3A, Hvordan påvirker kunstig intelligens vår hverdag?
- Pensjonistlaget i Utdanningsforbundet: Hvordan påvirker kunstig intelligens vår hverdag?
- NNN (Norsk Næring- og Nytelsesmiddelarbeiderforbund) årskonferanse i Vestland, Praktisk KI
- LO i Bergen og omland, frokostmøte om Kunstig intelligens
- Norges bygg- og eiendomskonferanse 2024
- UiT — Norges arktiske universitet: ITAs 50-årsjubileum
- Introductory presentation on AI and digitalization at Arbeiderpartiet and the Minister of Digitalisation and Public Governance, 2024
- Invited lecture on opportunities and drawbacks in AI – UiB IT forum, 2024
- Opening lecture on opportunities in AI — IT-forum vest, Vestland & Rogaland, 2024
- Seniortreff i fem bygder, Tysnes Kommune, 2024
- Innledning til paneldebatt om KI — LO Vestland regionkonferanse, 2024
- Hvordan påvirker KI vår hverdag — Pensjonistforeningen ved UiB, 2024
Selected lectures
- KI for toppledere i Vestland — Apriil seminar, 2023
- Hvordan påvirker KI vår hverdag — Senioruniversitetet i Hordaland, 2023
- KI og falsk framferd — Falturiltu (verdas største nynorske litteraturfestival for barn og ungdom), 2023
- Står superintelligensen og banker på døren? — Intelligente Bergen, November 2023
- Hva er AI? — Bergen Kommune, Fagdag for IT, May 2023
- Revisionist Software Craftsmanship — Webstep Fagkveld, 2022
- Hva er maskinlæring — Seniorklubb, 2021
- Open source — Booster, 2019
Interviewed by
- TV 2 i forbindelse med USA-valget 2024: Har «klonet» TV 2-profilen.
- Fakultet for naturvitenskap og teknologi i forbindelse med USA-valget 2024: Hvordan kunstig intelligens kan påvirke valg.
- TV 2 Nyhetsmorgen: Generativ Kunstig Intelligens
- NRK Nyhetsmorgen: Om senathøring i USA om kunstig intelligens
- Klassekampen: Sak om desinformasjon av Dag Eivind Undheim Larsen
- VG
- NTB Tema
- Digi
Teaching
Recent courses:
- 2025-01: INF237 — Algorithms engineering (TBT)
- 2024-02: INF234 — Algorithms
- 2024-01: INF237 — Algorithms engineering
- 2024-01: SDG607 — Energy transition
- 2023-02: INF234 — Algorithms
- 2023 january: Git Crash Course for Echo
- 2022-02: INF234 — Algorithms & INF319 — Projects in Informatics
- 2022-01: INF237 — Algorithms Engineering
- 2022 january: Git Crash Course for Echo
- 2021-02: INF234 — Algorithms & INF219/INF319 — Projects in Informatics
- 2021-01: INF237 — Algorithms Engineering
- 2021 january: Git Crash Course for Echo
Previous teaching way back when:
- INFO282 — Artificial Intelligence
- INF207 — Social Network Theory
- INF109 — Python for natural science
- INF112 — Software Engineering
- DASP106 — Computational linguistics
Teaching and courses in the industry:
- Python crash course
- Advanced Python for engineers
- Git crash course
- Machine learning, an introduction
—
My first course, that I ever taught:
- 2008–02: Computational linguistics (datalingvistikk, da: DASP106)
Publications
Academic article
- Bentert, Matthias; Crane, Alex; Drange, Pål Grønås et al. (2024). Correlation Clustering with Vertex Splitting. (external link)
- Mizutani, Yosuke; Salomao, Daniel Coimbra; Crane, Alex et al. (2024). Leveraging Fixed-Parameter Tractability for Robot Inspection Planning. (external link)
- Bentert, Matthias; Crane, Alex; Drange, Pål Grønås et al. (2024). Correlation Clustering with Vertex Splitting. (external link)
- Bentert, Matthias; Drange, Pål Grønås; Fomin, Fedor et al. (2024). Two-Sets Cut-Uncut on Planar Graphs. (external link)
- Langedal, Kenneth; Bentert, Matthias; Blanco, Thorgal et al. (2024). PACE Solver Description: LUNCH - Linear Uncrossing Heuristics. (external link)
- Drange, Pål Grønås; Greaves, Patrick; Muzi, Irene et al. (2023). Computing Complexity Measures of Degenerate Graphs. (external link)
- Arrighi, Emmanuel Jean Paul Pierre; Bentert, Matthias; Drange, Pål Grønås et al. (2023). Cluster Editing with Overlapping Communities. (external link)
