Thomas Schiex
Thomas Schiex researches automated reasoning, constraint networks and bioinformatics. He completed engineering and AI studies before a Toulouse doctorate in 1991, then worked at ONERA and joined INRA in 1994. His team developed methods used in ToulBar2, an open-source optimizer for cost-function networks and graphical models. His work has applications in genetic data, protein design and agricultural systems. His work combines fundamental algorithms with tools that researchers can inspect, modify and use across different problem domains.
- Now at
- Institut National de Recherche pour l'Agriculture, l'Alimentation et l'Environnement
- Works
- 341
- Citations
- 11,645
- h-index
- 45
Publication numbers from OpenAlex, as of 14 October 2026.
Timeline
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1986–1991
Engineering, AI and programming languages
He earned an engineering degree in 1986, completed advanced AI studies in 1987 and earned a Toulouse doctorate in 1991. The thesis concerned design and implementation of a lazy dialect of Lisp, establishing a background in computation and AI.
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1991–1994
From aerospace research to INRA
He worked as a research engineer at ONERA during 1991–1994 and began a research appointment at INRA in 1994. The institution later became part of INRAE.
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2016/2020
Constraint tools for biological problems
Schiex’s team uses automated reasoning for genetic data and the design of new proteins. The team also applies its research to crop management and other agricultural decisions through a common constraint framework.
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As of October 2026
Open optimization with ToulBar2
ToulBar2 is a team tool, with Simon de Givry as its development lead. ToulBar2 performs exact optimization for cost-function networks and additive graphical models.
Sources and credits
Photo: Thomas Schiex, via Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: commons.wikimedia.org. Cropped to a square and resized. Ask us to remove or replace this photo.
