Weitian Tong (童伟钿)
Tenure-track Assistant Professor
Department of Computer Science
Georgia Southern University
IT 2305, Statesboro, GA 30458

Email: wtong.research at gmail.com or wtong at georgiasouthern.edu


My research focuses on the efficient algorithms design (approximation algorithms and online algorithm in particular) in data science, operation research, and combinatorial optimization.

Selected publications are shown as follows and the complete publication list refers to Google Scholar.

Underlined Authors are/were my students. ‘∗’ indicates the corresponding author.

Impact facotrs of journals where I published papers (updated on 10/01/2019):
  • Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health: 5.804
  • Algorithmica: 0.909
  • BMC Bioinformatics: 3.328
  • Computers & Industrial Engineering (CAIE): 7.18
  • Computers & Operations Research (CAOR): 5.159
  • Earth Science Informatics (ESIN): 2.705
  • European Journal of Operational Research (EJOR): 6.3636
  • Information and Computation (INCO): 1.24
  • Information Sciences (INS): 8.233
  • ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information (IJGI): 3.099
  • Journal of Combinatorial Optimization (JOCO): 0.816
  • Journal of Scheduling (JOS): 2.13
  • Optimization Letters (OPTL): 1.529
  • Personal and Ubiquitous Computing: 3.006
  • Theoretical Computer Science (TCS): 1.002
  • Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing (WCMC): 2.146


  1. Weitian Tong∗, Jordan Limperis, Felix Hamza-Lup, Yao Xu, Lixin Li.
    Robust and effective Transformer-based model for Spatiotemporal PM2.5 prediction in California.
    Earth Science Informatics. Accepted on 10/24/2023.
  2. Yin Wang, Yinfeng Xu, Huili Zhang∗, Weitian Tong.
    Online k-color spanning disk problems.
    Journal of Combinatorial Optimization (JOCO). 46: 1 – 15 (2023).
  3. Jordan Limperis, Weitian Tong∗, Felix Hamza-Lup, Lixin Li.
    PM2.5 forecasting based on Transformer neural network and data embedding.
    Earth Science Informatics. 16, 2111–2124 (2023)
  4. Haodong Liu, Huili Zhang, Kelin Luo, Yao Xu, Yinfeng Xu, Weitian Tong∗.
    Online generalized assignment problem with historical information.
    Computers & Operations Research (CAOR). 149: 106047 (2023)
  5. Huili Zhang, Kelin Luo, Yinfeng Xu, Weitian Tong∗.
    Learn from history for online bipartite matching.
    Journal of Combinatorial Optimization (JOCO). 44: 3611 – 3640 (2022)
  6. Yong Chen, Randy Goebel, Guohui Lin∗, Longcheng Liu, Bing Su, Weitian Tong, Yao Xu, An Zhang. (Alphabetical order)
    A local search 4/3-approximation algorithm for the minimum 3-path partition problem.
    Journal of Combinatorial Optimization (JOCO). 44: 3595 – 3610 (2022)
  7. Weitian Tong∗, Yao Xu, Huili Zhang. (Alphabetical order)
    A polynomial-time approximation scheme for parallel two-stage flowshops under makespan constraint.
    Theoretical Computer Science (TCS). 922: 438 — 446 (2022)
  8. Sizhe Wang*, Yinfeng Xu, Huili Zhang, Weitian Tong.
    Online Procurement Problem with Risk Hedging.
    Computers & Industrial Engineering (CAIE). 164: 107909 (2022)
  9. Huili Zhang, Kelin Luo, Yao Xu, Yinfeng Xu, Weitian Tong∗.
    Online crowdsourced truck delivery using historical information.
    European Journal of Operational Research (EJOR). 302 (2): 486-501 (2022)
  10. Guohui Lin*, Weitian Tong. (Alphabetical order)
    An improved approximation algorithm for the minimum common integer partition problem.
    Information and Computation. 281: 104784 (2021)
  11. Xiaolu Zhou, Weitian Tong*.
    Learning with self-attention for rental market spatial dynamics in the Atlanta Metropolitan area.
    Earth Science Informatics. 14(2): 837-845 (2021).

  12. Taibo Luo, Hongmei Li*, Shaofeng Ru, Weitian Tong, Yinfeng Xu.
    Multiple sink location problem in path networks with a combinational objective.
    Optimization Letters (OPTL). 15: 733 – 755 (2021)

  13. Jianming Dong, Hong Pan, Cunkui Ye, Weitian Tong, Jueliang Hu.
    No-wait two-stage flowshop problem with multi-task flexibility of the first machine.
    Information Sciences (INS). 544: 25 – 38 (2021).

  14. Xiaolu Zhou, Weitian Tong*, Lixin Li.
    Deep learning spatiotemporal air pollution data in China using data fusion.
    Earth Science Informatics. 13(3): 859 – 868 (2020).

  15. Yong Daniel Liang∗, Lixin Li, Weitian Tong.
    Using animations to teach string matching effectively.
    The Journal of Computing Sciences in Colleges, 35(10): 27-32 (2020).

  16. Jianming Dong, Ruyan Jin, Taibo Luo, Weitian Tong*. (Alphabetical order)
    A PTAS for an arbitrary number of parallel two-stage flow-shops.
    European Journal of Operational Research (EJOR). 281(1): 16 – 24 (2020).

  17. Wenchang Luo, Yao Xu, Weitian Tong, Guohui Lin.
    Single-machine scheduling with job-dependent machine deterioration.
    Journal of Scheduling. 22(6): 691 – 707 (2019).

  18. Xiaolu Zhou, Weitian Tong, Dongying Li.
    Modeling housing rent in the Atlanta metropolitan area using textual information and deep learning.
    ISPRS International Journal of Geo-Information (IJGI). 8(8): 1 – 8 (2019).

