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In this paper, we present an online reinforcement learning algorithm for constrained Markov decision processes with a safety constraint. Despite the necessary attention of the scientific community, considering stochastic stopping time, the…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2024-03-26 Abhijit Mazumdar , Rafal Wisniewski , Manuela L. Bujorianu

We present a probabilistic model for stochastic iterative algorithms with the use case of optimization algorithms in mind. Based on this model, we present PAC-Bayesian generalization bounds for functions that are defined on the trajectory…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2024-08-22 Michael Sucker , Peter Ochs

We propose policy gradient algorithms for solving a risk-sensitive reinforcement learning (RL) problem in on-policy as well as off-policy settings. We consider episodic Markov decision processes, and model the risk using the broad class of…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2024-06-25 Nithia Vijayan , Prashanth L. A

We present an elementary state augmentation method for a class of static risk measure applied to the total cost for both Markov decision processes and stochastic optimal control, such that dynamic programming equations can be derived on the…

Optimization and Control · Mathematics 2026-04-07 Cristian Chávez , Yan Li

Whereas classical Markov decision processes maximize the expected reward, we consider minimizing the risk. We propose to evaluate the risk associated to a given policy over a long-enough time horizon with the help of a central limit…

Optimization and Control · Mathematics 2015-12-03 Pengqian Yu , Jia Yuan Yu , Huan Xu

We motivate and propose a new model for non-cooperative Markov game which considers the interactions of risk-aware players. This model characterizes the time-consistent dynamic "risk" from both stochastic state transitions (inherent to the…

Computer Science and Game Theory · Computer Science 2019-11-22 Wenjie Huang , Pham Viet Hai , William B. Haskell

We propose a novel randomized linear programming algorithm for approximating the optimal policy of the discounted Markov decision problem. By leveraging the value-policy duality and binary-tree data structures, the algorithm adaptively…

Optimization and Control · Mathematics 2019-06-04 Mengdi Wang

We consider the problem of learning the optimal policy for Markov decision processes with safety constraints. We formulate the problem in a reach-avoid setup. Our goal is to design online reinforcement learning algorithms that ensure safety…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2026-01-21 Abhijit Mazumdar , Rafal Wisniewski , Manuela L. Bujorianu

We investigate statistical properties of the optimal value of the Sample Average Approximation of stochastic programs, continuing the study in Kr\"atschmer (2023). Central Limit Theorem type results are derived for the optimal value. As a…

Optimization and Control · Mathematics 2023-12-12 Volker Krätschmer

Stochastic optimization is a widely used approach for optimization under uncertainty, where uncertain input parameters are modeled by random variables. Exact or approximation algorithms have been obtained for several fundamental problems in…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2025-08-14 Arpit Agarwal , Rohan Ghuge , Viswanath Nagarajan , Zhengjia Zhuo

In this paper, we consider a class of continuous-time, continuous-space stochastic optimal control problems. Building upon recent advances in Markov chain approximation methods and sampling-based algorithms for deterministic path planning,…

Robotics · Computer Science 2012-02-27 Vu Anh Huynh , Sertac Karaman , Emilio Frazzoli

We consider the task of estimating a structural model of dynamic decisions by a human agent based upon the observable history of implemented actions and visited states. This problem has an inherent nested structure: in the inner problem, an…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2024-03-04 Siliang Zeng , Mingyi Hong , Alfredo Garcia

Calculating optimal policies is known to be computationally difficult for Markov decision processes (MDPs) with Borel state and action spaces. This paper studies finite-state approximations of discrete time Markov decision processes with…

Optimization and Control · Mathematics 2016-09-23 Naci Saldi , Serdar Yüksel , Tamás Linder

The paper introduces the first formulation of convex Q-learning for Markov decision processes with function approximation. The algorithms and theory rest on a relaxation of a dual of Manne's celebrated linear programming characterization of…

Optimization and Control · Mathematics 2023-09-12 Fan Lu , Sean Meyn

We present for the first time an asymptotic convergence analysis of two time-scale stochastic approximation driven by "controlled" Markov noise. In particular, the faster and slower recursions have non-additive controlled Markov noise…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2020-12-03 Prasenjit Karmakar

We consider Markov Decision Problems defined over continuous state and action spaces, where an autonomous agent seeks to learn a map from its states to actions so as to maximize its long-term discounted accumulation of rewards. We address…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2018-04-23 Alec Koppel , Ekaterina Tolstaya , Ethan Stump , Alejandro Ribeiro

We consider the problem of designing policies for partially observable Markov decision processes (POMDPs) with dynamic coherent risk objectives. Synthesizing risk-averse optimal policies for POMDPs requires infinite memory and thus…

Robotics · Computer Science 2019-09-30 Mohamadreza Ahmadi , Masahiro Ono , Michel D. Ingham , Richard M. Murray , Aaron D. Ames

We consider a control problem for a finite-state Markov system whose performance is evaluated by a coherent Markov risk measure. For each policy, the risk of a state is approximated by a function of its features, thus leading to a…

Optimization and Control · Mathematics 2023-12-05 Andrzej Ruszczynski , Shangzhe Yang

We investigate the problem of monitoring partially observable systems with nondeterministic and probabilistic dynamics. In such systems, every state may be associated with a risk, e.g., the probability of an imminent crash. During runtime,…

Logic in Computer Science · Computer Science 2021-05-27 Sebastian Junges , Hazem Torfah , Sanjit A. Seshia

For continuing tasks, average cost Markov decision processes have well-documented value and can be solved using efficient algorithms. However, it explicitly assumes that the agent is risk-neutral. In this work, we extend risk-neutral…

Machine Learning · Computer Science 2025-12-23 Weikai Wang , Erick Delage