Optimizes bond portfolios to avoid worst-case losses.
problem Finding the worst-case value of a bond portfolio over a range of yield curves and spreads.
method Solves a convex-concave saddle point optimization problem to find the worst-case value and construct a robust portfolio.
result Constructs a bond portfolio that includes the worst-case value, ensuring robustness against market uncertainties.
Worst-Case Sensitivity measures model sensitivity to uncertainty set size.
problem Model sensitivity to uncertainty set size in Distributionally Robust Optimization.
method Introducing Worst-Case Sensitivity as a measure of model sensitivity, and deriving closed-form expressions for various uncertainty sets.
result DRO solutions can be sensitive to the family and size of the uncertainty set, and worst-case sensitivity reflects these properties.
Study approximates worst-case stock trading under uncertainty, quantifying sensitivity.
problem Maximizing worst-case cost of stock gains and losses under uncertainty.
method Approximates worst-case problem by baseline problem as uncertainty vanishes.
result Value of worst-case problem equals baseline value plus correction term.
Framework for worst-case generation using Wasserstein space optimization.
problem Evaluating robustness and stress-testing systems under distribution shifts.
method Min-max optimization over continuous probability distributions in Wasserstein space.
result Global convergence guarantees for the proposed Gradient Descent Ascent scheme.
Worst-case risk measures refer to the calculation of the largest value for risk measures when only partial information of the underlying distribution is available. For the popular risk measures such as Value-at-Risk (VaR) and Conditional Value-at-Risk (CVaR), it is now known that their worst-case counterparts can be ev…
New framework identifies worst-case shifts for predictive resource allocation models.
problem Identifying harmful shifts in predictive models for resource allocation.
method Hierarchical model structure and submodular optimization for worst-case loss.
result Empirical evidence shows divergent worst-case shifts identified by different metrics.
Develops wcPCA for better low-rank approximations in heterogeneous domains.
problem Worst-case performance of PCA in domains with distributional shifts.
method Unified framework (wcPCA) for worst-case optimization, applied to norm-minPCA and norm-maxregret.
result Empirical and theoretical worst-case optimality for low-rank approximations.
This paper analyzes how randomizing rewards in MBRL can improve performance without being overly optimistic.
problem The gap between theoretical worst-case regret analysis and empirical performance in MBRL.
method Reward randomization in model-based reinforcement learning (MBRL) with kernelized linear regulator (KNR) model.
result Reward randomization guarantees partial optimism and near-optimal worst-case regret.
New policy optimizes risk and optimality in stochastic bandits.
problem Optimizing risk in stochastic bandits with heavy-tailed risk.
method Designing policies with worst-case optimality for expected regret and light-tailed risk distribution.
result Achieves worst-case optimality for expected regret and light-tailed risk distribution.
New framework improves worst-case generalization bounds for stochastic optimization.
problem Challenges in providing generalization guarantees for stochastic optimization algorithms.
method Introduces random set stability and empirically relevant complexity measures to avoid intractable mutual information terms.
result Bounded worst-case generalization error in terms of random set stability and empirically relevant complexity measures.
Investor optimizes worst-case portfolio in uncertain markets.
problem Optimizing investment in markets with potential crashes.
method Enhanced martingale approach via BSDEs and PDEs.
result Characterized indifference optimal strategies for various models.
Bayesian optimization for function-valued responses, addressing worst case deviations.
problem Optimizing expensive functions with functional responses, focusing on worst case performance.
method Min-Max Functional Bayesian Optimization (MM-FBO) using Gaussian process surrogates and functional principal component analysis.
result MM-FBO consistently outperforms existing methods in synthetic and real-world applications.
Proposes a new framework for balancing average- and worst-case performance in machine learning.
problem Robustness issues in machine learning, especially in safety-critical domains.
method Probabilistic robustness framework that balances average- and worst-case performance.
result Effective algorithm balances average- and worst-case performance with lower computational cost.
Robust hypothesis testing designs a test for worst-case distributions using kernel methods.
problem Design a robust test for hypothesis testing under uncertainty sets.
method Data-driven uncertainty sets constructed using kernel mean embeddings and maximum mean discrepancy (MMD). Bayesian and Neyman-Pearson settings investigated.
result Proposed robust kernel tests are exponentially consistent and asymptotically optimal.
We consider robust optimization problems, where the goal is to optimize in the worst case over a class of objective functions. We develop a reduction from robust improper optimization to Bayesian optimization: given an oracle that returns α-approximate solutions for distributions over objectives, we compute a distrib…
Paper tackles robust online learning with worst-case distributions.
problem Distributionally robust online learning with worst-case Wasserstein ambiguity sets.
method Formulated as an online saddle-point stochastic game, proposed a general framework converging to robust Nash equilibrium.
result Proposed a tailored algorithm for piecewise concave loss functions, achieving substantial speedups.
