Related papers: A quantitative Robbins-Siegmund theorem
We examine the use of different randomisation policies for stochastic gradient algorithms used in sampling, based on first-order (or overdamped) Langevin dynamics, the most popular of which is known as Stochastic Gradient Langevin Dynamics.…
We investigate the uniform convergence of subdifferential mappings from empirical risk to population risk in nonsmooth, nonconvex stochastic optimization. This question is key to understanding how empirical stationary points approximate…
This paper presents the first sufficient conditions that guarantee the stability and almost sure convergence of multi-timescale stochastic approximation (SA) iterates. It extends the existing results on one-timescale and two-timescale SA…
Robust covariance estimation is the following, well-studied problem in high dimensional statistics: given $N$ samples from a $d$-dimensional Gaussian $\mathcal{N}(\boldsymbol{0}, \Sigma)$, but where an $\varepsilon$-fraction of the samples…
As an alternative to the well-known methods of "chaining" and "bracketing" that have been developed in the study of random fields, a new method, which is based on a {\em stochastic maximal inequality} derived by using the formula for…
We examine a wide class of stochastic approximation algorithms for solving (stochastic) nonlinear problems on Riemannian manifolds. Such algorithms arise naturally in the study of Riemannian optimization, game theory and optimal transport,…
The tuning of stochastic gradient algorithms (SGAs) for optimization and sampling is often based on heuristics and trial-and-error rather than generalizable theory. We address this theory--practice gap by characterizing the large-sample…
Computing reachability probabilities is a fundamental problem in the analysis of probabilistic programs. This paper aims at a comprehensive and comparative account on various martingale-based methods for over- and under-approximating…
The Robust Satisficing (RS) model is an emerging approach to robust optimization, offering streamlined procedures and robust generalization across various applications. However, the statistical theory of RS remains unexplored in the…
Statistical procedures rarely retain all features of the observed data. A sufficient statistic removes information irrelevant to a parameter; a maximum likelihood estimate compresses an empirical objective into an optimizing point; and a…
In this paper we study reachability verification problems of stochastic discrete-time dynamical systems over the infinite time horizon. The reachability verification of interest in this paper is to certify specified lower and upper bounds…
We are interested in understanding stability (almost sure boundedness) of stochastic approximation algorithms (SAs) driven by a `controlled Markov' process. Analyzing this class of algorithms is important, since many reinforcement learning…
This paper develops a unified framework, based on iterated random operator theory, to analyze the convergence of constant stepsize recursive stochastic algorithms (RSAs). RSAs use randomization to efficiently compute expectations, and so…
This work provides test error bounds for iterative fixed point methods on linear predictors -- specifically, stochastic and batch mirror descent (MD), and stochastic temporal difference learning (TD) -- with two core contributions: (a) a…
Consensus-based optimization (CBO) is a multi-agent metaheuristic derivative-free optimization algorithm that has proven to be capable of globally minimizing nonconvex nonsmooth functions across a diverse range of applications while being…
Machine learning algorithms in high-dimensional settings are highly susceptible to the influence of even a small fraction of structured outliers, making robust optimization techniques essential. In particular, within the…
This work introduces the StoMADS-PB algorithm for constrained stochastic blackbox optimization, which is an extension of the mesh adaptive direct-search (MADS) method originally developed for deterministic blackbox optimization under…
Although the \emph{residual method}, or \emph{constrained regularization}, is frequently used in applications, a detailed study of its properties is still missing. This sharply contrasts the progress of the theory of Tikhonov…
During recent years the interest of optimization and machine learning communities in high-probability convergence of stochastic optimization methods has been growing. One of the main reasons for this is that high-probability complexity…
For obtaining optimal first-order convergence guarantee for stochastic optimization, it is necessary to use a recurrent data sampling algorithm that samples every data point with sufficient frequency. Most commonly used data sampling…