Zev Woodstock

I research nonsmooth optimization, splitting algorithms, machine learning, and monotone operator theory. My collaborators and I develop these tools to solve nonlinear problems in data science, signal/image/audio processing, and large-scale optimization.

📬 Contact

office
Room 3107 at ZIB
e-mail
homepage
zevwoodstock.github.io

🎓 Curriculum vitae

2022 to 2024
Researcher at ZIB
May 2021
Ph.D. in Mathematics at NC State
Jan 2018
M.Sc. in Applied Mathematics at NC State
May 2016
B.Sc. in Mathematics at JMU

đź“ť Publications and preprints

Preprints

  1. Woodstock, Z., and Pokutta, S. (2023). Splitting the Conditional Gradient Algorithm. [arXiv]
    [BibTeX]
    @misc{splitcg2023,
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
  eprint = {2311.05381},
  primaryclass = {math.OC},
  year = {2023},
  author = {Woodstock, Zev and Pokutta, Sebastian},
  title = {Splitting the Conditional Gradient Algorithm}
}

Conference proceedings

  1. Búi, M. N., Combettes, P. L., and Woodstock, Z. (2022). Block-activated Algorithms for Multicomponent Fully Nonsmooth Minimization. Proceedings of ICASSP 2022 - 2022 IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing (ICASSP), 5428–5432. DOI: 10.1109/ICASSP43922.2022.9747479 [URL]
    [BibTeX]
    @inproceedings{Block22,
  year = {2022},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of ICASSP 2022 - 2022 IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing (ICASSP)},
  month = may,
  pages = {5428-5432},
  doi = {10.1109/ICASSP43922.2022.9747479},
  url = {https://zevwoodstock.github.io/media/publications/icassp2022-2.pdf},
  author = {BĂşi, M. N. and Combettes, P. L. and Woodstock, Zev},
  title = {Block-activated Algorithms for Multicomponent Fully Nonsmooth Minimization}
}
  2. Combettes, P. L., and Woodstock, Z. (2022). Signal Recovery From Inconsistent Nonlinear Observations. Proceedings of ICASSP 2022 - 2022 IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing (ICASSP), 5872–5876. DOI: 10.1109/ICASSP43922.2022.9746145
    [BibTeX]
    @inproceedings{inconsistentFN,
  year = {2022},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of ICASSP 2022 - 2022 IEEE International Conference on Acoustics, Speech and Signal Processing (ICASSP)},
  month = may,
  pages = {5872–5876},
  doi = {10.1109/ICASSP43922.2022.9746145},
  author = {Combettes, P. L. and Woodstock, Zev},
  title = {Signal Recovery From Inconsistent Nonlinear Observations}
}
  3. Combettes, P. L., and Woodstock, Z. (2021). A Fixed Point Framework for Recovering Signals From Nonlinear Transformations. Proceedings of 2020 28th European Signal Processing Conference (EUSIPCO), 2120–2124. DOI: 10.23919/Eusipco47968.2020.9287736
    [BibTeX]
    @inproceedings{eusipco21,
  year = {2021},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of 2020 28th European Signal Processing Conference (EUSIPCO)},
  month = jan,
  pages = {2120-2124},
  doi = {10.23919/Eusipco47968.2020.9287736},
  author = {Combettes, P. L. and Woodstock, Zev},
  title = {A Fixed Point Framework for Recovering Signals From Nonlinear Transformations}
}
  4. Lubert, C. P., Romero, J. N., Sochacki, J. S., and Woodstock, Z. (2016). Rocket Launch Noise and the Coanda Effect. Proceedings of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) SPACE 2016, 5626. DOI: 10.2514/6.2016-5625 [URL]
    [BibTeX]
    @inproceedings{coanda16,
  year = {2016},
  booktitle = {Proceedings of American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA) SPACE 2016},
  month = sep,
  pages = {5626},
  doi = {10.2514/6.2016-5625},
  url = {https://zevwoodstock.github.io/media/publications/AIAA.pdf},
  author = {Lubert, Caroline P. and Romero, Jon N. and Sochacki, James S. and Woodstock, Zev},
  title = {Rocket Launch Noise and the Coanda Effect}
}

