Parameterized Complexity in the Polynomial Hierarchy: Extending Parameterized Complexity Theory to Higher Levels of the Hierarchy

Parameterized Complexity in the Polynomial Hierarchy was co-recipient of the E.W. Beth Dissertation Prize 2017 for outstanding dissertations in the fields of logic, language, and information. This work extends the theory of parameterized complexity to higher levels of the Polynomial Hierarchy (PH). For problems at higher levels of the PH, a promising solving approach is to develop fixed-parameter tractable reductions to SAT, and to subsequently use a SAT solving algorithm to solve the problem. In this dissertation, a theoretical toolbox is developed that can be used to classify in which cases this is possible. The use of this toolbox is illustrated by applying it to analyze a wide range of problems from various areas of computer science and artificial intelligence.