The paper examines how background risk affects portfolio selection and optimal reinsurance design.
problem Maximizing the probability of reaching a financial goal in the presence of background risk.
method Quantile formulation method to derive optimal solutions explicitly.
result The presence of background risk does not change the solution shape but alters the parameter values.
Eikonal-Constrained QRL improves goal-reaching in reinforcement learning.
problem Reward design and out-of-distribution generalization in reinforcement learning.
method Eikonal-Constrained Quasimetric Reinforcement Learning (Eik-QRL) using the Eikonal PDE.
result Eik-QRL achieves state-of-the-art performance in offline goal-conditioned navigation and manipulation tasks.
Current reinforcement learning (RL) algorithms can be brittle and difficult to use, especially when learning goal-reaching behaviors from sparse rewards. Although supervised imitation learning provides a simple and stable alternative, it requires access to demonstrations from a human supervisor. In this paper, we study…
C-Learning estimates reachability over time to solve multi-goal tasks.
problem Multi-goal reaching challenges in reinforcement learning.
method Cumulative accessibility functions and recurrence relations.
result Optimal cumulative accessibility functions are monotonic in horizon.
In this paper, we consider three problems related to survival, growth, and goal reaching maximization of an investment portfolio with proportional net cash flow. We solve the problems in a market constrained due to borrowing prohibition. To solve the problems, we first construct an auxiliary market and then apply the d…
Autonomous agents that must exhibit flexible and broad capabilities will need to be equipped with large repertoires of skills. Defining each skill with a manually-designed reward function limits this repertoire and imposes a manual engineering burden. Self-supervised agents that set their own goals can automate this pr…
LEXA learns to discover and achieve goals in unseen environments.
problem Learning to solve diverse tasks in complex visual environments without supervision.
method LEXA learns a world model from image inputs and uses it to train an explorer and an achiever policy from imagined rollouts.
result LEXA solves tasks specified as goal images zero-shot without additional learning.
Rewriting history improves RL algorithms for solving multiple tasks.
problem Improving sample efficiency in multi-task reinforcement learning.
method Introducing hindsight relabeling as inverse RL to generalize goal-relabeling techniques.
result Relabeling data using inverse RL accelerates learning in multi-task settings.
UDRL fails to converge in stochastic environments with episodic resets.
problem UDRL's convergence in stochastic environments with resets is questioned.
method UDRL is a supervised learning approach that does not use value functions.
result UDRL diverges in a simple stochastic environment with resets.
Physics-informed GCRL tackles sparse feedback learning with hybrid dynamics.
problem Sparse feedback learning with high-dimensional, hybrid, or contact-dependent dynamics.
method Introduces physics-informed inductive biases into goal-conditioned value learning.
result Contact-rich manipulation tasks degrade existing Pi-GCRL methods.
We determine the optimal strategy for investing in a Black-Scholes market in order to maximize the probability that wealth at death meets a bequest goal b, a type of goal-seeking problem, as pioneered by Dubins and Savage (1965, 1976). The individual consumes at a constant rate c, so the level of wealth required fo…
For an autonomous agent to fulfill a wide range of user-specified goals at test time, it must be able to learn broadly applicable and general-purpose skill repertoires. Furthermore, to provide the requisite level of generality, these skills must handle raw sensory input such as images. In this paper, we propose an algo…
This study analyzes convergence and stability of reinforcement learning algorithms.
problem Understanding the conditions under which reinforcement learning algorithms converge and remain stable.
method Theoretical analysis of convergence and stability of Episodic Upside-Down Reinforcement Learning, Goal-Conditioned Supervised Learning, and Online Decision Transformers.
result The algorithms can achieve near-optimal behavior if the transition kernel is close to a deterministic kernel.
An agent that has well understood the environment should be able to apply its skills for any given goals, leading to the fundamental problem of learning the Universal Value Function Approximator (UVFA). A UVFA learns to predict the cumulative rewards between all state-goal pairs. However, empirically, the value functio…
Bayesian optimization reduces computational effort in aircraft design optimization.
problem High computational cost in industrial aircraft design optimization.
method Constrained Bayesian optimization (Super Efficient Global Optimization with Mixture of Experts)
result Significant computational efficiency improvements over existing Isight optimizers.
