Triangle Quantum Computing Seminar Series: SCOOP: A Quantum-Computing Framework for Constrained Combinatorial Optimization

Abstract: While the ultimate goal of solving computationally intractable problems is to find provably optimal solutions, practical constraints of real-world scenarios often necessitate focusing on efficiently obtaining high-quality, near-optimal solutions. The Quantum Approximate Optimization Algorithm (QAOA) is a state-of-the-art hybrid quantum-classical approach for tackling these challenging problems that are encoded using quadratic and higher-order unconstrained binary optimization problems (QUBO and HUBO). We present SCOOP, a novel QAOA-based framework for solving constrained optimization problems. SCOOP transforms a constrained problem into an unconstrained counterpart, forming SCOOP problem twins. The QAOA quantum algorithm operates on the unconstrained twin to identify potential optimal and near-optimal solutions followed by classical post-processing to obtain the solutions to the constrained twin. We demonstrate our approach on a selection of problems that can be encoded as QUBOs (such as Minimum Vertex Cover and Maximum Independent Set) and HUBOs (such as Minimum Dominating Set and Minimum Maximal Matching). Bio: Prashanti Priya Angara is a Postdoctoral Researcher in Computer Science at the University of Victoria (UVic), where she completed my PhD in 2025. Priya's research focuses on hybrid quantum-classical algorithms for constrained combinatorial optimization, quantum software development, and the design of quantum education resources for high school and university students. She has worked as a Staff Engineer at Oracle and completed internships at the British Columbia Public Service, Xanadu Quantum Technologies, and the Institut Quantique at the University of Sherbrooke, where she collaborated with the Bank of Canada on projects in financial optimization. Beyond research, Priya enjoys sharing her passion for quantum computing through teaching and outreach initiatives. --- The Duke Quantum Center, the IBM Quantum Innovation Center at NC State, and the UNC Kenan-Flagler's Rethinc. Labs are pleased to present the Fall 2025 Semester Triangle Quantum Computing Seminar series.