Rupei Xu
Welcome to my homepage! I got my Ph.D. degree in Telecommunications Engineering at The University of Texas at Dallas, very fortunately under the supervision of Professor Yuming Jiang and Professor Jason P. Jue. Before that, I received my Bachelor's degree in Operations Research and Management Science at Qufu Normal University, a Master's degree in Industrial Engineering at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities, highly honored under the supervision of Professor Shuzhong Zhang, and my second Master's degree in Computer Science at The University of Texas at Dallas.
My research primarily lies at the intersection of Discrete Mathematics, Theoretical Computer Science, and Combinatorial Optimization. Now I focus on developing new mathematical foundations for emerging paradigms in 6G communications. This includes Clifford Information Theory, Reconfigurable Intelligent Surfaces, and Physical Layer Semantic Communication. By integrating Clifford algebra, multigrade geometry, and semantic entropy, I aim to fundamentally reshape the structure of electromagnetic communication and advance a geometric–algebraic reconstruction of 6G and beyond. I welcome collaborations and invite curious minds to explore this evolving frontier.
Useful Links
Resources for Women Scholars: I Will Survive SafeToC TCS Women AWM WinCom N2Women IEEE WIE
Academic Events & Fun: Gathering 4 Gardner CS Theory Online Talks Links to Combinatorial Conferences My Academic Events
Research Blogs & More: PolyTCS Steiner Ratio and Gilbert-Pollak Conjecture Beyond Shannon — Tom Odda Jr.’s Note My X Account
Recent News
New blog post by Tom Odda Jr. on July 6, 2025: Guided by Ron Graham’s Lighthouse: A New Path to the Steiner Ratio (In memory of Ronald L. Graham (October 31, 1935 – July 6, 2020) 🕯️🕯️🕯️ In time, the link shall be shared. But now, we pause—held in the soft stillness of mourning, where silence speaks the heart. )
New blog post by Tom Odda Jr. on July 2, 2025: Uncovering the Gaps: A Re-examination of the Du–Hwang Proof for the Gilbert–Pollak Conjecture Link
New blog post by Tom Odda Jr. on June 22, 2025: Minyi Yue: Rediscovering a Forgotten Pioneer of the Gilbert–Pollak Conjecture (Happy 105th Birthday🎂, Professor Minyi Yue! 🎉🥳🍰🎇🎊🥂) Link
New blog post by Tom Odda Jr. on June 12, 2025: Minyi Yue vs. Ding-Zhu Du: The Forgotten Chinese Debate on the Gilbert–Pollak Conjecture Link
New blog post by Tom Odda Jr. on June 9, 2025: The $500 Check and the $1,000 Challenge: Ron Graham’s Changing Stance on the Du–Hwang Proof of the Gilbert–Pollak Conjecture Link
“Tom Odda” — Ron Graham once joked it was his alias when I first met him. He laughed that it sounded like the Chinese insult “your mother” — a cross-cultural pun he delivered with playful mischief 😉. Now, it’s the perfect alias for me: Tom Odda Jr. to carry the torch and speak the truth on my new blog: Steiner Ratio and the Gilbert–Pollak Conjecture. The story lives on. Link
Contributed talk in CombinaTexas 2025: "Don't Roll Your Dice, Algebraize it!" April 12-13, 2025, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas Link
Our new paper "MIST: An Efficient Approach for Software-Defined Multicast in Wireless Mesh Networks" has been accepted by IEEE PIMRC 2024 (arXiv preprint Link )
Invited talk in Minisymposium on Algorithmic Algebra and Geometry, the 4th SIAM TX-LA sectional meeting, November 5-7, 2021, UTRGV, South Padre Island, Texas Link
Invited talk in Special Session on Graph Theory and Applications, AMS Spring Central Sectional Meeting, April 17-18, 2021 Link
Updated: PolyTCS Project Proposal—Is Semidefinite Programming (SDP) Polynomial-Time Solvable? Link
New: A new PolyTCS blog! Link
Research Works
My Research Profiles
Recent Research Manuscripts
Xu, Rupei, Yuming Jiang, and Jason P. Jue. "MIST: An Efficient Approach for Software-Defined Multicast in Wireless Mesh Networks." In 2024 IEEE 35th International Symposium on Personal, Indoor and Mobile Radio Communications (PIMRC), pp. 1-6. IEEE, 2024. IEEE PIMRC 2024 (arXiv preprint Link )
Thesis
Ph.D. Thesis at The University of Texas at Dallas: "Structure, Complexity and Computation of Next-Generation Networks."
