Xiaokai Chen

Xiaokai Chen

Ph.D. Candidate in Operations Research

About Me

I am a Ph.D. candidate of the Edwardson School of Industrial Engineering, Purdue University. I am fortunate to be supervised by Prof. Gesualdo Scutari. This is my fifth year here.

Educations

  • B.S. in Applied Mathemetics, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shenzhen, Sep. 2018 - Jun. 2022
  • Ph.D. (undergoing) in Operations Reserach, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Aug. 2022 - May. 2027 (anticipated)

Research Interests

My research focuses on the design and analysis of optimization algorithms, particularly on the intersection between optimization and machine learning, including:
  • Distributed (large-scale) optimization
  • Statistical machine learning and distributed inference
  • Nonconvex optimization
  • ...
Currently, I am working on the topic of parameter-free decentralized optimization for my Ph.D. dissertation. I am also interested in topics like game theory, variational analysis and computer vision.

Beyond Research

We will be good friends if you also like IPA and Bourbon whiskey. I am a fan of basketball, powerlifting and bouldering. Hiking is my first option during the vacation. I will appear at HYROX race in Nashville in this December and I hope I can survive.