Sam Howard

Sam Howard

PhD Student in Machine Learning

New College

Department of Statistics

University of Oxford

I am a PhD student on the StatML CDT programme, based in the Department of Statistics at the University of Oxford. My current research is focused on computational methods for optimal transport, and is supervised by George Deligiannidis and Patrick Rebeschini.

Previously, I obtained my Masters in Mathematics at Oxford, where I focused on Functional Analysis and Probability Theory.

Download my CV.

Interests
  • Optimal Transport
  • Optimisation
  • Hiking
  • Classical Guitar
  • Double Bass
Education
  • DPhil in Statistics (StatML Programme), 2022-

    University of Oxford

  • Master in Mathematics, 2018-2022

    University of Oxford

Projects

 
 
 
 
 
StatML PhD Programme
Optimisation Methods for Computational Optimal Transport
Oct 2023 – Present
  • Supervised by George Deligiannidis and Patrick Rebeschini.
 
 
 
 
 
MMath Dissertation
Best-of-Both-Worlds Bandits: An Introduction and Extension of the Tsallis-INF Algorithm
Nov 2021 – May 2022
  • Supervised by Patrick Rebeschini.
  • Conducted a literature review of the Tsallis-INF algorithm, which achieves optimality in both stochastic and adversarial bandit structures.
  • Proved regret bounds for a novel extension of the algorithm to the case of Bandits with Paid Observations.
 
 
 
 
 
Summer Research Intern
The Asymptotic Randomised Control Algorithm for Contextual Bandits
Jun 2021 – Aug 2021 Oxford Mathematical Institute, Data Science Group
  • Supervised by Samuel Cohen and Tanut Treetanthiploet.
  • Studied and implemented the novel ARC multi-armed bandit algorithm.
  • Adapted the algorithm to contextual bandits, and implemented the result using Python in TensorFlow’s TF-Agents library.
  • Compared performance against existing algorithms in a variety of standard and novel bandit structures.

Teaching

I have tutored Mathematics undergraduates at New College, Oxford in the following courses:

  • Probability, 1st Year
  • Statistics and Data Analysis, 1st Year
  • Integration, 2nd Year
  • Metric Spaces and Complex Analysis, 2nd Year

I have been a teaching assistant at the Department of Statistics for the following course:

  • Applied Probability, 3rd Year

Contact

  • Department of Statistics, 24-29 St Giles, Oxford, OX1 3LB