Research
My earlier research concentrated on nonlinear optimization, where I developed methods to efficiently solve large-scale optimization problems and explored the intersection of optimization and machine learning.
Midway through my PhD, I became more concerned with AI’s impact on society. As such, I shifted focus to align my work with environmental applications and began developing optimization frameworks to aid conservationists. In particular, my work leverages computational methods (AI, optimization, etc) to support planning and decision-making for biodiversity conservation.
Current Projects
Exploring Innovation in Biodiversity Conservation Decision-Making Through Open Science and Generative AI
Maka Sitomniya: Preserving Mother Earth by Asserting Lakota Sovereignty in Earth Data Science (ESIIL Working Group #16)
California Biodiversity Network: 30x30 Biodiversity Assessment (Working Group)
Publications
Regularized Step Directions in Nonlinear Conjugate Gradient Methods
Cassidy K. Buhler, Hande Y. Benson, David F. Shanno
Buhler, C.K., Benson, H.Y. & Shanno, D.F. Regularized step directions in nonlinear conjugate gradient methods. Mathematical Programming Computation. 16, 629–664 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12532-024-00265-9
Decision-Making for Land Conservation: A Derivative-Free Optimization Framework with Nonlinear Inputs
Cassidy K. Buhler and Hande Y. Benson
Buhler, C. K. & Benson, H. Y. (2024). Decision-Making for Land Conservation: A Derivative-Free Optimization Framework with Nonlinear Inputs. Proceedings of the AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence, 38(20), 21932-21939. https://doi.org/10.1609/aaai.v38i20.30195
Optimal Land Conservation Decisions for Multiple Species
Cassidy K. Buhler and Hande Y. Benson
Buhler, C. K., & Benson, H. Y. (2023). Optimal Land Conservation Decisions for Multiple Species. Proceedings of the 52nd Northeast Decision Science Institute Annual Conference (Vol. 52, pp. 808-816).
Do Mechanisms Matter? Comparing Cancer Treatment Strategies Across Mathematical Models and Outcome Objectives
Cassidy K. Buhler, Rebecca S. Terry, Kathryn G. Link, Frederick R. Adler
Cassidy K. Buhler, Rebecca S. Terry, Kathryn G. Link, