Related papers: Optimal design, robustness, and risk aversion
We introduce highly optimized tolerance (HOT), a mechanism that connects evolving structure and power laws in interconnected systems. HOT systems arise, e.g., in biology and engineering, where design and evolution create complex systems…
We introduce noncooperatively optimized tolerance (NOT), a generalization of highly optimized tolerance (HOT) that involves strategic (game theoretic) interactions between parties in a complex system. We illustrate our model in the forest…
Power law cumulative frequency $(P)$ vs. event size $(l)$ distributions $P(\geq l)\sim l^{-\alpha}$ are frequently cited as evidence for complexity and serve as a starting point for linking theoretical models and mechanisms with observed…
Recently, there has been a surge in interest in safe and robust techniques within reinforcement learning (RL). Current notions of risk in RL fail to capture the potential for systemic failures such as abrupt stoppages from system failures…
In optimal control problems, disturbances are typically dealt with using robust solutions, such as H-infinity or tube model predictive control, that plan control actions feasible for the worst-case disturbance. Yet, planning for every…
We consider a generic class of chance-constrained optimization problems with heavy-tailed (i.e., power-law type) risk factors. In this setting, we use the scenario approach to obtain a constant approximation to the optimal solution with a…
Electric grid faults can cause catastrophic wildfires, particularly in regions with high winds and low humidity. In real-time operations, electric utilities are often left with few options for wildfire risk mitigation, leading to use of…
Optimization is offered as an objective approach to resolving complex, real-world decisions involving uncertainty and conflicting interests. It drives business strategies as well as public policies and, increasingly, lies at the heart of…
Many optimization problems incorporate uncertainty affecting their parameters and thus their objective functions and constraints. As an example, in chance-constrained optimization the constraints need to be satisfied with a certain…
This paper offers a critical view of the "worst-case" approach that is the cornerstone of robust control design. It is our contention that a blind acceptance of worst-case scenarios may lead to designs that are actually more dangerous than…
The role of forest heterogeneity in the long-term, large-scale dynamics of forest fires is investigated by means of a cellular automata model and mean field approximation. Heterogeneity was conceived as trees (or acres of forest) with…
This paper proposes risk-averse and risk-agnostic formulations to robust design in which solutions that satisfy the system requirements for a set of scenarios are pursued. These scenarios, which correspond to realizations of uncertain…
We introduce a stochastic model that describes the quasi-static dynamics of an electric transmission network under perturbations introduced by random load fluctuations, random removing of system components from service, random repair times…
Interpretable and explainable machine learning has seen a recent surge of interest. We focus on safety as a key motivation behind the surge and make the relationship between interpretability and safety more quantitative. Toward assessing…
The robustness of distributed optimization is an emerging field of study, motivated by various applications of distributed optimization including distributed machine learning, distributed sensing, and swarm robotics. With the rapid…
We introduce the notion of fault tolerant mechanism design, which extends the standard game theoretic framework of mechanism design to allow for uncertainty about execution. Specifically, we define the problem of task allocation in which…
We consider the economic problem of optimal consumption and investment with power utility. We study the optimal strategy as the relative risk aversion tends to infinity or to one. The convergence of the optimal consumption is obtained for…
The concepts of risk-aversion, chance-constrained optimization, and robust optimization have developed significantly over the last decade. Statistical learning community has also witnessed a rapid theoretical and applied growth by relying…
A common problem in the optimization of structures is the handling of uncertainties in the parameters. If the parameters appear in the constraints, the uncertainties can lead to an infinite number of constraints. Usually the constraints…
Electrical power systems are one of the most important infrastructures that support our society. However, their vulnerabilities have raised great concern recently due to several large-scale blackouts around the world. In this paper, we…