Improves neural network performance by enriching training dataset.
problem Achieving worst-case performance guarantees in neural networks.
method Adapting training dataset during training to reduce worst-case violations.
result Improved worst-case performance guarantees in neural networks.
Method identifies shifts leading to large model performance differences.
problem Detecting shifts in distribution that affect model performance.
method Parametric changes in causal mechanisms define robustness sets; worst-case optimization problem approximated as non-convex quadratic.
result Second-order approximation of worst-case loss for small shifts, leading to efficient algorithms.
New algorithms optimize spectral risk measures, improving interpolation between average and worst-case performance.
problem Optimizing spectral risk measures for learning systems.
method Developed stochastic algorithms to optimize spectral risk measures by characterizing their subdifferential and addressing challenges like biasedness of subgradient estimates and non-smoothness.
result Our approach outperforms out-of-the-box stochastic subgradient and dual averaging methods in optimizing spectral risk measures.
New method for identifying best designs in vector optimization with uncertain feedback.
problem Optimizing vector-valued outcomes with uncertain preferences.
method Stochastic bandit feedback, polyhedral ordering cone, (ε,δ)-PAC Pareto set identification. result Sample complexity characterized and matched by the naïve elimination algorithm.
SRO optimizes decisions against worst-case sampler induced by generative models.
problem Operational uncertainty shifts from explicit probability law to sampler induced by learned generators.
method SRO optimizes decisions against the worst-case sampler induced by perturbing the learned generator.
result Empirical worst-case objective provides high-probability upper certificate for true population objective.
Paper solves DRO for continuous distributions with iterative algorithms.
problem Distributionally robust optimization with continuous worst-case distributions.
method Iterative algorithm for global convergence, leveraging Brenier's theorem and JKO scheme.
result Achieves global convergence under mild assumptions for minimax problems.
Study optimizes identifying the best arm with fixed rounds and Gaussian outcomes.
problem Designing efficient experiments to identify the best arm with fixed rounds and Gaussian outcomes.
method Developed worst-case lower bounds and the GNA-EBA strategy for optimal identification.
result GNA-EBA strategy is asymptotically worst-case optimal.
We solve robust optimization problem and show the example of the market model for which the worst case measure is not a martingale measure. In our model the instantaneous interest rate is determined by the Hull-White model and the investor employs the HARA utility to measure his satisfaction.To protect against the mode…
RH-UCRL combines pessimism and optimism for robust RL.
problem Ensuring reliable performance in real-world RL tasks with worst-case scenarios.
method RH-UCRL is a model-based RL algorithm that optimizes between an agent and an adversary, distinguishing between epistemic and aleatoric uncertainty.
result RH-UCRL achieves near-optimal sample complexity guarantees and outperforms other robust RL algorithms in adversarial environments.
In this paper we consider the worst-case model risk approach described in Glasserman and Xu (2014). Portfolio selection with model risk can be a challenging operational research problem. In particular, it presents an additional optimisation compared to the classical one. We find the analytical solution for the optimal …
Study evaluates approaches to improve worst-case model performance across patient subpopulations.
problem Improving model accuracy for specific patient subpopulations.
method Comparison of distributionally robust optimization (DRO) and standard learning procedures.
result Standard learning procedures generally outperform DRO approaches for improving model performance across subpopulations.
Optimized algorithms for online learning with linear constraints improve performance and provide worst-case analysis.
problem Improving online learning algorithms for constrained optimization problems.
method Developed an optimized variant of an online Frank-Wolfe algorithm and used semidefinite programming for numerical analysis.
result No pure online Frank-Wolfe algorithm can have a better regret guarantee than O(T^3/4) without additional assumptions.
Optimizes privacy-preserving optimization for heavy-tailed data.
problem Privacy-preserving optimization with heavy-tailed gradients.
method Pure ε-differential privacy framework for Lipschitz extensions.
result Minimax optimal excess-risk rate for pure ε-DP heavy-tailed SCO.
The paper refines and generalizes worst-case law invariant convex risk measures.
problem Developing robust convex risk measures under uncertainty sets.
method Generalizing closed forms for worst-case law invariant convex risk measures with uncertainty sets based on norms and moment constraints.
result Explicit closed forms for convex risk measures are developed and assessed through numerical simulations.
