Dr. Daniel J. Hsu is a Professor of Computer Science at Columbia University, affiliated with the Foundations of Data Science Center and TRIPODS Institute. His research focuses on algorithmic statistics, machine learning theory, and their applications in public health informatics. He has advised numerous students and postdocs, and his work bridges foundational theory with practical systems like foodborne illness detection via social media analysis. Key roles: Associate Editor (ACM Transactions on Algorithms), Program Chair (ICML 2025, COLT 2019) Research areas: Foundations of Data Science, Machine Learning Theory, Fairness, and High-dimensional Statistics His work on detecting foodborne illnesses using Yelp reviews has been deployed by NYC Health departments. Recent contributions include advancements in transformer architectures, group fairness algorithms, and multi-group learning frameworks. Scientific awards include the Sloan Fellowship and multiple NSF grants. He has pioneered interactive machine teaching methods and developed algorithms for robust parameter estimation in high-dimensional settings.
Peter Bühlmann is a Professor at ETH Zürich within the Seminar für Statistik , focusing on high-dimensional statistics, causal inference, and machine learning. His work bridges theoretical advancements with practical software implementations in R packages like pcalg , mboost , and glmmlasso , impacting fields such as genomics, proteomics, and intensive care analytics. Key Contributions : Causal structure learning, stability selection, anchor regression, and deconfounding. Software : Developed widely used R packages for statistical modeling and causal inference. Teaching : Courses on high-dimensional statistics at ETH Zürich and international institutions. Research Trends : Recent articles emphasize causal robustness, domain adaptation, and applications in medicine. His work addresses challenges in heterogeneous data, missing values, and covariate shifts using methods like spectral deconfounding and residual prediction tests. Scientific Recognition : Co-author of a paper designated as a New Hot Paper (Meinshausen and Bühlmann, 2006) by Essential Science Indicators, indicating significant impact in high-dimensional multiple testing.
Caglar Gulcehre is a Tenure Track Assistant Professor at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) and Principal Investigator of the CLAIRE (Caglar Gulcehre Laboratory of Artificial Intelligence Research) lab. Previously, he worked as a Staff Research Scientist at Google DeepMind, Microsoft Research, and IBM Research. His research focuses on reinforcement learning , foundation models , LLM alignment , and sequence modeling . Current Position : Assistant Professor, EPFL Lab : CLAIRE Lab Previous Roles : Staff Research Scientist at DeepMind, MSR, IBM Research His work spans reinforcement learning , deep learning , and neural architecture design , with a focus on safety , trustworthy AI , and real-world applications . He has published in top venues including Nature , NeurIPS , ICML , and JMLR . Scientific contributions include: Best paper award at NeurIPS Nonconvex Optimization workshop Honorable mention for best paper at ICML 2019 Co-organizer of seven workshops at NeurIPS, ICML, and ICLR He supervises PhD students in areas related to AI for algorithm discovery , neural architectures , and foundation models , including: Skander Moalla Justin Samuel Deschenaux Liangze Jiang Xiuying Wei Yitao Xu
Fatma Kılınç-Karzan is an Associate Professor of Operations Research at Carnegie Mellon University's Tepper School of Business, with a courtesy appointment as Associate Professor of Computer Science. She is also affiliated with the Algorithms Combinatorics and Optimization (ACO) PhD Program and was a Visiting Scientist at Berkeley's Simons Institute for the Theory of Computing during Fall 2017. Her educational background includes a PhD from Georgia Institute of Technology's H. Milton Stewart School of Industrial & Systems Engineering with a minor in Mathematics, supervised by Prof. Arkadi Nemirovski. She earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees from the Industrial Engineering Department of Middle East Technical University with a minor in Information Systems. Dr. Kılınç-Karzan's research spans mathematical optimization with emphasis on convex and non-convex optimization theory, algorithms, and applications. Her work bridges theoretical foundations with practical implementations in optimization under uncertainty (robust optimization, chance constraints, distributionally robust optimization), machine learning (preference learning from limited data), and business analytics. She develops foundational theory for large-scale optimization problems with applications in decision making under uncertainty and high-dimensional statistical inference. