Research

Work & Projects

My work spans combinatorial optimization, algorithm design, and equitable network design — from computational districting to healthcare access modeling. I am especially interested in problems that are not only present rich theoretical challenges, but also arise from real-world needs with significant social impact. Below are my papers and interactive tools built from this research.

If you have an interesting problem that intersects with some of my work and interest, or are looking for a new problem, please reach out by email.

Papers

1. Published Research Paper

Coloring of Graphs Avoiding Bicolored Paths of a Fixed Length

Kirtisoglu, A. & Özkahya, L.

Graphs and Combinatorics, 40(1), Art. 11, 2024

We study proper vertex colorings of graphs that avoid bicolored paths of a fixed length — that is, paths whose vertices alternate between exactly two colors. We introduce the Pk-chromatic number sk(G), the minimum number of colors needed for such a coloring. For any graph with maximum degree d ≥ 2 and k ≥ 4, we establish that sk(G) = O(d(k−1)/(k−2)). We also determine exact values of sk for products of cycles and paths when k = 5 and k = 6. The problem generalizes classical star coloring and acyclic coloring and connects chromatic theory with Ramsey-type structural questions.

2. Preparing for Submission Research Paper

UAV Routing for Maximum Information Collection under Time Windows

with Melis Boran & Mustafa Tural

3. Preparing for Submission Research Paper & Visualizer

FalCom: A Sampling Method for Districting and Hierarchical Facility Location

with Hemanshu Kaul

5. In Progress Research Paper

A Diffusion Model for Political Redistricting

Alaittin Kirtisoglu

Talks

May 2026 Middle East Technical University, Industrial Engineering Departmental Seminars, Ankara

Sampling Solutions for Districting Problems and Hierarchical Facility Location Solutions with Real-World Applications

May 2026 ISCO 2026, Kusadasi, Turkey

Sampling Solutions for Districting Problems and Hierarchical Facility Location Solutions with Real-World Applications

Apr 2026 Illinois Institute of Technology, Discrete Math Seminars, Chicago

UAV Routing for Maximum Information Collection under Time Windows

Aug 2021 British Combinatorial Conference, Online

Coloring of Graphs Avoiding Bicolored Paths of a Fixed Length

Jul 2021 SIAM Conference on Discrete Mathematics, Online

Coloring of Graphs Avoiding Bicolored Paths of a Fixed Length

Jun 2021 European Combinatorial Conference, Online

Coloring of Graphs Avoiding Bicolored Paths of a Fixed Length

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