Participant Support for attendants to the program Mathematics of Machine Learning (Barcelona)

University Of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia PA

Investigators

Abstract

The research program ``Mathematics of Machine Learning'', hosted by the Centre de Recerca Matematica (Barcelona, Spain), will take place from April 7th to July 14th, 2014. The aim of the program is to bring together leading researchers from the fields of Statistics, Optimization, and Computer Science. The dialogue between these fields has been crucial to the understanding of modern machine learning problems. The research program will focus on several aspects of theoretical machine learning, including the interplay of computation and statistics, connections between learning and optimization, as well as the theory of sequential prediction methods. Over the course of fourteen weeks, the investigators will organize three thematic 3-day workshops, one large 5-day workshop on learning theory, as well as many short and long-term visits. The program will also be co-located with the conference Journees de Statistique and the Conference on Learning Theory. Machine learning approaches to dealing with large scale data ultimately rely on our understanding of computational and statistical demands. By attracting the leading experts in the respective fields, the program organizers are aiming to focus on the theoretical issues of modern machine learning problems. As machine learning methods form an essential part of many computerized systems, the research is likely to have a positive impact on technology and society through the development of faster algorithms with better performance. The program naturally integrates research and education. The short and long-term visitors will be given a unique opportunity to conduct cutting-edge research, while the thematic workshops during this period will provide a forum for learning and the exchange of ideas with the broader audience. In particular, student participation will be crucial to fostering the next generation of researchers that study both computational and statistical aspects of learning. Conference web page is located at http://stat.wharton.upenn.edu/~rakhlin/crm/