Paper proves higher-order flow matching preserves optimality in generative modeling.
problem Theoretical guarantees for higher-order flow matching in generative modeling.
method Neural network approximations with controlled depth, width, and sparsity.
result Proves worst case optimality for second-order flow matching.
AdMRL improves meta-reinforcement learning by minimizing worst-case sub-optimality gap.
problem Meta-reinforcement learning's sensitivity to task distribution shift.
method Model-based adversarial approach with minimax objective and alternating optimization.
result Efficacy in worst-case performance, generalization to out-of-distribution tasks, and sample efficiency.
Optimal recovery framework for non-IID data in Hilbert spaces.
problem Generalization in non-IID data scenarios.
method Optimal recovery perspective, semidefinite programming, kernel ridgeless regression.
result Optimal recovery formula coincides with kernel ridgeless regression in some cases.
In experimental design, we are given a large collection of vectors, each with a hidden response value that we assume derives from an underlying linear model, and we wish to pick a small subset of the vectors such that querying the corresponding responses will lead to a good estimator of the model. A classical approach …
The paper tackles robust control for insurance contracts under uncertain transition rates.
problem Maximizing utility in insurance contracts with uncertain transition rates.
method Novel robust utility maximization problem under bounded cumulative transition rate uncertainty, using worst-case scenario analysis.
result Existence and uniqueness of worst-case and best-case reserves for insurance contracts.
Worst-case bounds on the expected shortfall risk given only limited information on the distribution of the random variables has been studied extensively in the literature. In this paper, we develop a new worst-case bound on the expected shortfall when the univariate marginals are known exactly and additional expert inf…
Submodular extensions of an energy function can be used to efficiently compute approximate marginals via variational inference. The accuracy of the marginals depends crucially on the quality of the submodular extension. To identify the best possible extension, we show an equivalence between the submodular extensions of…
Overparameterized neural networks can be highly accurate on average on an i.i.d. test set yet consistently fail on atypical groups of the data (e.g., by learning spurious correlations that hold on average but not in such groups). Distributionally robust optimization (DRO) allows us to learn models that instead minimize…
A new algorithm for deep Q-learning with robustness to state transition uncertainty.
problem Model uncertainty in state transitions for non-tabular, continuous state spaces.
method Distributionally robust approach using worst-case transition ball and dualized Bellman operator with Sinkhorn distance.
result Optimal policy found through solving non-linear Bellman equation with neural network parameterization.
New methods boost first-order optimization with faster rates.
problem Designing efficient first-order methods for convex problems.
method Shifted objective function with interpolation condition.
result New schemes achieve faster convergence rates.
Optimizes regret distribution in stochastic bandits for risk balance.
problem Balancing regret expectation and tail risk in stochastic bandits.
method Characterizes optimal regret tail probability for any threshold, proposes new policies.
result Discovers an intrinsic gap in optimal tail rate based on time horizon uncertainty.
The problem of data uncertainty has motivated the incorporation of robust optimization in various arenas, beyond the Markowitz portfolio optimization. This work presents the extension of the robust optimization framework for the minimization of downside risk measures, such as Value-at-Risk (VaR) and Conditional Value-a…
Paper introduces DOO models to outperform SAA out-of-sample.
problem Outperforming SAA in out-of-sample performance.
method Introduces DOO models that consider both worst-case and best-case scenarios.
result DOO models can always outperform SAA out-of-sample.
2D Total Variation Denoising (TVD) is a widely used technique for image denoising. It is also an important nonparametric regression method for estimating functions with heterogenous smoothness. Recent results have shown the TVD estimator to be nearly minimax rate optimal for the class of functions with bounded variatio…
New approach for pricing evaluation improves on existing methods.
problem Improving off-policy evaluation for personalized pricing.
method Balanced policy evaluation framework with worst-case optimization.
result Empirical advantage over existing methods in pricing applications.
Proposes DRRO to mitigate over-optimization in RLHF from human feedback.
problem Over-optimization due to reward misspecification in RLHF.
method Wasserstein distributionally robust regret optimization (DRRO).
result DRRO mitigates over-optimization more effectively than existing baselines.
The two main issues for managing wrong way risk (WWR) for the credit valuation adjustment (CVA, i.e. WW-CVA) are calibration and hedging. Hence we start from a novel model-free worst-case approach based on static hedging of counterparty exposure with liquid options. We say "start from" because we demonstrate that a nai…
Optimal strategy identified for minimizing regret in fixed-budget best arm selection.
problem Minimizing expected simple regret in fixed-budget best arm selection.
method Two-Stage (TS)-Hirano-Imbens-Ridder (HIR) strategy using HIR estimator.
result TS-HIR strategy is asymptotically minimax optimal.