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on convex hull characterizations, semidefinite programming relaxations, distributionally robust optimization, and online convex optimization frameworks. Her work demonstrates increasing integration of optimization theory with machine learning applications, particularly in developing data-driven approaches for decision making under uncertainty. NSF CAREER Award (2015) INFORMS Optimization Society Young Researcher Prize (2015) INFORMS Junior Faculty Interest Group (JFIG) Best Paper Award (2014) BP Junior Faculty Chair (2014-2015) Faculty Giving Chair (2012-2013) Wimmer Fellowship (2012-2013) Dr. Kılınç-Karzan has successfully mentored numerous PhD students who have received prestigious awards, including the 2021 INFORMS Optimization Society Best Student Paper (1st prize) and multiple honorable mentions. Her research has been supported by significant grants including an NSF CAREER Award, an ONR grant (with S. Küçükyavuz), and an AFOSR grant. She serves on editorial boards for Mathematical Programming, Operations Research, Mathematics of Operations Research, and other leading journals, and has held leadership positions in professional societies including the Mathematical Optimization Society and INFORMS Computing Society. Through her affiliations with CMU's Tepper School, Computer Science Department, and ACO Program, she collaborates across disciplines to advance optimization theory and its applications. Her professional service includes committee chair roles for major INFORMS competitions and program committee leadership for international optimization conferences.
Afonso S. Bandeira is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics (D-MATH) at ETH Zurich, where he conducts research at the intersection of mathematics, statistics, and computer science. He maintains strong affiliations with several interdisciplinary research centers including the Institute For Operations Research (IFOR), the Max Planck ETH Center for Learning Systems, the ETH Foundations of Data Science, and the ETH AI Center, with a courtesy appointment at D-ITET. Bandeira actively teaches courses including Mathematics of Signals, Networks, and Learning, and Mathematics of Data Science. His research focuses on High Dimensional Probability, Random Matrices, Mathematical Statistics, Theoretical Computer Science, Combinatorics, and Mathematical Optimization. Bandeira's work often explores the theoretical foundations of data science, examining phase transitions in statistical problems, computational barriers, and the geometry of high-dimensional spaces. He maintains a research group blog called Randomstrasse101 that emphasizes open problems in his field. Analysis of his recent publications reveals a strong focus on matrix and tensor concentration inequalities, synchronization problems, nonconvex optimization landscapes, and computational-statistical tradeoffs in high-dimensional inference. His work bridges theoretical mathematics with practical applications in machine learning and data analysis, particularly examining where computational limitations arise in statistical problems. Bandeira actively mentors students and researchers, currently supervising several doctoral candidates including Daniil Dmitriev, Konstantin Donhauser, Anastasia Kireeva, Kevin Lucca, Chiara Meroni, Gil Kur, Petar Nizic-Nikolac, and Almut Roedder. He emphasizes that students working with him should participate in the DACO seminar and group meetings, and encourages prospective students to have completed his Mathematics of Signals, Networks, and Learning or Mathematics of Data Science courses. He leads a research group focused on the mathematics of data science, with regular group meetings and seminars. Bandeira has developed comprehensive lecture notes including 'A Tour Through the Mathematics of Signals, Learning, and Networks' (2025) and 'Mathematics of Machine Learning' (2021), and previously authored 'Ten Lectures and Forty-Two Open Problems in the Mathematics of Data Science' (2015).
Peng Zhao is a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Department of Applied Economics & Statistics at the University of Delaware, with affiliations to UD's Data Science Institute. His academic career includes a postdoctoral research position at Texas A&M University's Department of Statistics (August 2020–June 2023), following his Ph.D. training at Florida State University. Education Ph.D. in Statistics, Florida State University, 2020 B.S. in Statistics, Beijing Institute of Technology, 2015 Dr. Zhao's research focuses on cutting-edge statistical methodologies, including: High-dimensional statistical modeling and inference Network-based statistical analysis Multivariate data processing techniques Scalable Bayesian computational methods Nonparametric Bayesian approaches Dependency-aware statistical learning frameworks Optimization algorithms for complex models Regularization mechanisms in statistical learning He teaches graduate-level courses in regression analysis (STAT611) and mathematical statistics (STAT602) at the University of Delaware. Office location: Room 214, Townsend Hall, 531 S. College Avenue, Newark, DE 19716.
