Dr. Alexander Rakhlin

Biography

Alexander 'Sasha' Rakhlin works at the intersection of statistics, machine learning, and optimization. His major research focus is on developing theoretical and algorithmic tools for online prediction methods, facilitating machine learning processes that provide information in a sequential manner. Rakhlin has uncovered critical connections between online prediction, optimization, and probability, leading to a fundamental theoretical understanding of the field and to new, efficient, and accurate prediction methods. His contributions include advances in statistical inference for structured problems and the development of new tools for optimal model selection. In newer lines of inquiry, Rakhlin has conducted a detailed analysis of the statistical complexity of neural networks, providing insights into recent advancements in deep learning. He received his BA in Computer Science and BA in Mathematics from Cornell University in 2000, and his PhD from MIT in 2006 under the supervision of Tomaso Poggio. After a postdoctoral appointment at the University of California at Berkeley, Rakhlin joined the faculty as an assistant professor at the University of Pennsylvania in 2009 within the Department of Statistics at the Wharton School, and was promoted to associate professor with tenure in 2015. Spending a year as a visiting professor at the MIT Statistics Data Science Center, Rakhlin joined the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences as an associate professor with tenure and has also become a core faculty member at the Institute for Data, Systems, and Society.

Research Interests

Experience