Azarakhsh Malekian
Professor • Rotman School of Management

Azarakhsh Malekian

Professor of Operations Management and Statistics
Affiliation Rotman School of Management Email azarakhsh.malekian "at" rotman "dot" utoronto "dot" ca

Research interests

Data Markets Privacy LLM Advertising Network Economics Mechanism Design Game Theory Combinatorial Optimization Randomized Algorithms

Publications

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Under review and working papers items
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  1. Optimal Advertising with Adjustable Click-through Rates and Latent Conversion Rates, with S. Alaei and A. Makhdoumi, Working paper, 2026
  2. Transforming Transformers: Content Generation with Advertiser Incentives under RoS Constraints, with S. Alaei and A. Makhdoumi,Working paper, 2026
  3. Dynamic Learning and Optimal Advertising Mechanism for LLM Platforms, with S. Alaei and A. Makhdoumi,Accepted at EC 2026, Working paper
  4. Optimal Mechanism Design with Post-Allocation Signal, with S. Alaei, A. Daei Naby, and A. Makhdoumi,Accepted at EC 2026, Working paper
  5. Incentivizing Data Collaboration: A Mechanism Design Approach, with S. Alaei, A. Daei Naby, and A. Makhdoumi, Accepted at EC 2026, Working paper
  6. Inspect or Guess: Mechanism Design with Unobservable Inspection, with A. Daei Naby and S. Alaei, Extended abstract accepted at WINE, Working paper2025
  7. The Limits of Price Discrimination Under Privacy Constraints, with A. Fallah, M. I. Jordan, A. Makhdoumi, Working paper, 2024
  8. How Good Are Privacy Guarantees? Platform Architecture and Violation of User Privacy, with D. Acemoglu, A. Fallah, A. Makhdoumi, and A. Ozdaglar, Major Revision, Mathematics of Operations Research, 2025
  9. Bridging Central and Local Differential Privacy in Data Acquisition Mechanisms, with A. Fallah, A. Makhdoumi, and A. Ozdaglar, Major Revision, Management Science, 2024
  10. Strategic Dynamic Pricing with Network Externalities, with A. Makhdoumi and A. Ozdaglar, Under Revision, Management Science, 2020
Published papers items
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  1. On Three-Layer Data Markets, with A. Fallah, M. I. Jordan, and A. Makhdoumi, Accepted, Quantitative Economics, 2026
  2. Revenue Maximization Under Unknown Private Values With Non-Obligatory Inspection, with S. Alaei and A. Makhdoumi, Operations Research, 2024
  3. When Big Data Enables Behavioral Manipulation, with D. Acemoglu, A. Makhdoumi, A. Ozdaglar, AER: Insights, 2025
  4. Optimal Auction Design with Deferred Inspection and Reward, with S. Alaei, A. Belloni, and A. Makhdoumi, Operations Research, 2024
  5. Optimal and Differentially Private Data Acquisition: Central and Local Mechanisms, with A. Fallah, A. Makhdoumi, and A. Ozdaglar, Operations Research, 2024
  6. Optimal Subscription Planning for Digital Goods, with S. Alaei and A. Makhdoumi, Operations Research, 2023
  7. Learning From Reviews: The Selection Effect and the Speed of Learning, with D. Acemoglu, A. Makhdoumi, and A. Ozdaglar, Econometrica, 2022
  8. Technical Note: Revenue Volatility under Uncertain Network Effects, with O. Baron and M. Hu, Operations Research, 2022
  9. Revenue-Sharing Allocation Strategies for Two-Sided Media Platforms: Pro-Rata versus User-Centric, with S. Alaei, A. Makhdoumi, and S. Pekec, Management Science, 2022
  10. Testing, Voluntary Social Distancing and the Spread of an Infection, with D. Acemoglu, A. Makhdoumi, and A. Ozdaglar, Operations Research, 2024
  11. A Dynamic Model of Crowdfunding, with S. Alaei and M. Mostagir, Operations Research, 2021
  12. Too Much Data: Prices and Inefficiencies in Data Markets, with D. Acemoglu, A. Makhdoumi, and A. Ozdaglar, AEJ: Microeconomics, 2022
  13. Maximizing Sequence-Submodular Functions and its Application to Online Advertising, with A. Makhdoumi and S. Alaei, Management Science, 2021
  14. Efficient Computation of Optimal Auctions via Reduced-forms, with S. Alaei, H. Fu, N. Haghpanah, and J. Hartline, Mathematics of Operations Research, 2019
  15. Informational Braess’ Paradox: The Effect of Information on Traffic Congestion, with D. Acemoglu, A. Makhdoumi, and A. Ozdaglar, Operations Research,2018
  16. Privacy-Constrained Network Formation, with D. Acemoglu, A. Makhdoumi, and A. Ozdaglar, Games and Economic Behavior, 2017
  17. Network Security and Contagion, D. Acemoglu, A. Malekian, A. Ozdaglar. Journal of Economic Theory, 2016
  18. Competitive Equilibrium in Two Sided Matching Markets with General Utility Functions, S. Alaei, K. Jain, A. Malekian. Operations Research,2016
  19. Bayesian Incentive Compatibility via Matchings, J. Hartline, R. Kleinberg, A. Malekian. Games and Economic Behavior, 2016
  20. On Random Sampling Auctions for Digital Goods, S. Alaei, A. Malekian, A. Srinivasan. ACM TEAC, 2(3), 2014.
  21. Improved Algorithms for Data Migration, Y. Kim, S. Khuller, A. Malekian. Algorithmica 63(1–2), 347–362.
  22. Energy Efficient Monitoring in Sensor Networks, A. Deshpande, S. Khuller, A. Malekian, M. Toossi. Algorithmica, 2011
  23. To Fill or Not to Fill: The Gas Station Problem, S. Khuller, A. Malekian, J. Mestre. ACM TALG, 2011
Refereed conference papers items
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  1. Dynamic Learning and Optimal Advertising Mechanism for LLM Platforms, with S. Alaei and A. Makhdoumi,Accepted at EC 2026,
  2. Optimal Mechanism Design with Post-Allocation Signal, with S. Alaei, A. Daei Naby, and A. Makhdoumi,Accepted at EC 2026,
  3. Incentivizing Data Collaboration: A Mechanism Design Approach, with S. Alaei, A. Daei Naby, and A. Makhdoumi, Accepted at EC 2026,
  4. Inspect or Guess: Mechanism Design with Unobservable Inspection, with Ali Daeinabi and Saeed Alaei, WINE (extended abstract), 2025
  5. Deterministic Refund Mechanisms, with Saeed Alaei, Shuchi Chawla, Zhiyi Huang, Ali Makhdoumi, SAGT, 2025
  6. How Good Are Privacy Guarantees? Platform Architecture and Violation of User Privacy, WINE (extended abstract), 2023
  7. Bridging Central and Local Differential Privacy in Data Acquisition Mechanisms, NeurIPS, 2022
  8. Optimal and Differentially Private Data Acquisition: Central and Local Mechanisms, EC, 2022
  9. Descending Price Auctions with Bounded Number of Price Levels and Batched Prophet Inequality, EC, 2022
  10. Revenue Maximization Under Unknown Private Values With Non-Obligatory Inspection, EC (as “Revenue Maximizing Pandora Problem”), 2021
  11. A Dynamic Model of Crowdfunding, EC, 2016
  12. Competitive Equilibrium in Electricity Markets with Heterogeneous Users and Price Fluctuation Penalty, with A. Ozdaglar, E. Wei, CDC, 2014
  13. Competitive Equilibrium in Electricity Markets with Heterogeneous Users and Ramping Constraints, with A. Ozdaglar, E. Wei, Allerton (invited), 2013
  14. Bayesian Optimal Auctions via Multi- to Single-agent Reduction, EC, 2012
  15. Bayesian Mechanism Design for Budget-Constrained Agents, EC, 2011
  16. Bayesian Algorithmic Mechanism Design: Multi Dimensional Setting, SODA, 2011
  17. A Novel Approach for Propagating Distrust, WINE, 2010
  18. Balanced Allocation with Succinct Representation, KDD, 2010
  19. An analysis of Troubled Assets Reverse Auction, WINE, 2009
  20. Online Allocation of Display Advertisements subject to Advanced Sales Contracts, ADKDD, 2009
  21. On Random Sampling Auctions for Digital Goods, EC, 2009
  22. Query Rewrites for Keyword-based Advertising, ACM EC, 2008
  23. Energy Efficient Monitoring in Sensor Networks, LATIN, 2008
  24. To Fill or not to Fill: The Gas Station Problem, ESA, 2007
  25. Improved Algorithms for Data Migration, APPROX, 2006
Patents items
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  1. Optimizing Query Rewrites for Keyword-based Advertising, With C. Chao Chang, R. Kumar, G. Wang, Document Number: #20090216710.
  2. A Novel Approach for Propagating Distrust, With C. Borgs, J. Chayes, A. Kalai, M. Tennenholtz, Publication number: #US 2011/0252121 A1

