My work belongs to three overlapping fields: quantum information and algorithms, algebraic combinatorics, and game theory. I participate in the HQI initiative , from the French national quantum plan, which funds my postdoc together with the Fondation Mathématique Jacques Hadamard .
Areas of interest Supervision Publications Communication Collaborators
Areas of interest
Currently, I am working on
- quantum walks and algorithms for optimization,
- binary high-order polynomial optimization,
- interaction between high performance computing and quantum algorithms,
- the combinatorial structure and geometry of set functions and balanced collections,
- the algebraic structures of polymatroids and the permutohedral variety,
- continuous-time dynamical systems on combinatorial structures.
Supervision
- Bruno Galibert (2025), Master 1 student, on “Quantum circuit simplification”, funded by a Quantum-Saclay grant.
- Qui Loc Phan (2024), Master 1 student, on “Quantum circuit design and combinatorial optimization”.
Publications, proceedings & preprints
For an updated list of articles, see my arXiv page .
————— Publications
The algebraic structures of social organizations: the operad of cooperative games
Dylan Laplace Mermoud, Victor Roca i Lucio
Algebraic Combinatorics
, 2026 • 49 pages • arXiv.2507.01969
Variational quantum algorithms for permutation-based combinatorial problems: Optimal ansatz generation with applications to quadratic assignment problems and beyond
Dylan Laplace Mermoud, Andrea Simonetto, Sourour Elloumi
Quantum 10, p. 1998, 2026
• 36 pages • arXiv.2509.05981v3
Attraction of the core and the cohesion flow
Dylan Laplace Mermoud
Theory and Decision 99, pp. 377-392, 2025
• 15 pages • arXiv.2507.02918
Minimal balanced collections and their application to core stability and other topics of game theory
Dylan Laplace Mermoud, Michel Grabich, Peter Sudhölter
Discrete Applied Mathematics 341, pp. 60-81, 2023
• 32 pages • arXiv.2507.05898
————— Proceedings
Combinatorics on Social Configurations
Dylan Laplace Mermoud, Pierre Popoli
Electronic Proceedings in Theoretical Computer Science 403, pp. 128-133, 2024
• 6 pages • arXiv.2406.14588
————— Preprints
Scaling QAOA: transferring optimal adiabatic schedules from small-scale to large-scale variational circuits
Ugo Nzongani, Dylan Laplace Mermoud, Arthur Braida
arXiv preprint arXiv.2602.14986
(Under review) • 2026 • 6 pages
On the closest balanced game
Pedro García-Segador, Michel Grabisch, Dylan Laplace Mermoud, Pedro Miranda
arXiv preprint arXiv.2601.15318
(Under review) • 2025 • 31 pages
Sampled-Based Guided Quantum Walk: Non-variational quantum algorithm for combinatorial optimization
Ugo Nzongani, Dylan Laplace Mermoud, Giuseppe Di Molfetta, Andrea Simonetto
arXiv preprint arXiv.2509.15138
(Revised and resubmitted) • 2025 • 27 pages
Diffusion in dynamic networks with time-varying inputs to allocate responsibility
Rosa van den Ende, Dylan Laplace Mermoud
arXiv preprint arXiv.2301.02728
• 2025 • 25 pages
Projection onto the core: An optimal reallocation to correct market failure
Dylan Laplace Mermoud
arXiv preprint arXiv.2411.11810
• 2024 • 30 pages
On the formation of steady coalitions
Dylan Laplace Mermoud
arXiv preprint arXiv.2410.05087
• 2024 • 21 pages
————— Doctoral thesis
Geometry of Set Functions in Game Theory: Combinatorial and Computational Aspects
Supervised by Michel Grabisch and Peter Sudhölter,
Reviewed by Marina Nuñez and Tamas Solymosi,
Chaired by Philippe Bich,
Additional jury members: Jean-Jacques Herings and Philippe Solal.
