Yang Cai is an Associate Professor of Computer Science and Economics (secondary appointment) at Yale University. He is the Research Director for Computer Science at the Center for Algorithms, Data, & Market Design at Yale (CADMY) and a member of the Institute for Foundations of Data Science (FDS).

Interests
  • Theory of Computation
  • Economics & Computation
  • Optimization
  • Learning
Education

  • Ph.D. in Computer Science, 2013

    MIT

  • B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, 2008

    Peking University

Selected Publications

Yang Cai, Argyris Oikonomou, Weiqiang Zheng (2022). Finite-Time Last-Iterate Convergence for Learning in Multi-Player Games. The 36th Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems [NeurIPS Oral].

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Yang Cai, Nikhil R. Devanur, S. Matthew Weinberg (2021). A Duality-Based Unified Approach to Bayesian Mechanism Design. SIAM Journal on Computing.

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Johannes Brustle, Yang Cai, Constantinos Daskalakis (2020). Multi-Item Mechanisms without Item-Independence: Learnability via Robustness. Proceedings of the 21st ACM Conference on Economics and Computation (EC).

PDF DOI arXiv

Johannes Brustle, Yang Cai, Fa Wu, Mingfei Zhao (2017). Approximating Gains from Trade in Two-sided Markets via Simple Mechanisms. Proceedings of the 2017 ACM Conference on Economics and Computation (EC).

PDF DOI arXiv

Yang Cai, Mingfei Zhao (2017). Simple mechanisms for subadditive buyers via duality. Proceedings of the 49th Annual ACM SIGACT Symposium on Theory of Computing (STOC).

PDF DOI arXiv SIGecom Exchange

Yang Cai, Constantinos Daskalakis, Christos Papadimitriou (2015). Optimum Statistical Estimation with Strategic Data Sources. Conference on Learning Theory (COLT).

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Yang Cai, Constantinos Daskalakis, S. Matthew Weinberg (2013). Understanding Incentives: Mechanism Design Becomes Algorithm Design. 2013 IEEE 54th Annual Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS).

PDF DOI arXiv

Yang Cai, Constantinos Daskalakis, S. Matthew Weinberg (2012). Optimal Multi-dimensional Mechanism Design: Reducing Revenue to Welfare Maximization. 2012 IEEE 53rd Annual Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS).
FOCS 2022 Test of Time Award.

PDF DOI arXiv

Recent Publications

Yang Cai, Haipeng Luo, Chen-Yu Wei, Weiqiang Zheng (2023). Uncoupled and Convergent Learning in Two-Player Zero-Sum Markov Games. The 37th Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS).

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Yang Cai, Ziyun Chen, Jinzhao Wu (2023). Simultaneous Auctions are Approximately Revenue-Optimal for Subadditive Bidders. Proceedings of the 64th IEEE Symposium on Foundations of Computer Science (FOCS).

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Yang Cai, Weiqiang Zheng (2023). Doubly Optimal No-Regret Learning in Monotone Games. The 40th International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML).

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Yang Cai, Eric Xue (2023). Nearly Optimal Committee Selection For Bias Minimization. Proceedings of the 24th ACM Conference on Economics and Computation (EC).

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Yang Cai, Jinzhao Wu (2023). On the Optimal Fixed-Price Mechanism in Bilateral Trade. Proceedings of the 55th Annual ACM SIGACT Symposium on Theory of Computing (STOC).

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Yang Cai, Weiqiang Zheng (2023). Accelerated Single-Call Methods for Constrained Min-Max Optimization. The 11th International Conference on Learning Representations (ICLR).

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Yang Cai, Argyris Oikonomou, Weiqiang Zheng (2022). Accelerated Algorithms for Monotone Inclusions and Constrained Nonconvex-Nonconcave Min-Max Optimization. NeurIPS 2022 OPT Workshop.

PDF arxiv

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Teaching

CPSC 366: Intensive Algorithms. Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Spring 2019

CPSC 455 / 555 ECON 425: Economics and Computation. Fall 2022, Fall 2020, Fall 2019

CPSC 612: Topics in Algorithmic Game Theory: Learning and Games. Spring 2023.

Contact

  • yang.cai@yale.edu
  • Room 338, 17 Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven, CT 06511