[CS] Xuefeng Liu Dissertation Defense/TBD

[via cs]

This is an announcement of Xuefeng Liu's Dissertation Defense.
===============================================
Candidate: Xuefeng Liu

Date:Tuesday, December 2, 2025

Time: 10:00 am to 11:30 am
Location: JCL 298

Zoom Link: https://uchicago.zoom.us/j/99319796601?pwd=bXfc36AoLzGaAPPqMsZchIaPPDLKbq.1



Title: Leveraging Active Reinforcement Learning and Generative Models for Biomolecular DesignBiomolecular design plays a critical role across sectors—enabling breakthroughs in domains such as drug discovery, materials science, energy, and sustainability.  To push its capabilities forward, This collection of works focuses on developing advanced generative models and novel active reinforcement learning algorithms with proven theoretical foundations, tailored to address the unique challenges posed by the distinct ”language” of chemical and biological sequence.  These challenges include enhancing controllability, safety and robustness; advancing multimodal representations; improving sample efficiency to accelerate policy learning; and developing effective exploration and exploitation strategies from initial biomolecular lead discovery to optimization.

Abstract: Biomolecular design plays a critical role across sectors—enabling breakthroughs in domains such as drug discovery, materials science, energy, and sustainability.  To push its capabilities forward, This collection of works focuses on developing advanced generative models and novel active reinforcement learning algorithms with proven theoretical foundations, tailored to address the unique challenges posed by the distinct ”language” of chemical and biological sequence.  These challenges include enhancing controllability, safety and robustness; advancing multimodal representations; improving sample efficiency to accelerate policy learning; and developing effective exploration and exploitation strategies from initial biomolecular lead discovery to optimization.

Advisors: Rick Stevens
Committee:  Rick Stevens, Yuxin Chen, Jinbo Xu, Matthew Walter and Ian Foster