Link: arXiv preprint arXiv.2301.02950
Communications
[Q]: quantum talk, [GT]: game theory talk, [AC]: algebraic combinatorics talk
————— 2026
- [Q] SIAM conference on Optimization , Edinburgh, United Kingdom (forthcoming)
- [Q] 27th ROADEF congress , Tours, France
————— 2025
- [Q] University of Amsterdam, Discrete Mathematics and Quantum Information team seminar , Amsterdam, The Netherlands
- [GT/AC] 18th Ordered Structures in Games and Decisions (OSGAD) in honor of Michel Grabisch, Paris, France (invited)
- [Q] IBM Research Europe - Zurich, Quantum Optimization project , Zurich, Switzerland
- [Q] Université Aix-Marseille, CANA research group seminar, Marseille, France
- [Q] C12 , R&D seminar, Paris, France
- [Q] Université Paris Cité, IRIF quantum team seminar, Paris, France
- [AC] 20th European Meeting on Game Theory (SING20) , Maastricht, The Netherlands
- [Q] École Polytechnique, PhIQus team seminar, Palaiseau, France
- [Q] Télécom Paris, Quriosity team seminar, Palaiseau, France
- [Q] Quandela , R&D seminar, Massy, France
- [Q] International Conference on Quantum Computing (ICoQC2025 ), Paris, France
- [Q] 26th ROADEF congress , Champs-sur-Marne, France
- [Q/AC] Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, Combinatorial optimization (OC) group seminar, Paris, France
- [Q/AC] ENSTA - Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Optimization and Control (OC) group seminar, Palaiseau, France
————— 2024
- [Q] Programme Gaspard Monge (PGMO) days 2024 , Palaiseau, France
- [Q] Centre d’Économie de la Sorbonne, “Mathématique Discrète, Optimisation, Décision” (MDOD) seminar , Paris, France
- [GT] 19th European Meeting on Game Theory (SING19) , Besançon, France
- [AC] 13th Random Generation of Combinatorial Structures. Polyominoes and Tiling (GASCom) , Bordeaux, France
- [GT] Université de Franche-Comté, Young researchers day , Besançon, France
————— 2023
- [GT] Institut Henri Poincaré, Junior seminar in game theory , Paris, France
- [GT] 16th Ordered Structures in Games and Decisions (OSGAD) conference, Paris, France (invited)
- [GT] ENSTA - Institut Polytechnique de Paris, Optimization and Control (OC) group seminar, Palaiseau, France
- [GT] 22nd Society for the Advancement of Economic Theory (SAET) conference, Paris, France (invited)
- [GT] 18th European Meeting on Game Theory (SING18) , Messina, Italy
- [GT] 26th Coalition Theory Network (CTN) conference, Bielefeld, Germany
————— 2022
- [GT] Centre d’Économie de la Sorbonne, Maths department days, Paris, France
- [GT] GO22: Games and Optimization 2022 , Saint-Étienne, France (invited)
- [GT] Paris School of Economics, 17th Doctorissimes , Paris, France
- [GT] Centre d’Économie de la Sorbonne, “Networks and Games” seminar , Paris, France
————— 2021
- [GT] Centre d’Économie de la Sorbonne, PhD seminar , Paris, France
- [GT] Programme Gaspard Monge (PGMO) days 2021 , Palaiseau, France
- [GT] 16th European Meeting on Game Theory (SING16) , Granada (remote), Spain
- [GT] Institut Élie Cartan, PhD seminar , Nancy, France
Collaborators
- Corentin Bertrand , Eviden Quantum Lab,
- Mikhail V. Bludov , Laboratory of Combinatorial and Geometric Structures, MIPT,
- Arthur Braida , IRIF, Université Paris Cité,
- Sourour Elloumi , UMA, ENSTA and Cedric, CNAM, and ensIIE,
- Rosa van den Ende , CES, Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne,
- Pedro García Segador , National Statistical Institute of Spain,
- Michel Grabisch , CES, Université Paris I Panthéon-Sorbonne and AGATE, Charles University,
- Pedro Miranda , IMI, Universidad Complutense Madrid,
- Giuseppe Di Molfetta , LIS, Aix-Marseille Université,
- Ugo Nzongani , LIS, Aix-Marseille Université and UMA, ENSTA,
- Pierre Popoli , Algorithms & Complexity, University of Waterloo,
- Victor Roca i Lucio , IMJ-PRG, Université Paris Cité,
- Andrea Simonetto , UMA, ENSTA,
- Colin Stastny, Universität Konstanz,
- Peter Sudhölter , Department of Economics, University of Southern Denmark,
- Dimitri Watel , CEDRIC, CNAM and ensIIE,
- Andrea Zatti, Politecnico di Milano.