I am a P.h.D. candidate at NYU Tandon. My dissertation focuses on the transient, macroscopic, and microscopic behaviors of multi-agent learning and interactions, which emerge from the complex systems accross various disciplines. My work primarily centers on the intersection of statistical reinforcement learning and applied game theory, where I try to quantify the uncertainties arise in decision-making processes and understand their efficiency. An application is the design of decentralized multi-radar communication algorithm that mitigates the mutual interference during the target detection.

Education

  • Ph.D., Electrical Engineering (Applied Game Theory) — New York University, 2021–2026
    Dissertation focus: Non-equilibrium design in multi-agent learning systems.

  • M.Sc., Electrical Engineering (Reinforcement Learning) — New York University, 2018–2020
    Projects:
    • Reproducing TRPO & PPO (code)
    • Urban vaccination-site covering via semi-discrete Optimal Transport (code)

  • B.Eng., Communication Engineering (NLP) — Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications, 2014–2018

Working

  • Graduate Assistant — LARX Lab, 2020–2021
    Model-Agnostic Meta-Reinforcement Learning for LQR
    • Repo: github.com/UnionPan/mamllqr

  • Research Intern - NXP Semiconductors, 2025 Developed frequency-time-domain multi-agent interference avoidance strategy through game-theoretic modeling;

Teaching

  • Teaching Assistant — NYU ECE Department

    • Probability and Stochastic Processes (2020)
    • System Optimization Methods (2019–2024) • Game Theory (2021–2025)

Publications

Journal Articles

  1. Y. Pan, T. Li, Q. Zhu. “Model-agnostic meta-policy optimization via zeroth-order estimation: A linear quadratic regulator perspective,” arXiv:2503.00385, 2025.

  2. H. Li, T. Li, Y. Pan, T. Xu, Q. Zhu, Z. Zheng. “Towards universal robust federated learning via meta Stackelberg game,” 2024. OpenReview.

Conference Proceedings

  1. Y. Pan, J. Li, L. Xu, S. Sun, Q. Zhu. “A game-theoretic approach for high-resolution automotive FMCW radar interference avoidance,” 2025 (arXiv–2503).

  2. Y. Pan, Q. Zhu. “Extending no-regret hopping in FMCW radar interference avoidance,” 2025.

  3. Y.-T. Yang, Y. Pan, Q. Zhu. “Preference-centric route recommendation: Equilibrium, learning, and provable efficiency,” 2025.

  4. Y. Pan, T. Li, Q. Zhu. “On the variational interpretation of mirror play in monotone games,” 2024. arXiv:2403.15636.

  5. Y. Pan, T. Li, H. Li, T. Xu, Q. Zhu, Z. Zheng. “A first-order meta Stackelberg method for robust federated learning,” New Frontiers in Adversarial ML Workshop, 2023. OpenReview.

  6. Y. Pan, T. Li, Q. Zhu. “Is stochastic mirror descent vulnerable to adversarial delay attacks? A traffic assignment resilience study,” CDC 2023, pp. 8328–8333. DOI.

  7. Y. Pan, T. Li, Q. Zhu. “On the resilience of traffic networks under non-equilibrium learning,” ACC 2023, pp. 3484–3489.

  8. Y. Pan, Q. Zhu. “On poisoned Wardrop equilibrium in congestion games,” GameSec 2022, pp. 191–211.

  9. Y. Pan, Q. Zhu. “Efficient episodic learning of nonstationary and unknown zero-sum games using expert game ensembles,” CDC 2021, pp. 1669–1676.

  10. Y. Pan, G. Peng, J. Chen, Q. Zhu. “MASAGE: Model-agnostic sequential and adaptive game estimation,” GameSec 2020, pp. 365–384.

Book Chapters & Technical Reports

  1. H. Li, T. Xu, T. Li, Y. Pan, Q. Zhu, Z. Zheng. A First-Order Meta Stackelberg Method for Robust Federated Learning (Technical Report), 2023. arXiv:2306.13273.

  2. T. Li, Y. Pan, Q. Zhu. Decision-Dominant Strategic Defense Against Lateral Movement for 5G Zero-Trust Multi-Domain Networks, 2023. arXiv:2310.01675.

Skills

  • Math Foundations: Algorithmic Game Theory • Statistical Learning • Convex Optimization • Stochastic Calculus • Probability • Control Reinforcement Learning • Radar Signal Processing

  • Tools & Platforms: PyTorch • LangChain • Gym • Pettingzoo • SUMO • R • MATLAB • SQL • LoRA • vLLM • VectorBT • QuantLib • Backtrader

  • Competencies: Academic Research • Presentations • Linux • Git • LaTeX • HPC

Awards

  • 2023 — Dante Youla Award for Graduate Research Excellence in Electrical Engineering

  • 2022 — Best Paper Award (GameSec 2022): On Poisoned Wardrop Equilibrium in Congestion Games

  • 2020 — Merit Award (NYU ECE)

Invited Sessions

  • INFORMS 2021 & 2025

    Efficient Episodic Learning of Nonstationary and Unknown Zero-Sum Games Using Expert Game Ensembles

    Efficient Learning in Congestion Games with Dueling Feedback

  • ACC 2023 — On the Resilience of Traffic Networks Under Non-Equilibrium Learning

  • Technical Reviewer (2022-2025): Reviewed research papers for top venues including Anual Reviews in Control, IEEE ACC/CDC/RADAR, and Transporation Research.