About

Convex Optimization Forum is a forum for researchers, professors, and practitioners who have studied or taught convex optimization and have developed the self-awareness to recognize that genuine understanding goes far deeper than mechanical knowledge. Led by Sunghee Yun (PhD, Stanford under Stephen Boyd), whose work spans semiconductor design at Samsung, recommendation systems at Amazon, and AI-powered biotech at Erudio Bio, we explore what it truly means to understand foundational concepts like duality, optimality conditions, and constraint qualifications—not just how to apply them, but why they work, what they mean geometrically and economically, and how they connect across seemingly disparate domains. We meet at least twice annually in Korea and Silicon Valley, with flexible formats between gatherings—deep dives into specific concepts, research presentations, collaborative problem-solving, and open discussions—all aimed at moving from one-dimensional procedural knowledge to multi-dimensional intuitive understanding. This is a space for those who are genuinely curious, intellectually honest about what they don’t know, and committed to the pursuit of understanding for its own sake as well as for advancing their research, teaching, and work in the world.