Sainan ZHANG

Sainan ZHANG

Homepage

Sainan ZHANG is a Postdoctoral Associate at George Washington University. She received her PhD. degree from Dalian University of Technology, China. Previously she worked as a Research Assistant at the Chinese University of Hong Kong from March 2022 to March 2024, and as a Lecturer at Dongbei University of Finance and Economics from November 2019 to July 2021. Her research interests include Stochastic Programming, Distributionally Robust Optimization, Preference Robust Optimization, and Power System Operations.

Selected Publications

  1. Jian Hu, Dali Zhang, Huifu Xu and Sainan Zhang, Distributional utility preference robust optimization models in multi-attribute decision making, Mathematical Programming, 212: 519–565, 2025.

  2. Qiong Wu, Wei Wang, Sainan Zhang, and Huifu Xu. Bi-Attribute Utility Preference Robust Optimization: A Continuous Piecewise Linear Approximation Approach. European Journal of Operational Research, 323(1):170-191, 2025.

  3. Shaoyan Guo, Huifu Xu, Sainan Zhang, Utility Preference Robust Optimization with Moment-Type Information Structure, Operations Research, 72(5):2241-2261, 2024.

  4. Sainan Zhang, Shaoyan Guo, Liwei Zhang, Hongwei Zhang. On Distributionally Robust Optimization Problems with k-th Order Stochastic Dominance Constraints Induced by Full Random Quadratic Recourse. Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Applications, 493(2), 124564, 2021.

  5. Sainan Zhang, Shaoyan Guo, Liwei Zhang, Hongwei Zhang. Quantitative Stability of Two Stage Distributionally Robust Risk Optimization Problem with Full Random Linear Semi-Definite Recourse. Journal of Mathematical Analysis and Applications, 485(2), 123812, 2020.

  6. Sainan Zhang, Shaoyan Guo, Hongwei Zhang, Liwei Zhang. Quantitative Stability of Full Random Two Stage Problems with Quadratic Recourse. Optimization, 68(8):1551-1576, 2019.

Submitted Papers

  1. Sainan Zhang, Miguel Lejeune, and Payman Dehghanian. Power Distribution Systems under Wildfire Risks: Chance-Constrained Model with Decision-Dependent Probabilities. Submitted, 2025. https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=5508618

  2. Sainan Zhang, Shaoyan Guo, Melvyn Sim, Huifu Xu. Modified Polyhedral Method for Elicitation of Shape-Free Utility and Conservatism Reduction in Robust Optimization. Major revision in Management Science, 2025. https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.23269

  3. Sainan Zhang, Huifu Xu, Hailin Sun. Statistical Robustness of Kernel Learning Estimator with Respect to Data Perturbation. Revised and Resubmitted to Mathematics of Operations Research, 2024. https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.10555

  4. Sainan Zhang, Erick Delage, and Huifu Xu. Adaptive Preference Elicitation in Preference Robust CPT-Based Shortfall. Revised and Resubmitted to Operations Research, 2023.

Seminar Presentations

  1. Power Distribution Systems under Wildfire Risks: Chance-Constrained Model with Decision-Dependent Probabilities, 2026 INFORMS Optimization Society Conference, Atlanta, March 2026.

  2. Adaptive Preference Elicitation in Preference Robust CPT-Based Shortfall, ICCOPT 2025, Los Angeles, July 2025.

  3. Application of Chance-Constrained Optimization with Decision-Dependent Probabilities to Power Distribution Systems, SIAM DMV Conference on Applied Mathematics, April 2025.

  4. New Chance-Constrained Model with Decision-Dependent Probabilities with Application in Power System, Department of Systems Engineering and Operations Research, GMU, April 2025.

  5. Wildfire-Driven Distribution System Operation: New Chance-Constrained Model with Decision-Dependent Probabilities, BAAICB Conference, March 2025.

  6. Preference Robust Optimization When Information on Utility is Incomplete, Department of Decision Sciences, GWU, February 2025.

  7. Utility Preference Robust Optimization with Moment-Type Information Structure, Department of Mathematics, GWU, November 2024.

  8. Utility Preference Robust Optimization with Moment-Type Information Structure, Department of Mathematics, HKBU, February 2024.

Teaching Experience

  1. Guest Lecturer, DNSC8394: Stochastic Programming, Department of Decision Sciences, George Washington University, Spring 2026
    Guest lecture on Boolean reformulation methods for chance-constrained programs
  2. Teaching Assistant, SEEM5390: Stochastic Optimization and Risk Management, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Spring 2023
  3. Instructor, Calculus II, Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, Spring 2021, Spring 2020
  4. Instructor, Calculus I, Dongbei University of Finance and Economics, Fall 2020

Reviewer of Journals

Mathematical Programming; Journal of Optimization Theory and Applications; INFORMS Journal on Computing; European Journal of Operational Research

Awards

  1. Excellent Graduate in Liaoning Province, 2019

  2. Excellent Graduate in Dalian University of Technology, 2019

  3. The National Scholarship, 2018.11

  4. Excellent Graduate Student in Dalian University of Technology, 2017

  5. The National Scholarship, 2012.11

Contact me

Email: snzhang.m@gmail.com

Updated on March 25, 2026