Hi, my name is Ziye Ma (马梓业), and I’m currently a PhD candidate at the EECS department of UC Berkeley. I’m also known as Gaven, so feel free to call me whichever way you prefer. I’m supervised by Somayeh Sojoudi and I also collaborate with Prof Javad Lavaei. I was born in the city of Beijing, and I spent most of my early life jumping back and forth between Beijing and Toronto. I studied Engineering Science at the University of Toronto as an undergraduate student and majored in Robotics Engineering. After that, I continued my study as a PhD student here at UC Berkeley. I was an undergraduate researcher at the STARS lab under the supervision of Prof Jonathan Kelly and worked on cool projects regarding robust estimation in robotics.

Open Positions (New)

I will be joining the CS department at City Universtiy of Hong Kong starting Fall 2024. I am especially grateful to receive the honorary title of presidential assistant professor. I have multiple fully-funded PhD, research assistant and post-doc positions open. I am looking forward to invite people who are passionate about ML/AI theory to join my team and do meaningful research together. Please refer to this page for more detailed information.

Research Interest

My research aims to develop explainable and efficient machine learning systems, emphasizing the exploration of new theoretical tools and perspectives. These efforts are directed towards demystifying various phenomena in modern machine learning. Mathematically, my work predominantly addresses non-convex optimization problems, striving for improved solutions with better guarantees. This involves a deep dive into the impacts of uncertainty, parameterization, and algorithms on these problems.

During my PhD, I concentrated on delineating the conditions under which low-rank matrix recovery problems can be reliably solved. Additionally, I have engaged in projects aimed at certifying the robustness of neural networks, contributing to safer and more reliable AI applications.

For any inquiries, concerns, or suggestions regarding my research, please do not hesitate to contact me via email. I am committed to engaging in fruitful discussions and am always open to feedback.

Fun Facts

I enjoy photography, watching Anime, and experiencing a city by walking around. Photo credits to my Mom, the shot was taken near 观妙亭 of 景山公园 in May of 2021, and in the background is the breathtaking Forbidden City.