Kevin S. Xu

Graduate Research Assistant
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
University of Michigan
1301 Beal Avenue (4121 EECS)
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2122

I am a PhD student in the Electrical Engineering: Systems graduate program in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS) department at the University of Michigan. I am currently a graduate research assistant under the supervision of Professor Alfred O. Hero III. I am supported in part by an award from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada.

Research

My current research interests are in statistical machine learning and network science.

In statistical machine learning, I am particularly interested in methods for learning from time-varying data; that is, identifying patterns in data that are collected over time where the underlying processes generating the data may be non-stationary. I am currently working on problems including tracking and prediction, clustering, and visualization of high-dimensional time-varying data sets.

My main interests in network science also center around the theme of time evolution. Specifically, I am interested in methods to reveal the structure and dynamics of networks as they evolve with time and to detect changes in network structure. I am also interested in statistical modeling and inference on time-evolving networks. My current work is focused on social and information networks, although most of the methodology is also applicable to other types of networks as well.

Key words: machine learning, statistical signal processing, data mining, non-stationary data, tracking and prediction, clustering, visualization, network science, community detection, statistical modeling and inference, social and information networks

Education

Candidate for PhD, Electrical Engineering: Systems, University of Michigan, expected 2012.
MSE, Electrical Engineering: Systems, University of Michigan, 2009.
BASc, Honors Electrical Engineering, University of Waterloo, 2007, Dean's Honors List.

Selected publications

K. S. Xu, M. Kliger, and A. O. Hero III. Adaptive evolutionary clustering. Submitted, 2011. [ http ]
K. S. Xu, M. Kliger, and A. O. Hero III. A regularized graph layout framework for dynamic network visualization. Submitted, 2011.
K.-J. Hsiao, K. S. Xu, and A. O. Hero III. Multi-criteria anomaly detection using Pareto depth analysis. In Submitted, 2011. [ http ]
K. S. Xu, M. Kliger, Y. Chen, P. J. Woolf, and A. O. Hero III. Revealing social networks of spammers through spectral clustering. In Proc. IEEE International Conference on Communications, 2009. [ .pdf ]

All journal publications
All conference publications
Google Scholar citations

Supporting material such as code, data, and presentation slides are available for most publications at the Hero group reproducible research website.

Honors and awards

Postgraduate scholarship: Doctorate, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, 2010-2011.
Postgraduate scholarship: Master's, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, 2008.
Runner-up to best presentation in group, Engineering Graduate Symposium, University of Michigan, 2008.
Entrance scholarship (declined), Dept. of Computer Science, University of Waterloo, 2002.

Recent presentations and posters

"A Shrinkage Approach to Tracking Dynamic Networks," Network Mapping and Measurement Conference, 2011 [ .pdf ]
"Tracking Communities in Dynamic Social Networks," Complexity Conference, 2011 [ .pdf ]
"Tracking Communities in Dynamic Networks by Evolutionary Clustering," Network Mapping and Measurement Conference, 2010. [ .pdf ]
"Evolutionary Spectral Clustering with Adaptive Forgetting Factor," Workshop on Modern Massive Data Sets, 2010. [ .pdf ]
"Identifying Spammers by Their Resource Usage Patterns," University of Michigan Workshop on Data, Text, Web, and Social Network Mining, 2010. [ .pdf ]
"Revealing Social Networks of Spammers Through Spectral Clustering," Network Mapping and Measurement Conference, 2009. [ .pdf ]

Teaching

Graduate Student Instructor, ENGR 151: Accelerated Introduction to Computers and Programming, Fall 2009.
Graduate Student Instructor, ENGR 101: Introduction to Computers and Programming, Winter 2008, Fall 2008.
Grader, EECS 401: Probabilistic Methods in Engineering, Fall 2007.