Michael Y. Li

I am a second year Computer Science PhD student at Stanford, where I'm advised by Noah Goodman and Emily Fox.

Previously, I graduated summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and Tau Beta Pi from Princeton, where I was fortunate to work with Tom Griffiths and Ryan Adams.

Email  /  GitHub  /  Google Scholar  /  LinkedIn

Research

I'm broadly interested in probabilistic modeling/inference and understanding large language models. Recently, I've also worked on using language models to automate model discovery for scientific applications.

Automated Statistical Model Discovery with Language Models

We propose a language model driven automated statistical model discovery system.

NAS-X: Neural Adaptive Smoothing via Twisting

We introduce a new method for inference and model learning that combines reweighted-wake sleep and smoothing Sequential Monte Carlo. We theoretically analyze the bias and consistency of our method and then apply it to discrete latent variable modeling and fitting mechanistic models of neural dynamics.

Why think step-by-step? Reasoning emerges from the locality of experience

We empirically and theoretically study when chain-of-thought reasoning emerges in large language models.

Gaussian Process Surrogate Models for Neural Networks

We propose a framework that uses Gaussian processes to approximate neural networks. We use this framework to analyze neural network training dynamics and identify influential data points.

Learning to Learn Functions

We propose hierarchical Bayesian models of how people learn to learn functions and validate our model in behavioral experiments.

Design and source code from Jon Barron's website