[Theory] TODAY: [TTIC Talks] 10/31 Research at TTIC: Stephen Wright, University of Wisconsin–Madison

[Brandie Jones via Theory]

*When:         *October 31st *at 11am CT  *


*Where:*        Talk will be given *live, in-person* at

                       TTIC, 6045 S. Kenwood Avenue

                        5th Floor, Room 530


*Virtually:*    via Panopto (Livestream
<https://uchicago.hosted.panopto.com/Panopto/Pages/Viewer.aspx?id=12420ed1-85ce-4602-9d3d-b31a00f2af86>
)

*Who:*            Stephen Wright, University of Wisconsin–Madison

*Title:*            Gradient-Based Methods for Bilevel Optimization

*Abstract: *    Bilevel optimization has emerged as a powerful framework
across such machine learning applications as reinforcement learning and
language model fine-tuning, as well as in game-theoretic modeling. As
these problems scale, so too does the need for principled,
efficient algorithms that can handle stochasticity and structural
complexity.
This talk will discuss recent advances in scalable, gradient-based methods
for bilevel problems with smooth objectives, where gradients are accessed
only through unbiased stochastic oracles. First, we consider the
foundational case in which the lower-level problem is strongly convex, and
establish non-asymptotic convergence guarantees for finding an
epsilon-approximate stationary point.  Second, we explore two active
frontiers: (1) extensions to fully nonconvex objectives, including settings
with lower-level constraints, and (2) new complexity lower bounds informed
by different oracle models. Together, these results form a unified
theoretical framework for understanding and designing gradient-based
bilevel solvers at scale.

(Joint work with Jeongyeol Kwon, Dohyun Kwon, Rob Nowak)



***********************************************************************************************

*Research at TTIC Seminar Series*



TTIC is hosting a weekly seminar series presenting the research currently
underway at the Institute. Every week a different TTIC faculty member will
present their research.  The lectures are intended for students
seeking research topics and advisors, and for the general TTIC and
University of Chicago communities interested in hearing what their
colleagues are up to.

*Brandie Jones *
*Executive **Administrative Assistant*
*Outreach Administrator *
Toyota Technological Institute
6045 S. Kenwood Avenue
Chicago, IL  60637
www.ttic.edu
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