- Bentert, Matthias; Drange, Pål Grønås; Fomin, Fedor et al. (2023). Two-sets cut-uncut on planar graphs. (external link)
- Drange, Pål Grønås; Greaves, Patrick; Muzi, Irene et al. (2023). Computing complexity measures of degenerate graphs. (external link)
- Drange, Pål Grønås; Muzi, Irene; Reidl, Felix (2022). Harmless Sets in Sparse Classes. (external link)
- Drange, Pål Grønås; Dregi, Markus Fanebust; Lokshtanov, Daniel et al. (2021). On the threshold of intractability. (external link)
- Drange, Pål Grønås; Pilipczuk, Michal (2017). A Polynomial Kernel for Trivially Perfect Editing. (external link)
- Bodlaender, Hans L.; Drange, Pål Grønås; Dregi, Markus Sortland et al. (2016). A $c^k n$ 5-approximation algorithm for treewidth. (external link)
- Drange, Pål Grønås; Dregi, Markus Sortland; Fomin, Fedor et al. (2016). Kernelization and sparseness: The case of dominating set. (external link)
- Drange, Pål Grønås; Dregi, Markus Sortland; van 't Hof, Pim (2016). On the computational complexity of vertex integrity and component order connectivity. (external link)
- Drange, Pål Grønås; Dregi, Markus Sortland; Sandeep, R.B. (2016). Compressing bounded degree graphs. (external link)
- Drange, Pål Grønås; Reidl, Felix; Villaamil, Fernando Sánchez et al. (2015). Fast biclustering by dual parameterization. (external link)
- Drange, Pål Grønås; Fomin, Fedor; Pilipczuk, Michal Pawel et al. (2015). Exploring the subexponential complexity of completion problems. (external link)
- Drange, Pål Grønås; Pilipczuk, Michal Pawel (2015). A polynomial kernel for trivially perfect editing. (external link)
- Drange, Pål Grønås; Dregi, Markus Sortland; Lokshtanov, Daniel et al. (2015). On the threshold of intractability. (external link)
- Drange, Pål Grønås; Fomin, Fedor; Pilipczuk, Michal Pawel et al. (2014). Exploring subexponential parameterized complexity of completion problems. (external link)
- Drange, Pål Grønås; Dregi, Markus Sortland; van 't Hof, Pim (2014). On the Computational Complexity of Vertex Integrity and Component Order Connectivity. (external link)
- Bodlaender, Hans L.; Drange, Pål Grønås; Dregi, Markus Sortland et al. (2013). An O(c^k n) 5-approximation algorithm for treewidth. (external link)
Article in business/trade/industry journal
Popular scientific article
Academic literature review
Doctoral dissertation
Feature article
See a complete overview of publications in Cristin.
2024:
- Identifying parsimonious pathways of accumulation and convergent evolution from binary data
(preprint on bioRxiv)
(submitted) - Cluster Editing with Vertex Splitting (to appear in Discrete Applied Mathematics).
- Leveraging Fixed-Parameter Tractability for Robot Inspection Planning, WAFR 2024 (to appear in Springer Proceedings in Advanced Robotics).
- LUNCH — Linear Uncrossing Heuristics, IPEC 2024/PACE 2024 (to appear). Winning entry in parameterized track, 2nd place in heuristics track.
- Correlation Clustering with Vertex Splitting, SWAT 2024.
- Two-sets cut-uncut on planar graphs, ICALP 2024.
2023:
- Zygosity, a twin-width solver. PACE challenge, silver medal heuristics.
- Computing complexity measures of degenerate graphs. International Symposium on Parameterized and Exact Computation.
- Cluster Editing with Overlapping Communities. International Symposium on Parameterized and Exact Computation.
- A survey of parameterized algorithms and the complexity of edge modification. Computer Science Review. 100556-100556.
- On the threshold of intractability. Journal of Computer and System Sciences.
Projects
Principal investigator in the projects
- Machine Teaching for Explainable AI, led by Jan Arne Telle, joint project with industry partners Equinor ASA and Eviny AS (Norsk Forskningsråd)
- Algorithmic Foundation for Trustworthy AI, led by Fedor V. Fomin (Trond Mohn Stiftelse)