Marcelo Sztainberg

Applied Mathematics (United States), Northeastern Illinois University

Papers

Total Citations

H-Index

About

Marcelo Sztainberg is a researcher whose work lies at the intersection of theoretical computer science and robotics, with a particular focus on combinatorial optimization and scheduling problems in multi-agent systems. His primary research area centers on the "Freeze-Tag Problem"—a fundamental challenge in swarm robotics where a single active robot must awaken a swarm of sleeping robots in minimal time. Sztainberg’s major contributions include both theoretical analysis and experimental validation of heuristic algorithms for this problem, providing critical insights into awakening schedules that minimize makespan. His most cited work, "Analysis of Heuristics for the Freeze-Tag Problem" (2002, 15 citations), established foundational heuristics for this NP-hard problem, while his follow-up study (2004, 10 citations) offered rigorous theoretical bounds and empirical comparisons. Though modest in citation count, these papers are notable for pioneering a problem that has since become a benchmark in distributed robotics and scheduling theory. Sztainberg’s work is particularly valuable for students and researchers exploring time-constrained coordination in robot swarms, offering both algorithmic clarity and practical experimental grounding.