Supervisor: Professor Yuming Jiang (NTNU) and Professor Jason P. Jue (UTD)
Master's Thesis at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities: "A Study of Social Networks: An Lp Norm Relaxation Approach. "
Supervisor: Professor Shuzhong Zhang (UMN)
Academic Services
Project Creator and Website Editor
The PolyTCS Project Blog Link
Conference Co-organizer
14th Annual Graduate Student Combinatorics Conference (GSCC 2018) Link
SIAM Conference On Discrete Mathematics (SIAM DM 18 Link) Minisymposium:
MS22 Theoretical Computer Science as a New Discovery Engine of Discrete Mathematics Link
Conference Session Chair
Session Chair of Supply Chain Optimization I, INFORMS Annual Meeting 2019 Link
Session Chair of Telecommunications & Transportation, INFORMS Annual Meeting 2019 Link
Paper Reviewer
Conference: MFCS 2018, FOCS 2019, INFOCOM 2022, ICC 2022, Globecom 2022, INFOCOM 2023, ICC 2023, Globecom 2023
Journal: Mathematical Programming, European Journal of Operational Research, Frontiers of Computer Science, Theory and Applications of Graphs, Computer Communications
Selected Talks and Poster Presentations
Selected Talks:
CombinaTexas, April 12-13, 2025, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
Invited talk in Minisymposium on Algorithmic Algebra and Geometry, the 4th SIAM TX-LA sectional meeting, November 5-7, 2021, UTRGV, South Padre Island, TX
Invited talk in the AMS Spring Central Sectional Meeting, April 17-18, 2021, Virtual
Two talks at INFORMS Annual Meeting 2019, Oct 20-23, 2019, Seattle, WA
Erdős Lecture Series, Sep 12-15, 2019, University of Memphis, TN
31st Cumberland Conference on Combinatorics, Graph Theory and Computing, May 18-19, 2019, University of Central Florida, Orlando, FL
18th CombinaTexas Meeting, March 23-24, 2019, Texas A&M University, TX
Theory Lunch Seminar, March 13th, 2019, Microsoft Research Redmond, Seattle, WA
Fiftieth Southeastern International Conference on Combinatorics, Graph Theory and Computing, March 4-8th, 2019, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL
INFORMS 2018 Annual Meeting, Nov. 4-7, 2018, Phoenix, AZ
SIAM Conference on Discrete Mathematics, June 4-8, 2018, University of Colorado Denver, Denver, CO
INFORMS Optimization Society Meeting 2018, March 23-25, 2018, University of Denver, Denver, CO
14th Workshop on Algorithms and Models for the Web Graph, Jun 15-16, 2017, Fields Institute, Toronto, Canada
24th Ontario Combinatorics Workshop, June 10 - 11, 2017, University of Guelph, Canada
29th Cumberland Conference on Combinatorics, Graph Theory, and Computing, May 20-21, 2017, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN
Ninth Discrete Geometry and Algebraic Combinatorics Conference, May 1-5, 2017, South Padre Island, TX
13th Annual Graduate Student Combinatorics Conference, Apr 7-9, 2017, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
Great Plains Combinatorics Conference 2016, May 21-22, 2016, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS
MIGHTY LVII (57th MIdwest GrapH TheorY Meeting), Apr 8-9, 2016, Wright State University, Dayton, OH
12th Graduate Student Combinatorics Conference, Apr 1-3, 2016, Clemson University, Clemson, SC
28th Cumberland Conference on Combinatorics, Graph Theory, and Computing, May 15-17, 2015, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
11th Graduate Student Combinatorics Conference, March 27-29, 2015, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY
Mississippi Discrete Mathematics Workshop, Nov 15-16, 2014, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS
Rocky Mountain Mathematics Consortium Summer School-2014: Stochastic equations for complex systems: Theory and applications, May 27th - June 6th, 2014, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY
27th Cumberland Conference on Combinatorics, Graph Theory, and Computing, May 16-17, 2014, West Virginia University, Morgantown, WV
