Elad Hazan – författare

New edition of a graduate-level textbook on that focuses on online convex optimization, a machine learning framework that views optimization as a process.In many practical applications, the environment is so complex that it is not feasible to lay out a comprehensive theoretical model and use classical algorithmic theory and/or mathematical optimization. Introduction to Online Convex Optimization presents a robust machine learning approach that contains elements of mathematical optimization, game theory, and learning theory: an optimization method that learns from experience as more aspects of the problem are observed. This view of optimization as a process has led to some spectacular successes in modeling and systems that have become part of our daily lives. Based on the “Theoretical Machine Learning” course taught by the author at Princeton University, the second edition of this widely used graduate level text features:Thoroughly updated material throughoutNew chapters on boosting, adaptive regret, and approachability and expanded exposition on optimizationExamples of applications, including prediction from expert advice, portfolio selection, matrix completion and recommendation systems, SVM training, offered throughout Exercises that guide students in completing parts of proofs

This tutorial guide introduces online nonstochastic control, an emerging paradigm in control of dynamical systems and differentiable reinforcement learning that applies techniques from online convex optimization and convex relaxations to obtain new methods with provable guarantees for classical settings in optimal and robust control. In optimal control, robust control, and other control methodologies that assume stochastic noise, the goal is to perform comparably to an offline optimal strategy. In online control, both cost functions and perturbations from the assumed dynamical model are chosen by an adversary. Thus, the optimal policy is not defined a priori and the goal is to attain low regret against the best policy in hindsight from a benchmark class of policies. The resulting methods are based on iterative mathematical optimization algorithms and are accompanied by finite-time regret and computational complexity guarantees. This book is ideal for graduate students and researchers interested in bridging classical control theory and modern machine learning.