Topic: tensor decompositions

Misha Kilmer develops structured matrix approximation by an invertible matrix-to-tensor transformation, tensor approximation, and a mapping back to matrix space. Different tensor decompositions yield sums of structured Kronecker products, block low-rank matrices, or combinations of both. The framework exposes latent operator structure useful for large computations, and the talk considers where randomization could help. Joint work with Arvind Saibaba at North Carolina State University.

Learning in biological systems takes place in contexts and with dynamics not often accounted for by simple models. I will describe the learning dynamics of two model systems that incorporate either architectural or dynamic constraints from biological observations. In the first case, inspired by the observed mesoscopic structure of the mouse brain as revealed by the Allen Mouse Brain Connectivity Atlas, as well as multiple examples of parallel pathways in mammalian brains, I present a mathematical analysis of learning dynamics in networks that have parallel computational pathways driven by the