Date & Time: October 17th, 14:00-15:00
Location: M:J
Speaker:  Na Li, Harvard University
Title: Close the Loop: From Data to Actions in Complex Systems

Abstract:
The explosive growth of machine learning and data-driven methodologies 
have revolutionized numerous fields. Yet, the translation of these 
successes to the domain of dynamical physical systems remains a 
significant challenge, hindered by the complex and often unpredictable 
nature of such environments. Closing the loop from data to actions in 
these systems faces many difficulties, stemming from the need for sample 
efficiency and computational feasibility amidst intricate dynamics, 
along with many other requirements such as verifiability, robustness, 
and safety. We will discuss how to bridge this gap by introducing 
innovative approaches that harness representation-based methods, domain 
knowledge, and the physical structures of systems. We present a 
comprehensive framework that integrates these components to develop 
reinforcement learning and control strategies that are not only tailored 
for the complexities of physical systems but also achieve efficiency, 
safety, and robustness with provable performance.

Bio:
Na Li is a Winokur Family Professor of Electrical Engineering and 
Applied Mathematics at Harvard University and a visiting research in 
Mitsubishi Electric Research laboratories (MERL).  She received her 
Bachelor's degree in Mathematics from Zhejiang University in 2007 and 
Ph.D. degree in Control and Dynamical systems from California Institute 
of Technology in 2013. She was a postdoctoral associate at the 
Massachusetts Institute of Technology 2013-2014.  She has held a variety 
of short-term visiting appointments including the Simons Institute for 
the Theory of Computing, MIT, and Google Brain. Her research lies in the 
control, learning, and optimization of networked systems, including 
theory development, algorithm design, and applications to real-world 
cyber-physical societal system.  She has been an associate editor for 
IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control, Systems & Control Letters, IEEE 
Control Systems Letters, and served on the organizing committee for a 
few conferences.  She received the NSF career award, AFSOR Young 
Investigator Award, ONR Young Investigator Award,  Donald P. Eckman 
Award, McDonald Mentoring Award, IFAC Distinguished Lecture, IFAC 
Manfred Thoma Medal, Ruberti Young Researcher Prize, along with other 
awards.