ollab.png

Jiahai Wang

Full Professor

Optimization and Learning Lab., Sun Yat-sen University, P.R. China

Research interests include 1) Foundation Models/Deep Learning; 2) Learning to Optimize (Foundation Models for Optimization/Automatic Algorithm Design, Neural Combinatorial Optimization); and 3) Intelligent Optimization Algorithms/Meta-Heuristics and their Applications.

Monograph

  • Learning to Optimize with Applications (In Chinese), Science Press, Jiahai Wang, Zizhen Zhang, Jinbiao Chen et al., 2026, L2OApp.

  • Foundation Models for Optimization and Reasoning, Springer, Jiahai Wang et al., (In preparation), FM4OR.

Selected Publications:

Publication by topic is available here and Publication by date is available at CSE@SYSU.

Foundation Models/Deep Learning with Applications

  • Chenhui Liu, Jianpeng Zhou, Jiahai Wang*, Chain-of-relations: Faithful and efficient LLM reasoning over knowledge graphs via relation-centric exploration, ACL 2026 Findings.

  • Jianpeng Zhou, Qisheng Hu, Jiahai Wang*, Wenya Wang*, Policy-guided stepwise action planning for controllable LLM reasoning, ACL 2026 Findings.

  • Meixiu Long, Duolin sun, Dan Yang*, Yihan Jiao, Lei Liu, Jiahai Wang*, et al., GroupRank: A groupwise paradigm for effective and efficient passage reranking with LLMs, ACL 2026 Findings.

  • Meixiu Long, Jiahai Wang*, Junxiao Ma, Jianpeng Zhou, Siyuan Chen, LLM-augmented entity alignment: An unsupervised and training-free framework, Neural Networks, vol.194, 108139, 2026.

  • Jianpeng Zhou, Wanjun Zhong, Yanlin Wang, Jiahai Wang*, Adaptive-solver framework for dynamic strategy selection in large language model reasoning, Information Processing and Management, vol.62, no.3, 104052, May 2025.

  • Zhaoyang Wang, Shaohan Huang, Yuxuan Liu, Jiahai Wang*, et al., Democratizing reasoning ability: Tailored learning from large language model, EMNLP 2023.

  • Siyuan Chen, Xin Du, Jiahai Wang*, A hierarchical framework with spatio-temporal consistency learning for emergence detection in complex adaptive systems, IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems, vol.36, no.7, pp.13373-13386, July 2025.

  • Siyuan Chen, Jiahai Wang*, Heterogeneous interaction modeling with reduced accumulated error for multi-agent trajectory prediction, IEEE Transactions on Neural Networks and Learning Systems, vol.35, no.6, pp.8084-8052, June 2024.

  • Xiaopeng Zheng, Zhiyue Liu, Zizhen Zhang, Zhaoyang Wang, Jiahai Wang*, UECA-Prompt: Universal prompt for emotion cause analysis, COLING 2022.

  • Wanjun Zhong, Junjie Huang, Qian Liu, Min Zhou, Jiahai Wang, Jian Yin, Nan Duan, Reasoning over hybrid chain for table-and-text open domain question answering, IJCAI 2022.

  • Siyuan Chen, Jiahai Wang*, Guoqing Li, Neural relational inference with efficient message passing mechanisms, AAAI 2021.

  • Wanjun Zhong, Jingjing Xu, Duyu Tang, Zenan Xu, Nan Duan, Ming Zhou, Jiahai Wang, Jian Yin, Reasoning over semantic-level graph for fact checking, ACL 2020.

  • Zhiyue Liu, Jiahai Wang*, Zhiwei Liang, CatGAN: Category-aware generative adversarial networks with hierarchical evolutionary learning for category text generation, AAAI 2020, vol.34, no.5, pp.8425-8432.

Learning to Optimize with Applications (Foundation Models for Optimization/Automatic Algorithm Design, Neural Combinatorial Optimization)

  • Yi Chen, Zikang Yu, Jiahai Wang*, et al., Reinforcement learning enhanced LLM agents for complex vehicle routing problems, PPSN 2026.

  • Zhiyuan Chu, Zikang Yu, Jiahai Wang*, et al., PAEvo: Plan-algorithm evolution with LLMs for automatic heuristic design, PPSN 2026.

  • Yuanxu Yang, Zikang Yu, Jiahai Wang*, et al., Learning to solve complex constrained routing problems with feasibility-guided reward and diversity-guided policy, PPSN 2026.

  • Zikang Yu, Jinbiao Chen, Jiahai Wang*, Combination-of-expert with knowledge sharing for cross-task vehicle routing problems, ICLR 2026.

  • Zhanhong Fang, Debing Wang, Jinbiao Chen, Jiahai Wang, Zizhen Zhang, UCPO: A universal constrained combinatorial optimization method via preference optimization, AAAI 2026.