Damek Davis serves as an Associate Professor of Statistics and Data Science and Co-Academic Director of the Dual Master's Degree in Statistics at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania. His academic base is the Department of Statistics and Data Science within the Wharton School, with his office located at the Academic Research Building in Philadelphia, PA. His research expertise centers on optimization theory for data science, with deep specialization in nonsmooth and stochastic optimization problems. Key focus areas include convergence analysis of first-order methods, variance reduction techniques, and theoretical guarantees for algorithms in nonconvex settings. His work bridges mathematical rigor with practical applications in machine learning and statistical inference, particularly in developing efficient computational frameworks for large-scale data analysis. Analysis of his 2022-2024 publications reveals dominant themes in optimization for modern data challenges: nonsmooth stochastic approximation, linear convergence under sharpness conditions, and global optimality in mixture models. His research consistently appears in premier venues across optimization (Mathematical Programming, SIAM Journal), statistics (The Annals of Statistics), and machine learning (IEEE Transactions), demonstrating cross-disciplinary impact in both theoretical foundations and computational methodologies.
Prof. Dr. Michael Ulbrich is a full professor and Chair of Mathematical Optimization at the Technical University of Munich (TUM), within the School of Computation, Information and Technology. He has held this position since 2006 and previously served as Dean of Studies (2007–2010) and Vice Dean of the Faculty of Mathematics (2012–2015). His research focuses on nonlinear optimization, optimal control, and numerical analysis, with applications in fluid dynamics, shape optimization, and PDE-constrained systems. He leads projects in the DFG SPP 1962 and IGDK 1754, and has received prestigious awards including the Howard Rosenbrock Prize (2015) and the Doctoral Award from the TUM Association of Friends (1996). Ulbrich is Editor-in-Chief of Optimization and Engineering and contributes to multiple journals. His work bridges theoretical foundations and practical applications, including CO2 sequestration, fluid-structure interaction, and distributed optimization algorithms. Education: PhD (1996), Habilitation (2002) in Mathematics at TUM. Research stays at Rice University (USA) under DFG funding. Research Areas: Semismooth Newton methods, PDE-constrained optimization, optimal control of Navier-Stokes equations, and distributed parameter systems. Awards: Rosenbrock Prize, Teaching Excellence Awards, and recognition for doctoral work. Leadership Roles: Department Head of Mathematics (2022–), Member of TUM Senate (2019–2022), and Co-Chair of GAMM 2018. Ulbrich has authored influential textbooks like Semismooth Newton Methods for Variational Inequalities and Nichtlineare Optimierung . His recent projects include OptiGeoS (2024–2026) and collaborations on nonsmooth optimization and stochastic algorithms. His academic contributions span over 100 publications, emphasizing both algorithmic innovation and rigorous mathematical analysis.
Craig H. Meyer is a Professor in Biomedical Engineering and Radiology & Medical Imaging at the University of Virginia. He holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University and leads the Rapid MRI Research Group, focusing on developing advanced MRI techniques for cardiovascular disease, neural disorders, and pediatrics. His work integrates physics, signal processing, and machine learning to improve MRI acquisition and processing speed. Education: Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering, Stanford University. Research Interests: Medical and Molecular Imaging, Signal and Image Processing, Biomedical Data Sciences, Biomechanics, and Cardiovascular Engineering. His innovations include fast spiral imaging, conjugate phase reconstruction, and machine learning-enhanced MRI denoising. Awards: Notably includes the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Team Science (2014), Fellowships from NAI (2021), AIMBE (2015), and ISMRM (2013). He also authored two landmark MRI papers recognized as pivotal in the field. Teaching: Courses include BME 6310 (Computation and Modeling in Biomedical Engineering) and BME 8782 (Magnetic Resonance Imaging). He emphasizes translational research, with applications in clinical MRI advancements and collaborative interdisciplinary projects. Labs/Groups: Rapid MRI Research Group focuses on cutting-edge MRI technologies, including real-time cardiac imaging and artifact reduction through deep learning.
