A fixed-parameter is an algorithm that provides an optimal solution to a combinatorial problem. This research-level text is an application-oriented introduction to the growing and highly topical area of the development and analysis of efficient fixed-parameter algorithms for hard problems.
The book is divided into three parts: a broad introduction that provides the general philosophy and motivation; followed by coverage of algorithmic methods developed over the years in fixed-parameter algorithmics forming the core of the book; and a discussion of the essential from parameterized hardness theory with a focus on W [1]-hardness, which parallels NP-hardness, then stating some relations to polynomial-time approximation algorithms, and finishing up with a list of selected case studies to show the wide range of applicability of the presented methodology.
Aimed at graduate and research mathematicians, programmers, algorithm designers and computer scientists, the book introduces the basic techniques and results and provides a fresh view on this highly innovative field of algorithmic research.

The Third International Workshop on Parameterized and Exact Computation washeldinVictoria, B. C. duringMay14-16,2008. Theworkshopwasco-located with the 40th ACM Symposium on Theory of Computing, which took place in Victoria during May 17-20. Previousmeetings of the IWPECseries wereheld in Bergen, Norway 2004 and Zu ]rich, Switzerland 2006, both as part of the ALGO joint conference. TheInternationalWorkshoponParameterizedandExactComputationcovers research in all aspects of parameterized and exact computation and complexity, including but not limited to: new techniques for the design and analysis of - rameterizedandexactalgorithms, parameterizedcomplexitytheory, relationship betweenparameterizedcomplexityandtraditionalcomplexityclassi?cations, - plicationsofparameterizedcomputation, implementationandexperiments, hi- performancecomputing and ?xed-parametertractability. We received32 submissions. Eachsubmission wasreviewed by at least 3, and on the average 3. 9, Program Committee (PC) members. We held an electronic PC meeting using the EasyChair system. The committee decided to accept 17 papers. We would thoroughly like to thank the members of the PC: Yijia Chen, Shanghai, China Benny Chor, Tel Aviv, Israel FedorV. Fomin, Bergen, Norway Jiong Guo, Jena, Germany Gregory Gutin, London, UK MohammadTaghi Hajiaghayi, AT&T, USA Peter Jonsson, Link] oping, Sweden Iyad Kanj, Chicago, USA Dieter Kratsch, Metz, France D aniel Marx, Budapest, Hungary Prabhakar Ragde, Waterloo, Canada Kenneth W. Regan, Bu?alo, USA Ulrike Stege, Victoria, Canada Stephan Szeider, Durham, UK Todd Wareham, Newfoundland, Canada Osamu Watanabe, Tokyo, Japan and all external referees for the valuable work they put in the reviewing process. We would like to thank the three invited speakers Jianer Chen (Texas A&M University), Erik Demaine (MIT), and Stephan Kreutzer (Oxford University) for their contribution to the program of the workshop and their contributions for this proceedings volume."