CS 201: Exploiting Structure for Efficient Deep Multi-Agent Learning, STEPHAN ZHENG, Caltech

Speaker: Stephan Zheng
Affiliation: Caltech

ABSTRACT: Many integrated systems, such as autonomous vehicle fleets and the Internet of Things, form multi-agent learning environments. In this setting, learning is often intractable, as multi-agent dynamics are high-dimensional and model complexity grows exponentially. Hence, simply duplicating single-agent learning algorithms often fails. In this talk, I will present an overview of multi-agent learning, as well as two methods that make learning tractable and efficient by exploiting structure, such as long-term goals and coordination between agents.  First, I will present hierarchical policy classes for imitation learning with multi-agent sequential data, which generate realistic basketball gameplay that can fool professional sports analysts. Second, I will present Multi-agent Coordinated Exploration (MACE): a principled method for structured exploration in deep multi-agent reinforcement learning that learns significantly faster in large multi-agent games. Finally, I will highlight ongoing work that explores how to apply these concepts to nonlinear dynamical systems and partial-information settings. BIO: Stephan Zheng is a PhD candidate in the Machine Learning group at Caltech, advised by Professor Yisong Yue. His research focuses on deep structured learning in multi-agent environments with nonlinear dynamics. He has also worked on improving the robustness of deep learning and learning interpretable spatiotemporal tensor models.  Previously, Stephan received an MSc (Theoretical Physics) and BSc (Physics, Mathematics) from Utrecht University, read Part III Mathematics at the University of Cambridge and was a visiting student at Harvard University. He received the 2011 Lorenz Prize in Theoretical Physics from the Dutch Academy of Arts and Sciences, and was twice a research intern with Google Research and Google Brain.

Hosted by Professor Stefano Soatto

 

Date/Time:
Date(s) - Nov 21, 2017
4:15 pm - 5:45 pm

Location:
3400 Boelter Hall
420 Westwood Plaza Los Angeles California 90095