Full articles

  1. Kreimeier, T., Pokutta, S., Walther, A., and Woodstock, Z. (2023). On a Frank-Wolfe Approach for Abs-smooth Functions. Optimization Methods and Software. [arXiv]
    [BibTeX]
    @article{abssmooth-fw_2023,
  year = {2023},
  journal = {Optimization Methods and Software},
  archiveprefix = {arXiv},
  eprint = {2303.09881},
  primaryclass = {math.OC},
  author = {Kreimeier, Timo and Pokutta, Sebastian and Walther, Andrea and Woodstock, Zev},
  title = {On a Frank-Wolfe Approach for Abs-smooth Functions}
}
  2. Combettes, P. L., and Woodstock, Z. (2022). A Variational Inequality Model for the Construction of Signals From Inconsistent Nonlinear Equations. SIAM Journal on Imaging Sciences, 15(1), 84–109. DOI: 10.1137/21M1420368
    [BibTeX]
    @article{inconsistentVI,
  year = {2022},
  journal = {SIAM Journal on Imaging Sciences},
  volume = {15},
  number = {1},
  pages = {84–109},
  doi = {10.1137/21M1420368},
  author = {Combettes, P. L. and Woodstock, Zev},
  title = {A Variational Inequality Model for the Construction of Signals From Inconsistent Nonlinear Equations}
}
  3. Combettes, P. L., and Woodstock, Z. (2021). Reconstruction of Functions From Prescribed Proximal Points. Journal of Approximation Theory, 268(105606). DOI: 10.1016/j.jat.2021.105606
    [BibTeX]
    @article{jat21,
  year = {2021},
  journal = {Journal of Approximation Theory},
  volume = {268},
  number = {105606},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jat.2021.105606},
  author = {Combettes, P. L. and Woodstock, Zev},
  title = {Reconstruction of Functions From Prescribed Proximal Points}
}
  4. Lienkaemper, C., Shiu, A., and Woodstock, Z. (2017). Obstructions to Convexity in Neural Codes. Advances in Applied Mathematics, 85, 31–59. DOI: 10.1016/j.aam.2016.11.006
    [BibTeX]
    @article{neuralcodes17,
  year = {2017},
  journal = {Advances in Applied Mathematics},
  volume = {85},
  pages = {31--59},
  doi = {10.1016/j.aam.2016.11.006},
  author = {Lienkaemper, Caitlin and Shiu, Anne and Woodstock, Zev},
  title = {Obstructions to Convexity in Neural Codes}
}
  5. Félix, B., Shiu, A., and Woodstock, Z. (2016). Analyzing Multistationarity in Chemical Reaction Networks Using the Determinant Optimization Method. Applied Mathematics and Computation, 287–288, 60–73. DOI: 10.1016/j.amc.2016.04.030
    [BibTeX]
    @article{detopt16,
  year = {2016},
  journal = {Applied Mathematics and Computation},
  volume = {287--288},
  pages = {60--73},
  doi = {10.1016/j.amc.2016.04.030},
  author = {FĂ©lix, Bryan and Shiu, Anne and Woodstock, Zev},
  title = {Analyzing Multistationarity in Chemical Reaction Networks Using the Determinant Optimization Method}
}
  6. Lubert, C. P., and Woodstock, Z. (2014). Architectural Acoustical Oddities. The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America, 136(2126). DOI: 10.1121/1.4899659
    [BibTeX]
    @article{acoustic15,
  year = {2014},
  journal = {The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America},
  volume = {136},
  number = {2126},
  doi = {10.1121/1.4899659},
  author = {Lubert, Caroline P. and Woodstock, Zev},
  title = {Architectural Acoustical Oddities}
}

🔬 Projects

On a Frank-Wolfe Approach for Abs-smooth Optimization

Motivated by nonsmooth problems in machine learning, we solve the problem of minimizing an abs-smooth function subject to closed convex constraints. New theory and algorithms are developed using linear minimization oracles to enforce constraints and abs-linearization methods to handle nonsmoothness.

MATH+ EF1-23
Apr 2023 to Mar 2026
4
2

đź’¬ Talks and posters

Conference and workshop talks

Oct 2023
Splitting the Conditional Gradient Algorithm
INFORMS Conference, Phoenix [PDF]