Anna Korba

Anna Korba is an Assistant Professor at École Polytechnique, specifically affiliated with ENSAE/CREST in the Statistics Department since September 2020. She is also a co-administrator of the Master Data Science program at École Polytechnique. Her academic journey has positioned her as a leading researcher in machine learning, with particular expertise in kernel methods, optimal transport, and statistical optimization.

Dr. Korba received her PhD from Telecom ParisTech in 2018 under the supervision of Prof. Stephan Clémençon. Prior to her current position, she was a postdoctoral researcher at University College London's Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit working with Arthur Gretton from December 2018 to August 2020. Her academic foundation includes a Master's degree in Machine Learning and Computer Vision (MVA) from ENS Cachan and ENSAE in 2015.

Anna Korba's research primarily focuses on machine learning with emphasis on kernel methods, optimal transport, optimization, particle systems, and preference learning. Her work bridges theoretical statistics with practical machine learning applications, particularly in developing novel sampling and optimization methods. She has made significant contributions to understanding Wasserstein gradient flows, density ratio estimation, and variational inference techniques.

Her publication record demonstrates a strong trajectory in top-tier machine learning conferences including ICML, NeurIPS, AISTATS, and ICLR. Her research shows a clear evolution from foundational work on ranking and preference learning during her PhD to more recent contributions in Wasserstein-based optimization, sampling methods, and deep probabilistic modeling. The interdisciplinary nature of her work connects statistics, optimization theory, and practical machine learning applications.

• Top 10% Oral Presentation at AISTATS 2022
• Top 15% Long Oral Presentation at ICML 2021

She actively mentors PhD students and postdoctoral researchers, currently advising seven PhD candidates and having successfully guided several alumni to prestigious positions. Dr. Korba also contributes to the academic community through her role in administering the Master Data Science program and collaborating with researchers across institutions worldwide.

As part of the CREST research center, Dr. Korba works within a vibrant team of researchers focused on statistics, machine learning, and their applications to economic and social sciences. Her research group includes current PhD students and postdocs working on various aspects of her research interests, creating a dynamic environment for advancing the field of statistical machine learning.