USC Probability and Statistics Seminar Courses

Rank Overparameterization and Global Optimality Certification in Low-Rank Matrix Estimation

Explore rank overparameterization in nonconvex optimization, its impact on spurious local minima, and methods for certifying global optimality in large-scale problems.

• YouTube
• 52 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Modal Regression: A New Approach to Modeling Conditional Relationships - Lecture

Explore modal regression, a new tool revealing unique data structures and offering advantages over mean and quantile regressions for outliers, heavy-tailed, and truncated data.

• YouTube
• 53 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Are Neural Networks Optimal Approximation Algorithms for Constraint Satisfaction Problems?

Explore neural networks' capability to solve NP-hard optimization problems, focusing on constraint satisfaction and their potential as optimal approximation algorithms.

• YouTube
• 40 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Foundations for Feature Learning via Gradient Descent

Explore the theoretical foundations of feature learning in modern machine learning models, focusing on gradient descent's role in extracting useful features and representations from data.

• YouTube
• 49 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Classical and Free Zero Bias for Infinite Divisibility

Explore classical and free zero bias in infinite divisibility with Larry Goldstein, delving into probability theory and statistical concepts.

• YouTube
• 49 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Continuous-in-time Limit for Bandits

Explore the connection between Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equations and multi-armed bandit problems, and discover an efficient algorithm for solving MAB challenges.

• YouTube
• 44 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

The Atypical Growth in Random Interfaces - KPZ Equation and Unusual Growth Patterns

Explore random interface growth phenomena and the KPZ equation, combining probability, PDEs, and integrable systems to understand unusual growth behaviors.

• YouTube
• 54 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Sample Amplification: Increasing Dataset Size Even When Learning is Impossible

Explore sample amplification techniques to generate larger datasets from limited samples, even when learning the original distribution is impossible.

• YouTube
• 59 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Latent Multimodal Functional Graphical Model Estimation

Explore latent graphical model estimation for multimodal functional data, focusing on brain connectivity analysis using simultaneous imaging techniques.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 1 minute
• On-Demand
• Free Video

On the Origin of the Boltzmann Distribution

Explore the unique characterization of the Boltzmann distribution in statistical mechanics, focusing on its independence property for uncoupled systems.

• YouTube
• 56 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Mean and Location Estimation with Optimal Constants - UW Madison

Explore advanced statistical techniques for mean and location estimation, focusing on finite sample theories and optimal constants in high-dimensional regimes.

• YouTube
• 59 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Geometric Constructions for Sparse Integer Signal Recovery

Explore geometric constructions for sparse integer signal recovery, focusing on matrix design for robust vector reconstruction in compressed sensing applications.

• YouTube
• 47 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Private Stochastic Optimization with Large Worst-Case Lipschitz Parameter

Explore differentially private stochastic optimization techniques for loss functions with large worst-case Lipschitz parameters, addressing outliers and heavy-tailed data for improved excess risk bounds.

• YouTube
• 58 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Online k-means Clustering on Arbitrary Data Streams - Lecture

Explore online k-means clustering for arbitrary data streams, focusing on a novel algorithm with polynomial space and time complexity and provable guarantees without input assumptions.

• YouTube
• 37 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video

Spectral Stability Under Real Random Absolutely Continuous Perturbations

Explore spectral stability in random matrix perturbations, focusing on eigenvector condition numbers and minimum eigenvalue gaps. Gain insights into numerical linear algebra algorithms.

• YouTube
• 47 minutes
• On-Demand
• Free Video