We tackle the problem of variable selection with a focus on discovering interactions between variables. With p variables, there are O(p^k) possible interactions of order k making exhaustive search infeasible. We show that it is nonetheless possible to identify the variables involved in interactions (of any order) with only linear computation cost, O(p), and in a nonparametric fashion. Our algorithm is based on minimizing a non-convex objective, carefully designed to have a favorable landscape. We provide finite sample guarantees on both false positives (we show all stationary points of the objective exclude noise variables) and false negatives (we characterize the sample sizes needed for gradient descent to converge to a "good’’ stationary point).

25 Feb 2021
11:00am - 12:00pm
Where
https://hkust.zoom.us/j/ 99988827320 (Passcode: hkust)
Speakers/Performers
Dr. Feng RUAN
UC Berkeley
Organizer(S)
Department of Mathematics
Contact/Enquiries
Payment Details
Audience
Alumni, Faculty and staff, PG students, UG students
Language(s)
English
Other Events
14 Jul 2025
Seminar, Lecture, Talk
IAS / School of Science Joint Lecture - Boron Clusters
Abstract The study of carbon clusters led to the discoveries of fullerenes, carbon nanotubes, and graphene. Are there other elements that can form similar nanostructures? To answer this questio...
15 May 2025
Seminar, Lecture, Talk
IAS / School of Science Joint Lecture - Laser Spectroscopy of Computable Atoms and Molecules with Unprecedented Accuracy
Abstract Precision spectroscopy of the hydrogen atom, a fundamental two-body system, has been instrumental in shaping quantum mechanics. Today, advances in theory and experiment allow us to ext...