Bayesian optimization method tackles combinatorial spaces, scalable for large data.
problem Optimization over combinatorial categorical spaces in natural sciences.
method Combines variational optimization and continuous relaxations for gradient-based optimization.
result Method performs comparably to state-of-the-art methods while scaling well.
New algorithm solves complex stopping problems with robust optimization.
problem Solving complex stochastic optimal stopping problems.
method Simulation-based robust optimization with exact reformulation as a zero-one bilinear program.
result Developed polynomial-time heuristics and algorithms for practical solution.
L2O uses ML to optimize traditional optimization techniques.
problem Real-world optimization problems with shared structures.
method Exploiting shared structures to enhance optimization techniques.
result Better or faster solutions through machine learning integration.
When hyperparameter optimization of a machine learning algorithm is repeated for multiple datasets it is possible to transfer knowledge to an optimization run on a new dataset. We develop a new hyperparameter-free ensemble model for Bayesian optimization that is a generalization of two existing transfer learning extens…
Meta algorithm solves multivariate optimization using univariate optimizers.
problem Multivariate global optimization problems.
method Meta algorithm combining univariate global optimizers.
result Meta algorithm provides robust regret guarantees.
A novel neural network approach for optimization problems.
problem Constrained optimization problems.
method Neural Optimization Machine (NOM) using a specially designed NN architecture and training procedure.
result Solves optimization problems efficiently, especially in high-dimensional spaces.
New algorithms ensure reproducibility and optimal convergence in convex optimization.
problem Trade-off between reproducibility and convergence rate in convex optimization.
method Regularization-based algorithms for smooth convex minimization and minimax optimization.
result Achieves optimal reproducibility and near-optimal gradient complexity for various oracle settings.
New algorithm selects robust martingale for optimal stopping problems.
problem Optimal stopping problems in stochastic processes.
method Randomized dual martingale minimization algorithm.
result Efficiently selects Doob martingale as close as possible.
Numerical optimization is an important tool in the field of computational physics in general and in nano-optics in specific. It has attracted attention with the increase in complexity of structures that can be realized with nowadays nano-fabrication technologies for which a rational design is no longer feasible. Also, …
This paper shows how to combine optimal tests into log-optimal processes.
problem How to combine optimal sequential tests into log-optimal processes.
method Using a new class of WAIT e-processes, the paper aggregates asymptotically optimal sequential tests into asymptotically log-optimal processes.
result It is possible to aggregate asymptotically optimal sequential tests into asymptotically log-optimal e-processes.
Learning optimal feedback control laws capable of executing optimal trajectories is essential for many robotic applications. Such policies can be learned using reinforcement learning or planned using optimal control. While reinforcement learning is sample inefficient, optimal control only plans an optimal trajectory fr…
Paper studies optimal control for a specific geometric problem.
problem Optimal control problem associated with the Paneitz obstacle problem.
method Existence and regularity results for optimal controls.
result Existence of optimal controls and their properties.
New algorithm AG-OG optimizes separable convex-concave problems efficiently.
problem Efficiently solving separable convex-concave minimax optimization problems.
method Leverages Nesterov acceleration and optimistic gradient on component and coupling parts of the problem.
result Achieves optimal convergence rate for various settings including bilinearly coupled problems.
Adapts Bayesian optimization for mixed constraints in aircraft design.
problem Optimizing expensive black box functions with mixed constraints.
method Super efficient global optimization with upper trust bound for constraints, Gaussian process uncertainty, refinement procedure.
result Superior performance on aircraft design problem compared to state-of-the-art solvers.
Adam optimizer converges to zeros of a new vector field, not just gradient zeros.
problem Prove convergence rates for Adam optimizer in simple quadratic optimization problems.
method Introduced Adam vector field to analyze Adam optimizer's convergence.
result Established optimal convergence rates for Adam optimizer.
Optimal crypto asset routing with CFMMs, including fixed costs.
problem Optimizing order execution on a network of CFMMs with fixed costs.
method Convex optimization for no fixed costs, mixed-integer convex for fixed costs, heuristics for approximate solutions.
result Approximate solutions to optimal routing and arbitrage certification problems.
BOSH optimizes functions with stochastic evaluations more efficiently and precisely.
problem Optimizing functions with noisy evaluations can lead to suboptimal solutions.
method BOSH uses a hierarchical Gaussian process to generate a growing pool of realizations.
result BOSH provides more efficient and higher-precision optimization than standard BO.
