Related papers: Towards a Framework for Nonlinear Predictive Contr…

Solving optimization problems in which functions are blackboxes and variables involve different types poses significant theoretical and algorithmic challenges. Nevertheless, such settings frequently occur in simulation-based engineering…

Two families of directional direct search methods have emerged in derivative-free and blackbox optimization (DFO and BBO), each based on distinct principles: Mesh Adaptive Direct Search (MADS) and Sufficient Decrease Direct Search (SDDS).…

Multiobjective blackbox optimization deals with problems where the objective and constraint functions are the outputs of a numerical simulation. In this context, no derivatives are available, nor can they be approximated by finite…

Deep neural networks are getting larger. Their implementation on edge and IoT devices becomes more challenging and moved the community to design lighter versions with similar performance. Standard automatic design tools such as…

Feeder reconfiguration is a critical operational strategy in power distribution systems. However, existing optimization approaches typically rely on explicit mathematical formulations and analytical models, which are often infeasible in…

In this paper, we propose the use of a black-box optimization method called deterministic Mesh Adaptive Direct Search (MADS) algorithm with orthogonal directions (Ortho-MADS) for the selection of hyperparameters of Support Vector Machines…

We consider computationally expensive blackbox optimization problems and present a method that employs surrogate models and concurrent computing at the search step of the mesh adaptive direct search (MADS) algorithm. Specifically, we solve…

The performance of deep neural networks is highly sensitive to the choice of the hyperparameters that define the structure of the network and the learning process. When facing a new application, tuning a deep neural network is a tedious and…

We study in this paper the problem of adaptive trajectory tracking for nonlinear systems affine in the control with bounded state-dependent and time-dependent uncertainties. We propose to use a modular approach, in the sense that we first…

As the advanced driver assistance system (ADAS) functions become more sophisticated, the strategies that properly coordinate interaction and communication among the ADAS functions are required for autonomous driving. This paper proposes a…

In this paper, we propose a sampling-based planning and optimal control method of nonlinear systems under non-differentiable constraints. Motivated by developing scalable planning algorithms, we consider the optimal motion plan to be a…

Direct Multisearch (DMS) is a well-established class of methods for multiobjective derivative-free optimization, where constraints are addressed by an extreme barrier approach, only evaluating feasible points. In this work, we propose a…

In this paper, we present a novel derivative-free optimization framework for solving unconstrained stochastic optimization problems. Many problems in fields ranging from simulation optimization to reinforcement learning involve settings…

In this paper, we consider a modified version of the control problem in a model free Markov decision process (MDP) setting with large state and action spaces. The control problem most commonly addressed in the contemporary literature is to…

A piecewise constant Mayer cost function is used to model optimal control problems in which the state space is partitioned into several regions, each having its own Mayer cost value. In such a context, the standard numerical methods used in…

We develop an algorithm that combines model-based and model-free methods for solving a nonlinear optimal control problem with a quadratic cost in which the system model is given by a linear state-space model with a small additive nonlinear…

Standard Model Predictive Control (MPC) or trajectory optimization approaches perform only a local search to solve a complex non-convex optimization problem. As a result, they cannot capture the multi-modal characteristic of human driving.…

To reduce complexity and achieve scalable performance in high-dimensional black-box settings, we propose a distributed method for nonconvex derivative-free optimization of continuous variables with an additively separable objective, subject…

Computational models in fields such as computational neuroscience are often evaluated via stochastic simulation or numerical approximation. Fitting these models implies a difficult optimization problem over complex, possibly noisy parameter…

In this paper, we consider mixed-integer nonsmooth constrained optimization problems whose objective/constraint functions are available only as the output of a black-box zeroth-order oracle (i.e., an oracle that does not provide derivative…