Alessandro Zocca is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Mathematics at VU Amsterdam. Born in Verona, Italy, in 1988, he earned his bachelor's degree in mathematics at the University of Padova and his master's degree at the University of Cambridge. He then completed his PhD in mathematics from Eindhoven University of Technology in 2015. Afterward, Alessandro held postdoctoral positions at CWI in Amsterdam and at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, supported by a NWO Rubicon grant. Since 2019, Alessandro has been part of our department. In 2024, he was awarded a VIDI grant from the Dutch Research Council.
Raffaella Mulas interviewed him in January 2025.
Thank you, Ale, for agreeing to do this interview! Over the past two years, we have become good friends and made it a habit to enjoy ginger beer together here at Bar Boele on a regular basis. Today's ginger beer is especially memorable, as our conversation will be shared with everyone!
Haha, right, I feel like I have no choice!
Recently, two very exciting things happened to you within one week of each other: you got a VIDI grant, and you got married! Which one is going to be more challenging?
Hmm, what a good question! I want to say that marriage is more challenging because it's forever, while the VIDI is just for five years. But at the same time, the PhD students that I'm going to hire are not going to be as perfect as my wife, Heidi!
This is very sweet! Now, tell me more about your VIDI grant. What inspired the project, and what are you most excited to work on?
Most of my research in the past nine years already focused on stochastic models for renewable power systems, addressing their reliability. But as a deeply concerned citizen of our planet, I couldn't ignore the increasing frequency and severity of extreme weather events—and their dramatic impact on energy infrastructure, among others. This sparked my curiosity about how an applied mathematician could contribute to model and mitigate these challenges adopting a complex network perspective.
What excites me most is the interdisciplinary nature of this project. I'll be collaborating with climate scientists and engineers on the academic side while also engaging with transmission network operators to ensure that the solutions we develop are practical and actionable. It's the perfect blend of theory, application, and real-world problem-solving, and I can't wait to see where it leads!
This sounds super interesting! You have also been working on a book project together with Krzysztof Postek, Joaquim Gromicho, and Jeffrey Kantor, resulting in a textbook titled “Hands-On Mathematical Optimization with Python” which just got published by Cambridge University Press. There is a bittersweet story behind this book, as one of the authors, Jeffrey, passed away during the project. Could you share what the book means to you and the team and how you feel about its publication?
It's bittersweet that Jeff isn't here with us to see the outcome of this incredible journey. This textbook is the culmination of a five-year effort that was sparked by the desire to expand and enrich the lecture notes for a master-level course I've been teaching. What started as a modest solo project evolved into a true team effort, with hundreds of hours of asynchronous collaboration on both text and code. Looking back, I'm very proud of what we've accomplished together!
This textbook wants to be a resource that bridges theory and implementation, making mathematical optimization accessible and applicable to real-world challenges. My hope is that this book and the companion open-source code become a valuable resource for students, researchers, and practitioners alike.
I’m sure that this will happen! Can you tell me about your passion for triathlon? How did it start, and what do you enjoy most about it?
My passion for triathlon began as a challenge to myself. I was already a runner and enjoyed cycling and swimming recreationally, but I never considered combining those until Heidi (which back then was only a friend!) suggested trying a local sprint triathlon. I thought, “Why not?”. It seemed like a fun way to push my limits. After that first race, I was hooked—it was humbling, exhilarating, and deeply satisfying!
What I love most about triathlon is its variety. Training for three disciplines keeps things fresh and exciting; each sport complements the others, so there's always room for improvement. It's not just about physical fitness but also mental resilience. There's something magical about the rhythm of swimming, the speed of cycling, and the raw determination of running—each leg demands something different, and finishing a race feels like a massive accomplishment every time.
Beyond the sport itself, I've found an incredibly supportive and inspiring triathlon community here in Amsterdam, ATAC. Everyone's out there chasing their own goals, whether they're beginners or seasoned Ironman competitors. That camaraderie is what makes it special!
Amazing! And what comes to your mind if I say “Yes, and”?
Improvisation!
Tell me more about it!
Improvisational theater, or improv, is a form of live performance where actors create scenes, characters, and dialogue on the spot without a script. Guided by spontaneity and collaboration, improv thrives on creativity, quick thinking, and the "yes, and" principle—building on ideas from others. It's often playful and comedic but can also explore dramatic or thought-provoking themes. Improv is as much about listening and teamwork as it is about entertaining, so it's great to get to know and connect with other people.
I discovered improvisational theater while I was living in California and fell in love with it. Since then, I've been performing on stage several times, both in English and in Italian. For those of you interested in seeing what a math professor does by night…check out Amsterdaje!
I already checked it out quite a lot, thanks to you! Ale, you are extremely well organized. What advice would you give to someone who wants to be more organized in life?
Two things: The first one is to write to-do lists, and the second one is to go back to these to-do lists periodically and reflect especially on what didn't work and why.
And for those in academia specifically, what advice would you give to someone who wants to be more organized at work?
Meticulously keep track of where your time goes and for which type of tasks. You will learn so much about your modus operandi and find in which aspects of your planning or time management you can improve.
A simple strategy to do it is to use your Outlook or Google calendar to make appointments with yourself for each task and adjust their duration retroactively based on how much time you actually spent on that task. If you do this ahead of time for your full work day/week, you also have just implemented “time-blocking”!
This is great advice! Besides the Department of Mathematics at the VU, what do you like the most about Amsterdam?
What I love most about Amsterdam is how it's the perfect mix of everything—diverse, international, and super livable. It's big enough to feel exciting but small enough to bike everywhere (which, let's face it, is the best way to get around). The city is green, accessible, and puts bikes and pedestrians first—no endless traffic jams here! Plus, there's always something happening, with tons of events in English, and the Italian community here makes it feel like a little slice of home when I need it.
And besides your amazing wife Heidi, mathematics, triathlon and improv theater, what brings you joy?
Cooking food, and having friends over for dinner! Despite many years of living abroad, I'm still Italian deep down!
Nice! Thank you so much, Ale, for this special edition of our ginger beer!