Activities

Service, editorial roles, committees, and refereeing.
  • Associate Editor, Management Science (Revenue Management and Market Analytics).
  • Associate Editor, Operations Research (Revenue Management and Market Analytics).
  • Track chair at The Web Conference 2023 (Economics and Monetization track).
  • Chair of 2025 Lanchester Prize Committee
  • Conference Co-Chair, The 18th conference on Web and Internet Economics (WINE) 2022, Troy, NY, USA.
  • Cluster Co-chair: Mechanism Design and Game Theory, INFORMS International Conference, Hawaii, 2016.
  • Co-Chair, George Dantzig Dissertation Award, 2022.
  • Co-organizer, Marketplace Innovation Workshop, 2023.
  • Area Chair: 23rd ACM Conference on Economics and Computation (EC), 2022.
  • Senior Program Committee: Several times for ACM Conference on Economics and Computation (EC).

Committee member

  • 2023 and 2024 Lanchester Prize
  • George Dantzig Dissertation Award Committee, 2021
  • Conference and Economics Computation (EC), Several times
  • The Web Conference (WWW), Several times
  • AAAI, Several times
  • WINE, Several times
  • ADT, 2019 (Fuqua School of Business, Duke University)
  • Ad-Auctions Workshop, 2015 (Oregon); 2012 (Spain)
  • Workshop on Bayesian Mechanism Design, 2011 (Stanford, CA)
  • Workshop on the Economics of Web Search and Social Networks, 2013 (Italy)

Refereeing

Journals: Operations Research, Management Science, MSOM, Mathematics of Operations Research, Econometrica, Review of Economic Studies, JPE, AEJ: Microeconomics, Theoretical Economics, JET, GEB, OR Letters, Networks, Review of Industrial Organization, ACM TEAC, Algorithmica.
Conferences: MSOM Service SIG, EC, STOC, SODA, WINE, WWW, APPROX, ESA, LATIN, SAGT, ICALP.