Statistical Inference

Modern statistical inference tasks often require iterative optimization methods to compute the solution. Convergence analysis from an optimization viewpoint only informs us how well the solution is approximated numerically but overlooks the sampling nature of the data. We introduce the moment-adjusted stochastic gradient descents, a new stochastic optimization method for statistical inference.

Detecting weak, systematic distribution shifts and quantitatively modeling individual, heterogeneous responses to policies or incentives have found increasing empirical applications in social and economic sciences. We propose a model for weak distribution shifts via displacement interpolation, drawing from the optimal transport theory.

We introduce a new convexified matching method for missing value imputation and individualized inference inspired by computational optimal transport.