VeLO learns versatile optimizers from deep learning tasks.
problem Training deep learning models with hand-designed optimizers.
method Meta-training a neural network optimizer on a wide variety of optimization tasks.
result The learned optimizer automatically adapts to different optimization tasks without hyperparameter tuning.
New learned optimizers outperform baselines by incorporating known and novel mechanisms.
problem Understanding how learned optimizers outperform traditional ones.
method Careful analysis and visualization of learned optimizers trained on various tasks.
result Learned optimizers incorporate known techniques like momentum and gradient clipping, as well as new forms of learning rate adaptation.
PAGE optimizes nonconvex problems with optimal convergence rates.
problem Nonconvex optimization problems.
method PAGE algorithm for achieving optimal convergence rates.
result PAGE achieves optimal convergence rates for nonconvex optimization.
A new method learns DAGs from data using permutation optimization.
problem Discovering latent DAGs from observational data.
method Optimizes over the Permutahedron to learn topological orderings and edges.
result Our method optimizes exact DAGs, is modular, and performs well on real-world data.
Develops a new method for efficient stochastic bilevel optimization.
problem Stochastic bilevel optimization problems in machine learning applications.
method Single-Timescale stochAstic BiLevEl optimization (STABLE) method.
result Achieves the same order of sample complexity as stochastic gradient descent for single-level optimization.
Enhanced ROOT-SGD optimizes stochastic optimization with diminishing stepsizes.
problem Improving statistical efficiency in stochastic optimization.
method Integrates a diminishing stepsize strategy into ROOT-SGD.
result Achieves optimal convergence rates with improved stability and precision.
Convex optimization models predict outputs from inputs via optimization problems.
problem Predicting outputs from inputs using convex optimization models.
method Proposed a heuristic for learning parameters of convex optimization models from datasets.
result Demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed method on three model classes.
A new approach for efficient batch multiobjective optimization using Thompson sampling.
problem Inefficient batch multiobjective optimization due to expensive oracles and hard inner optimization.
method Proposes a Thompson sampling approach (qextttPOTS) that chooses Pareto optimal candidates sequentially. result Empirically superior performance compared to classical evolutionary approaches and MOBO.
New framework for decentralized optimization of upper-linearizable functions with improved regret and complexity.
problem Decentralized optimization of upper-linearizable functions with general constraints.
method Decentralized projection-free optimization with upper-linearizable function framework.
result Regret of O(T1−θ/2) with communication complexity of O(Tθ) and linear optimization calls of O(T2θ). New method optimizes portfolio weights as functions, outperforming traditional approaches.
problem Optimizing portfolio weights in mean-variance models.
method Functional optimization approach, treating weights as functions of past values.
result Gradient-ascent algorithms can solve functional optimization problems for mean-variance portfolio management.
Improved stability and generalization for blackbox learned optimizers.
problem Stability and generalization issues in blackbox learned optimizers.
method Investigation using dynamical systems, modifications to optimizer architecture and meta-training procedure.
result Improved stability and generalization of learned optimizers.
PSO improves G-optimal designs for up to 5 factors, reducing computation time.
problem Computing highly G-optimal designs for response surface models is computationally expensive. method Extended Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) for optimal design problems.
result PSO generates improved G-optimal designs for up to 5 factors with comparable computational cost. We develop the first Bayesian Optimization algorithm, BLOSSOM, which selects between multiple alternative acquisition functions and traditional local optimization at each step. This is combined with a novel stopping condition based on expected regret. This pairing allows us to obtain the best characteristics of both lo…
This work analyzes and optimizes memory and compute costs of learned optimizers.
problem High memory and compute costs of learned optimizers.
method Identified and quantified design features of learned and hand-designed optimizers, constructed a more efficient learned optimizer.
result A learned optimizer that is faster and more memory efficient than previous work.
Bayesian optimization outperformed random search in machine learning hyperparameter tuning challenge.
problem Optimizing hyperparameters of machine learning models using derivative-free methods.
method Bayesian optimization vs. random search on real datasets.
result Bayesian optimization significantly outperformed random search in held-out objective functions.
Optimizes shapes on non-standard manifolds.
problem Optimization on non-standard infinite-dimensional manifolds.
method Develops gradient descent on weak Riemannian manifolds.
result Establishes foundational properties for optimization on various weak Riemannian manifolds.