TEACHING

GENERAL INFORMATION

In a broader perspective machine learning tries to automatize the process of empirical sciences - namely extracting knowledge about natural phenomena from measured data with the goal to either understand better the underlying processes or to make good predictions. Machine learning methods are therefore widely used in different fields: bioinformatics, computer vision, information retrieval, computer linguistics, robotics,...

The lecture gives a broad introduction into machine learning methods. After the lecture the students should be able to solve and analyze learning problems.

List of topics (tentative)

• Reminder of probability theory
• Maximum Likelihood/Maximum A Posteriori Estimators
• Bayesian decision theory
• Linear classification and regression
• Kernel methods
• Model selection and evaluation of learning methods
• Feature selection
• Nonparametric methods
• Boosting, Decision trees
• Neural networks
• Structured Output
• Semi-supervised learning
• Unsupervised learning (Clustering, Independent Component Analysis)
• Dimensionality Reduction and Manifold Learning
• Statistical learning theory

Previous knowledge of machine learning is not required. The participants should be familiar with linear algebra, analysis and probability theory on the level of the local `Mathematics for Computer Scienticists I-III' lectures. In particular, attendees should be familiar with

Type: Core lecture (Stammvorlesung), 9 credit points

LECTURE MATERIAL

Lecture notes: PDF  . It is not recommended to print them as these notes will updated over the semester.

The practical exercises will be in Matlab.

SLIDES AND EXCERCISES

LITERATURE AND OTHER RESOURCES

The lecture will be partially based on the following books and partially on recent research papers:

• R.O. Duda, P.E. Hart, and D.G.Stork: Pattern Classification, Wiley, (2000).
• B. Schoelkopf and A. J. Smola: Learning with Kernels, MIT Press, (2002).
• J. Shawe-Taylor and N. Christianini: Kernel Methods for Pattern Analysis, Cambridge University Press, (2004).
• C. M. Bishop: Pattern recognition and Machine Learning, Springer, (2006).
• T. Hastie, R. Tibshirani, J. Friedman: The Elements of Statistical Learning, Springer, second edition, (2008).
• L. Devroye, L. Gyoerfi, G. Lugosi: A Probabilistic Theory of Pattern Recognition, Springer, (1996).
• L. Wasserman: All of Statistics, Springer, (2004).
• S. Boyd and L. Vandenberghe: Convex Optimization, Cambridge University Press, (2004).

Other resources:

• Matlab is accessible via our campus license. Details how to use it can be found here
  Access from outside should be possible via ssh: ssh -X username@computername.studcs.uni-sb.de
• Material for Matlab:
  • Slides (Theory part  ) and (Practical part  ) from an (outdated) Matlab tutorial.
  • Matlab tutorial by David F. Griffiths