15th CombinaTexas Conference, April 19-20, 2014, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX
10th Graduate Student Combinatorics Conference, April 4-6, 2014, Auburn University, Auburn, AL
Erdős Lecture Series, March 27-29, 2014, University of Memphis, Memphis, TN
The 10th Workshop on Algorithms and Models for the Web Graph, December 14-15, 2013, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA
24th International Conference on Game Theory, July 8 - 12, 2013, Stony Brook, NY
RMMC 2013 Summer School on Algebraic Graph Theory, Jun 17-28, 2013, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY
26th Cumberland Conference on Combinatorics, Graph Theory, and Computing, May 24-26, 2013, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN
Summer School on Network Science, May 20-24, 27-31, 2013, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC
23rd International Conference on Game Theory, July 15-19, 2012, Stony Brook, NY
Selected Poster Presentations
STOC 2019 Poster - 51st ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing, June 23-26, 2019, Phoenix, AZ
EXCILL III: Extremal Combinatorics at Illinois, August 8-10, 2016, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, IL
2013-14 Program on Computational Methods in Social Sciences: Opening Workshop, August 18-22, 2013, Research Triangle Park, NC
Selected Honors and Awards
66 Travel Awards/Supports/Scholarships from IEEE, ACM, SIAM major TCS Conferences (such as FOCS, STOC, SODA), CCC, TCS Women Workshop/TCS for All Workshop, Math Conferences, Optimization Conferences (such as SIAM Conference on Optimization), and Networking Conferences (such as INFOCOM)
Five-time Medalist Coach (One Second Prize and Four Third Prizes) in the Shandong Province Youth and Children Robotics Competition, China
Twice Outstanding Organization Award in the Shandong Province Youth and Children Robotics Competition, China
Advanced Individual Award for Outstanding Organization in the Shandong Province Youth and Children Robotics Competition, China
Coach of two First-Prize-winning teams in the Rizhao City Youth and Children Science and Technology Innovation Competition, China
Coach of two Third-Prize-winning teams in the Shandong Province Youth and Children Science and Technology Innovation Competition, China
Outstanding Model in Scientific and Technological Innovation and Academic Research at Qufu Normal University, China
Outstanding Prize in the China Undergraduate Mathematical Contest in Modeling
Outstanding Volunteer Tutor at Ankang Family (a Wenchuan Earthquake Orphan Care Center, China)
Star Volunteer of the Red Cross Society of China
National Outstanding Volunteer in the “Combat Earthquake and Relief Work” Program of the Red Cross Society of China
Top Ten Star Student of the School of Operations Research and Management Science, Qufu Normal University, China
First Prize in the Speech Competition of the School of Operations Research and Management Science, Qufu Normal University, China
First Prize in the May Fourth Youth Calligraphy Competition at Qufu Normal University, China
First Prize in the National Literary Contest, China
Second Prize in the National Math Contest for High School Students, China
Second Prize in the National Applied Physics Contest for Middle School Students, China
More
My hobbies include writing poems📝(published a lot when I was a teenager since age 10), painting👩🎨, calligraphy🖌, music🎼, hiking🏃♀️, and traveling ✈(I have been to more than 150 cities, although most trips were in a nerdy and simple way just between airports and conference buildings). I worked as the certified coach of the National Youth and Children Robot Competition🤖and the coach of the Math Contest 👩💻 of China for years during my part-time when I was an undergraduate student.