I am a PhD student in artificial intelligence in the DTAI lab of KU Leuven under the supervision of Professor Tias Guns. I was granted a personal 4-year PhD fellowship by FWO in November 2023.

My research focuses on the combination of machine learning and constrained optimization, including decision-focused learning, constraint acquisition and algorithm configuration.

Blog posts

• Sudoku Assistant – an AI assistant combining machine learning and reasoning
  Senne Berden, Tias Guns
  We introduce The Sudoku Assistant, an AI assistant that integrates machine learning and reasoning to interpret, solve and explain pen-and-paper Sudokus scanned with a smartphone. The assistant demonstrates three increasingly important concepts in AI research: the integration of learning and reasoning, explainable AI and human-centered AI.
  [Blog post] [Website]

Publications

* denotes co-first author

• Solver-Free Decision-Focused Learning for Linear Optimization Problems
  Senne Berden, Ali İrfan Mahmutoğulları, Dimos Tsouros, Tias Guns
  Preprint on arXiv 2025
  [Paper]

• Minimizing Surrogate Losses for Decision-Focused Learning using Differentiable Optimization
  Jayanta Mandi, Ali İrfan Mahmutoğulları, Senne Berden, Tias Guns
  European Conference on Artificial Intelligence (ECAI) 2025
  [Paper]

• Score Function Gradient Estimation to Widen the Applicability of Decision-Focused Learning
  Mattia Silvestri, Senne Berden, Gaetano Signorelli, Ali İrfan Mahmutoğulları, Jayanta Mandi, Brandon Amos, Tias Guns, Michele Lombardi
  Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research (JAIR) 2025
  [Paper]

• Generalizing Constraint Models in Constraint Acquisition
  Dimos Tsouros, Senne Berden, Steven Prestwich, Tias Guns
  Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) 2025
  [Paper] [Code]

• Learning to Learn in Interactive Constraint Acquisition
  Dimos Tsouros, Senne Berden, Tias Guns
  Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) 2024
  [Paper] [Code]

• Decision-Focused Learning: Foundations, State of the Art, Benchmark and Future Opportunities
  Jayanta Mandi*, James Kotary*, Senne Berden, Maxime Mulamba, Victor Bucarey, Tias Guns, Ferdinando Fioretto
  Journal of Artificial Intelligence Research (JAIR) 2024
  [Paper] [Code]

• Sudoku Assistant – an AI-Powered App to Help Solve Pen-And-Paper Sudokus
  Tias Guns, Emilio Gamba, Maxime Mulamba, Ignace Bleukx, Senne Berden, Milan Pesa
  🏆 Best demonstration at the Conference on Artificial Intelligence (AAAI) 2024
  [Paper] [Website]

• Guided Bottom-Up Interactive Constraint Acquisition
  Dimos Tsouros, Senne Berden, Tias Guns
  International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming (CP) 2023 [Paper] [Code]

• Learning MAX-SAT Models from Examples Using Genetic Algorithms and Knowledge Compilation
  Senne Berden, Mohit Kumar, Samuel Kolb, Tias Guns
  International Conference on Principles and Practice of Constraint Programming (CP) 2022 [Paper] [Code]

• Model-Based Algorithm Configuration with Adaptive Capping and Prior Distributions
  Ignace Bleukx*, Senne Berden*, Lize Coenen, Nicholas Decleyre, Tias Guns
  International Conference on the Integration of Constraint Programming, Artificial Intelligence, and Operations Research (CPAIOR) 2022
  [Paper] [Code]