News & Events

Department Events & Announcements

Events

• Feb

  21

  CS Seminar: Understanding Deep Learning Through Phenomena Discovery and Explanation (Yuan Cao)

  Department of Computer Science (CS)

  12:00 PM 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library)

  EVENT DETAILS

  Wednesday / CS Seminar
  February 21st / 12:00 PM
  In Person / Mudd 3514

  Speaker
  Yuan Cao, University of Hong Kong

  Talk Title
  Understanding Deep Learning Through Phenomena Discovery and Explanation

  Abstract
  Deep learning has achieved great success in many applications. However, the success of deep learning has not been well understood in theory. In this talk, I will discuss some recent efforts to bridge the gap between theory and practice through phenomenon discovery and explanation. In the first part of this talk, I will discuss the phenomenon of “benign overfitting” in deep learning, and present our recent results characterizing benign and harmful overfitting in training convolutional neural networks (CNNs). In the second part of the talk, I will discuss the recently discovered phenomenon on the generalization gap between Adam and stochastic gradient descent in image classification tasks. I will present an intuitive explanation for this generalization gap and provide a rigorous theoretical guarantee to support the explanation. Overall, this talk will provide insights into the “feature learning” procedure of neural networks, and how it is related to various interesting phenomena in deep learning.

  Biography
  Yuan Cao is an assistant professor in the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science and Department of Mathematics at the University of Hong Kong. Before joining HKU, he was a postdoctoral scholar at UCLA. He received his B.S. from Fudan University and Ph.D. from Princeton University. Yuan’s research interests include deep learning theory, non-convex optimization, and high-dimensional statistics. He has published research papers in top machine learning journals (JMLR, ML, TMLR) and conferences (NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, COLT, AAAI, IJCAI, etc), including a spotlight presentation in NeurIPS 2019, a long talk in ICML 2021, and an oral presentation in NeurIPS 2022.

  Research Interests/Area
  deep learning theory, non-convex optimization, high-dimensional statistics

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  TIME Wednesday, February 21, 2024 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

  LOCATION 3514, Mudd Hall ( formerly Seeley G. Mudd Library)    map it

  ADD TO CALENDAR

  CONTACT Wynante R Charles    wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)

• Aug

  20

  Alumni Education Webinar: McCormick School of Engineering's Strategic Vision

  McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  12:00 PM

  EVENT DETAILS

  Join us to explore the McCormick School of Engineering’s strategic vision and its vital role in advancing Northwestern’s top priorities. From groundbreaking research to transformative education, Northwestern Engineering is shaping solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges and working to advance Northwestern. During this presentation, you will learn directly from Dean Christopher Schuh on how our alumni community can come together to amplify this impact—through engagement, mentorship, philanthropy, and industry connections. Learn how your involvement can help unlock bold ideas and ensure Northwestern remains a global leader in engineering and beyond.

  Event Contact Info

  NAA Alumni Education
  alumnieducation@northwestern.edu

  Register Now

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  TIME Wednesday, August 20, 2025 at 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

  ADD TO CALENDAR

  CONTACT Andi Joppie    andi.joppie@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

• Sep

  8

  Welcome & Breakfast for New McCormick PhD Students

  McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  9:00 AM LR2 & Tech East Plaza, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  Enjoy a welcome from Dean Christopher A. Schuh and other McCormick leaders, and receive a Northwestern Engineering T-shirt. A free light breakfast on the Tech East Plaza will follow.

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  TIME Monday, September 8, 2025 at 9:00 AM - 10:00 AM

  LOCATION LR2 & Tech East Plaza, Technological Institute    map it

  ADD TO CALENDAR

  CONTACT Andi Joppie    andi.joppie@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

• Sep

  12

  New Undergraduate Fall 2025 Registration

  University Academic Calendar

  All Day

  EVENT DETAILS

  New Undergraduate Fall 2025 Registration

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  TIME Friday, September 12, 2025

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  CONTACT Office of the Registrar    nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Sep

  15

  Welcome & Luncheon for New Full-time Graduate Students

  McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

  11:00 AM Ryan Auditorium & Tech East Plaza, Technological Institute

  EVENT DETAILS

  Enjoy a welcome from Dean Christopher A. Schuh and other McCormick leaders, and receive a Northwestern Engineering T-shirt. A free lunch on the Tech East Plaza will follow.

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  TIME Monday, September 15, 2025 at 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM

  LOCATION Ryan Auditorium & Tech East Plaza, Technological Institute    map it

  ADD TO CALENDAR

  CONTACT Andi Joppie    andi.joppie@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR McCormick School of Engineering and Applied Science

• Sep

  16

  Fall Classes Begin. Change of Registration (Drop/Add) Late registration for returning students begins

  University Academic Calendar

  All Day

  EVENT DETAILS

  Fall Classes Begin. Change of Registration (Drop/Add) Late registration for returning students begins

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  TIME Tuesday, September 16, 2025

  ADD TO CALENDAR

  CONTACT Office of the Registrar    nu-registrar@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR University Academic Calendar

• Sep

  25

  Bagel Thursday

  Department of Computer Science (CS)

  9:00 AM

  EVENT DETAILS

  TBA

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  TIME Thursday, September 25, 2025 at 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM

  ADD TO CALENDAR

  CONTACT Wynante R Charles    wynante.charles@northwestern.edu EMAIL

  CALENDAR Department of Computer Science (CS)