  19. Shanshan Zhai, Peng Zhang, Daming Zhu, Weitian Tong, Yao Xu, Guohui Lin.
    An approximation algorithm for genome sorting by reversals to recover all adjacencies.
    Journal of Combinatorial Optimization (JOCO). 37(4): 1170 – 1190 (2019).

  20. Weitian Tong*, Lixin Li, Xiaolu Zhou, Andrew Hamilton, Kai Zhang.
    Deep learning PM2.5 concentrations with Bidirectional LSTM RNN.
    Air Quality, Atmosphere & Health. 12(4): 411 – 423 (2019).

  21. Weitian Tong*, Lixin Li, Xiaolu Zhou, Jason Franklin.
    Efficient spatiotemporal interpolation with Spark machine learning.
    Earth Science Informatics, 12(1), 87 – 96 (2019).

  22. Huili Zhang, Weitian Tong, Guohui Lin, Yinfeng Xu.
    Online minimum latency problem with traffic uncertainty.
    European Journal of Operational Research (EJOR). 273 (2): 418 – 429 (2019).

  23. Wenchang Luo, Yao Xu, Weitian Tong, Randy Goebel, Guohui Lin.
    Algorithms for communication scheduling in data gathering network with data compression.
    Algorithmica, 80(11): 3158 – 3176 (2018).

  24. Weitian Tong, Eiji Miyano, Randy Goebel, Guohui Lin.
    An approximation scheme for minimizing the makespan of the parallel identical multi-stage flow-shops.
    Theoretical Computer Science (TCS), 734: 24 – 31 (2018).

  25. Dongjing Miao, Zhipeng Cai, Weitian Tong, and Jianzhong Li.
    Approximation for vertex cover in β-conflict graphs. Journal of Combinatorial Optimization (JOCO), 34(4): 1052 – 1059 (2017).

  26. Jianming Dong, Weitian Tong, Taibo Luo, Xueshi Wang, Jueliang Hu, Yinfeng Xu, Guohui Lin.
    An FPTAS for the parallel two-stage flowshop problem.
    Theoretical Computer Science (TCS), 657: 64-72 (2017). (Co-first authors)
    ( Corrigendum to "An FPTAS for the parallel two-stage flowshop problem",
    J. Dong, J. Hu, M. Y. Kovalyov, G. Lin, T. Luo, W. Tong, X. Wang, Y Xu.     )

  27. Weitian Tong*, Lei Chen, Scott Buglass, Weinan Gao, Jeffrey Li.
    An advanced private social activity invitation framework with friendship protection.
    Wireless Communications and Mobile Computing. 1-9 (2017).

  28. Jueliang Hu, Taibo Luo, Xiaotong Su, Jianming Dong, Weitian Tong, Randy Goebel, Yinfeng Xu, Guohui Lin.
    Machine scheduling with a maintenance interval and job delivery coordination.
    Optimization Letters (OPTL), 10(8): 1645-1656 (2016).

  29. Zaobo He, Zhipemg Cai, Qilong Han, Weitian Tong, Limin Sun, Yingshu Li.
    An energy efficient privacy-preserving content sharing scheme in mobile social networks.
    Personal and Ubiquitous Computing Submission, 20(5): 833-846 (2016).

  30. Huili Zhang, Weitian Tong, Yinfeng Xu, Guohui Lin.
    The Steiner traveling salesman problem with online advanced edge blockages.
    Computers & Operations Research (COR), 70: 26-38 (2016).

  31. Weitian Tong, Randy Goebel, Guohui Lin.
    On the smoothed heights of Trie and Patricia index trees.
    Theoretical Computer Science (TCS), 609: 620-626 (2016).

  32. Haitao Jiang, Guohui Lin, Weitian Tong, Daming Zhu, Binhai Zhu.
    Isomorphism and similarity for 2-generation pedigrees.
    BMC Bioinformatics, 16(Suppl 5): S7 (2015). (Alphabetical order)

  33. Iyad Kanj, Guohui Lin, Tian Liu, Weitian Tong, Ge Xia, Jinhui Xu, Boting Yang, Fenghui Zhang, Peng Zhang, Binhai Zhu.
    Improved parameterized and exact algorithms for cut problems on trees.
    Theoretical Computer Science (TCS), 607: 455-470 (2015). (Alphabetical order)

  34. Liqin Huang, Weitian Tong, Randy Goebel, Tian Liu, Guohui Lin.
    A 0.5358-approximation for Bandpass-2.
    Journal of Combinatorial Optimization (JOCO), 30: 612-626 (2015).

  35. Huili Zhang, Weitian Tong, Yinfeng Xu, Guohui Lin.
    The graphic traveling salesman problem with online edge blockages.
    European Journal of Operational Research ( EJOR ), 243: 30-40 (2015).

  36. Weitian Tong, Randy Goebel, Tian Liu, Guohui Lin.
    Approximating the maximum multiple RNA interaction problem.
    Theoretical Computer Science (TCS), 556: 63-70 (2014).

  37. Weitian Tong, Randy Goebel, Guohui Lin.
    Approximating the minimum independent dominating set in perturbed graphs.
    Theoretical Computer Science (TCS), 554: 275-282 (2014).

  38. Zhixiang Chen, Bin Fu, Randy Goebel, Guohui Lin, Weitian Tong, Jinhui Xu, Boting Yang, Zhiyu Zhao, Binhai Zhu.
    On the approximability of the exemplar adjacency number problem for genomes with gene repetitions.
    Theoretical Computer Science (TCS), 550: 59-65 (2014). (Alphabetical order)

  39. W. Tong. Approximation algorithms under the worst-case analysis and the smoothed analysis. PhD Thesis, University of Alberta.