Melanie Weber is an Assistant Professor of Applied Mathematics and Computer Science at Harvard University's John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS), leading the Geometric Machine Learning Group. Her research focuses on leveraging geometric structures in data for designing efficient machine learning and optimization algorithms with theoretical guarantees. She holds a PhD from Princeton University (2021) and has held fellowships at the Mathematical Institute of Oxford, Brasenose College, and the Simons Institute. Her work bridges geometry, optimization, and machine learning, with funding from NSF, Sloan Foundation, and Harvard initiatives. Education : PhD in Applied Mathematics, Princeton University (2021) BSc/MSc in Mathematics and Physics, University of Leipzig (2016) Research Interests : Dr. Weber's research integrates geometric principles into machine learning and optimization, focusing on non-Euclidean spaces, graph structures, and manifold-based methods. Key areas include optimization on Riemannian manifolds, curvature-based analysis (e.g., Ricci curvature), and developing algorithms resilient to data geometry challenges like over-smoothing in graph neural networks. Her work emphasizes theoretical foundations while addressing practical scalability in high-dimensional data. Awards & Recognition : 2024 Sloan Research Fellowship 2023 Leslie Fox Prize in Numerical Analysis 2023 NSF Grant for Geometric Optimization Grants & Funding : Supported by National Science Foundation (NSF), Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Aramont Foundation, Harvard Dean’s Fund, and Harvard Data Science Initiative. Labs & Collaborations : Leads the Geometric Machine Learning Group at SEAS, collaborating with institutions like MIT, Max Planck Institute, and industry labs (Facebook, Google, Microsoft). Active in organizing workshops on geometric methods and curvature analysis.
Bryon Aragam is an Associate Professor of Econometrics and Statistics and Robert H. Topel Faculty Scholar at the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. His research focuses on the intersection of causality, statistical machine learning, and probabilistic modeling, with particular emphasis on applications to artificial intelligence systems including large language models like ChatGPT and generative models like DALL-E. Dr. Aragam completed his PhD in Statistics and a Masters in Applied Mathematics at UCLA, where he was an NSF graduate research fellow. Prior to joining the University of Chicago, he was a project scientist and postdoctoral researcher in the Machine Learning Department at Carnegie Mellon University. Research Focus: Causal structure learning in probabilistic generative models Key Areas: Causal machine learning, deep generative models, latent variable models, statistical learning theory Applications: AI interpretability, ethics, and fairness in artificial intelligence systems Teaching: Business Statistics, Econometrics and Statistics Colloquium His recent publications demonstrate a strong theoretical foundation combined with practical applications, particularly in understanding and improving AI systems. His work spans causal discovery, graphical models, deep learning, and latent variable modeling, with particular attention to the theoretical properties of these methods and their applications to real-world AI challenges. The research shows a progression toward increasingly complex problems in causal representation learning and AI interpretability. Scientific Awards: Robert H. Topel Faculty Scholar NSF Graduate Research Fellow Dr. Aragam's work has been published in top statistics and machine learning venues including the Annals of Statistics, Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS), the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), and the Journal of Machine Learning Research (JMLR). His research group publishes broadly across both statistical and machine learning communities, demonstrating the interdisciplinary nature of his work at the intersection of statistics, machine learning, and causal inference. As a data science consultant for technology and marketing firms, Dr. Aragam has applied his expertise to problems in survey design, customer retention, logistics, and ranking, bridging the gap between theoretical research and practical applications.
