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).

PDF Video

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

PDF DOI

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).

PDF arXiv

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, Constantinos Daskalakis, Haipeng Luo, Chen-Yu Wei, Weiqiang Zheng (2024). On Tractable Φ-Equilibria in Non-Concave Games. The 38th Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS).

arxiv

Yang Cai, Gabriele Farina, Julien Grand-Clément, Christian Kroer, Chung-Wei Lee, Haipeng Luo, Weiqiang Zheng (2024). Fast Last-Iterate Convergence of Learning in Games Requires Forgetful Algorithms. The 38th Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS).

arxiv

Yang Cai, Xiangyu Liu, Argyris Oikonomou, Kaiqing Zhang (2024). Provable Partially Observable Reinforcement Learning with Privileged Information. The 38th Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems (NeurIPS).

Yang Cai, Argyris Oikonomou, Weiqiang Zheng (2024). Accelerated Algorithms for Constrained Nonconvex-Nonconcave Min-Max Optimization and Comonotone Inclusion. The 41st International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML).

arxiv

Yang Cai, Yingkai Li, Jinzhao Wu (2024). Algorithmic Information Disclosure in Optimal Auctions. Proceedings of the 25th ACM Conference on Economics and Computation (EC).

arxiv

Yang Cai, Christopher Liaw, Aranyak Mehta, Mingfei Zhao (2024). The Power of Two-sided Recruitment in Two-sided Markets. Proceedings of the 56th Annual ACM SIGACT Symposium on Theory of Computing (STOC).

arxiv

Yang Cai, Zhe Feng, Christopher Liaw, Aranyak Mehta, Grigoris Velegkas (2024). User Response in Ad Auctions: An MDP Formulation of Long-Term Revenue Optimization. Proceedings of the ACM Web Conference (WWW).

arxiv

See all publications

Teaching

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

CPSC 455 / 555 ECON 425: Economics and Computation. Fall 2024, Fall 2022, Fall 2020, Fall 2019

CPSC 612: Topics in Algorithmic Game Theory: Learning and Games. Spring 2023, Spring 2024.

Contact

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