CIS Seminar Series 2026 -Zhi Tian, Ph.D.-George Mason University

Robust Constrained Distributed Optimization

ABSTRACT
Constrained distributed optimization with coupled variables, where local decision variables are linked through shared global constraints, arises in a wide range of networked systems, including smart grids, communication networks, autonomous robotics, traffic networks, and large-scale distributed computing. Decentralized solutions offer scalability, flexibility, and autonomy, but are inherently vulnerable to corrupted information exchange and faulty computation, potentially leading to infeasible or unstable solutions. This talk focuses on resilient constrained distributed optimization, with decentralized resource allocation as a motivating application. A key challenge is that the optimization variables are heterogeneous local decisions, rather than consensus variables that can be naturally combined through robust aggregation. We show how latent consensus variables embedded in distributed optimization algorithms can provide an effective venue for identifying and controlling unreliable information while preserving global feasibility and coordination. Building on this perspective, we discuss resilient mechanisms for robust aggregation and feasibility preservation in decentralized resource allocation. Examples from network resource allocation and constrained multi-agent reinforcement learning in robotic systems will be presented.

BIOGRAPHY
Zhi Tian is a Professor at the Electrical and Computer Engineering Department of George Mason University. Prior to that, she was on the faculty of Michigan Technological University from 2000 to 2014. She served as Program Director at the US National Science Foundation from 2012 to 2014. Her research interests lie in distributed machine learning, wireless communications, and statistical signal processing. She is an IEEE Fellow. She was a Member-at-Large of the Signal Processing Society Board of Governors (2019-2021). She has served as General Co-Chair of several IEEE workshops and will serve as General Co-Chair of the inaugural IEEE Annual ISAC Conference in November 2026. She served as an IEEE Distinguished Lecturer for both the IEEE Communications Society and the IEEE Vehicular Technology Society. She is the Editor-in-Chief for the IEEE Transactions on Signal Processing. She received the IEEE Communications Society TCCN Publication Award in 2018.