Yuxin Chen is a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania , holding joint appointments in the Department of Statistics and Data Science and the Department of Electrical and Systems Engineering . Prior to UPenn, he was an Assistant Professor at Princeton University (2017-2021) and a Postdoctoral Researcher at Stanford University (2015-2017). His research spans statistics, optimization, reinforcement learning theory, diffusion models, and information theory , with a focus on theoretical foundations and practical algorithms for machine learning. Education : Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering (Stanford, 2015), M.S. in Statistics (Stanford, 2013), M.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering (UT Austin, 2010), B.E. in Electrical/Microelectronics (Tsinghua, 2008). Research Interests encompass theoretical and applied aspects of machine learning, including nonconvex optimization , sample complexity analysis , low-dimensional adaptation , and generative modeling . His work bridges mathematical rigor with real-world applications, particularly in scientific imaging and high-dimensional data analysis. Scientific Awards include the SIAM Activity Group on Imaging Science Best Paper Prize (2024) Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship (2022) NSF Career Award (2022) Google Research Scholar Award (2022) IEEE Transactions on Power Electronics Prize Paper Award (2024) Advising and Grants : He has mentored numerous students who have transitioned to academic roles at institutions like UIUC and UW-Madison. His research is supported by grants from the NSF , Amazon , and Google , with recent projects focusing on controllable diffusion models and efficient reinforcement learning algorithms .
Soroosh Shafiee is an Assistant Professor in the School of Operations Research and Information Engineering at Cornell University since July 2023. Before joining Cornell, he held postdoctoral positions at the Tepper School of Business (Carnegie Mellon University) and the Automatic Control Laboratory (ETH Zurich). He earned a B.Sc. and M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Tehran and a Ph.D. in Operations Research from École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL). His research focuses on optimization under uncertainty, robust optimization, optimal transport, and their applications in machine learning and finance. Specific interests include designing algorithms for data-driven optimization, analyzing statistical and computational complexity, and exploring nonconvex optimization structures. Swiss National Science Foundation Early PostDoc Mobility Fellowship (2020) PhD Thesis Distinction Award, EPFL (2020) His work bridges theoretical foundations with practical applications, contributing to areas such as distributionally robust optimization, Wasserstein-based methods, and scalable algorithm development. His research has been published in top venues like Journal of Machine Learning Research and Operations Research .
Ju Sun is an Assistant Professor at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, in the Computer Science & Engineering department. He leads the Group of Learning, Optimization, Vision, Healthcare, and X (GLOVEX) and plays key roles in the UMN Data Science Initiative (DSI), Program for Clinical AI, and AI-CLIMATE institute. Research Focus : Theoretical foundations of machine learning, computer vision, and numerical optimization with applications in healthcare, inverse problems, and medical imaging. Grants : $4.5M+ in funding including NSF ACED Program and NIH R01 grants for constrained deep learning and imbalanced classification. Teaching & Leadership : Featured in UMN seminars and AI institutes, with affiliations across Electrical and Computer Engineering, Health Informatics, and Medical School. Recent Publications address inverse problems, federated learning, imbalanced classification, and phase retrieval using deep generative priors and diffusion models. His group website details these innovations. Scientific Awards : McKnight Land-Grant Professorship (2025–2027) 2021 AAAI New Faculty Highlights Advising : Mentored three PhD graduates now at Meta, Amazon, and UCLA. Collaborations span medicine, materials science, and biomedical engineering, integrating physics-informed constraints into AI.
Rohit Kannan is an Assistant Professor in the Grado Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering at Virginia Tech. He holds a Ph.D. and M.S. in Chemical Engineering from MIT and a B.Tech. from IIT Madras. His research focuses on integrating machine learning with global optimization and optimization under uncertainty, emphasizing energy systems applications. Previous roles include postdoc positions at Los Alamos National Laboratory and the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery. Education: Ph.D., Chemical Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 2018 M.S., Chemical Engineering Practice, MIT, 2014 B.Tech., Chemical Engineering, IIT Madras, 2012 Research Interests: Global optimization, optimization under uncertainty, computational optimization, energy systems, and machine learning integration. Recent Highlights: Recipient of the Excellence in Teaching Spotlight Award (2024) Lead researcher in stochastic optimization and energy systems (e.g., hybrid polygeneration systems) Developed algorithms for chance-constrained nonlinear programs and distributionally robust optimization Service & Leadership: Elected Vice-Chair of Global Optimization, INFORMS Optimization Society (2025–2026) Reviewer for top journals like Operations Research and Mathematical Programming Advisor to ISE InclusiveVT and Graduate Admissions Committee Labs & Collaborations: Directs a research group advancing optimization and machine learning for energy and engineering systems. Active in interdisciplinary projects with LANL and UW-Madison.