  • Zijun Liao, Jinbiao Chen, Debing Wang, Zizhen Zhang, Jiahai Wang, BOPO: Neural combinatorial optimization via best-anchored and objective guided preference optimization, ICML 2025.

  • Jinbiao Chen, Zhiguang Cao, Jiahai Wang*, Yaoxin Wu, Hanzhang Qin, Zizhen Zhang, Yue-Jiao Gong, Rethinking neural multi-objective combinatorial optimization via neat weight embedding, ICLR 2025.

  • Jinbiao Chen, Jiahai Wang*, Zhiguang Cao, Yaoxin Wu, Neural multi-objective combinatorial optimization via graph-image multimodal fusion, ICLR 2025.

  • Pei Xiao, Zizhen Zhang, Jinbiao Chen, Jiahai Wang, Zhenzhen Zhang, Neural combinatorial optimization for robust routing problem with uncertain travel times, NeurIPS 2024.

  • Jinbiao Chen, Jiahai Wang*, Zizhen Zhang*, Zhiguang Cao, Te Ye, Siyuan Chen, Efficient meta neural heuristic for multi-objective combinatorial optimization, NeurIPS 2023.

  • Jinbiao Chen, Zizhen Zhang, Zhiguang Cao, Yaoxin Wu, Yining Ma, Te Ye, Jiahai Wang*, Neural multi-objective combinatorial optimization with diversity enhancement, NeurIPS 2023.

  • Jieyi Bi, Yining Ma, Jiahai Wang*, Zhiguang Cao*, Jinbiao Chen, Yuan Sun, Yeow Meng Chee, Learning generalizable models for vehicle routing problems via knowledge distillation, NeurIPS 2022.

  • Jiahai Wang, Yalan Zhou, Jian Yin, Yunong Zhang, Competitive Hopfield network combined with estimation of distribution for maximum diversity problems, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics-Part B: Cybernetics, vol.39, no.4, pp.1048-1066, Aug. 2009.

  • Jiahai Wang, Hopfield neural network based on estimation of distribution for two-page crossing number problem, IEEE Transactions on Circuits and Systems II: Express Briefs, vol.55, no.8, pp.797-801, 2008.

Intelligent Optimization Algorithms/Meta-Heuristics with Applications

  • Jiahai Wang, Liangsheng Yuan, Zizhen Zhang, Shangce Gao, Yuyan Sun, Yalan Zhou, Multiobjective multiple neighborhood search algorithms for multiobjective fleet size and mix location-routing problem with time windows, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics: Systems, vol.51.no.4, pp.2284-2298, 2021.

  • Jiahai Wang, Wenbin Ren, Zizen Zhang, Han Huang, Yuren Zhou, A hybrid multiobjective memetic algorithm for multiobjective periodic vehicle routing problem with time windows, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics: Systems, vol.50, no.11, pp.4732-4745, Nov. 2020.

  • Xueming Yan, Han Huang, Zhifeng Hao, Jiahai Wang, A graph-based fuzzy evolutionary algorithm for solving two-echelon vehicle routing problems,” IEEE Transactions on Evolutionary Computation, vol.24, no.1, pp.129-141, Feb. 2020.

  • Jiahai Wang, Taiyao Weng, Qingfu Zhang, A two-stage multiobjective evolutionary algorithm for multiobjective multi-depot vehicle routing problem with time windows, IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics, vol.49, no.7, pp.2467-2478, 2019.

  • Jiahai Wang, Ying Zhou, Yong Wang, Jun Zhang, C.L. Philip Chen, and Zibin Zheng, Multiobjective vehicle routing problems with simultaneous delivery and pickup and time windows: formulation, instances and algorithms, IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics, vol.46, no.3, pp.582-594, 2016.

  • Jiahai Wang, Yanyue Li, Qingfu Zhang, Zizhen Zhang, Shangce Gao, Cooperative multiobjective evolutionary algorithm with propulsive population for constrained multiobjective optimization, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics: Systems, vol.52, no.6, pp.3476-3491, 2022.

  • Jiahai Wang, Binzhong Chen, Shangce Gao, Zizhen Zhang, Yuren Zhou, Cooperative evolutionary framework with focused search for many-objective optimization, IEEE Transactions on Emerging Topics in Computational Intelligence, vol.4, no.3, pp.398-412, June 2020

  • Jiahai Wang, Guanxi Liang, Jun Zhang, Cooperative differential evolution framework for constrained multiobjective optimization, IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics, vol.49, no.6, pp.2060-2072, June 2019.

  • Jiahai Wang, Jianjun Liao, Ying Zhou, Yiqiao Cai, Differential evolution enhanced with multiobjective sorting based mutation operators, IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics, vol.44, no.12, pp.2792-2805, 2014.

  • Yiqiao Cai, Jiahai Wang*, Differential evolution with neighborhood and direction information for numerical optimization, IEEE Transactions on Cybernetics, vol.43, no.6, pp.2202-2215, Dec. 2013.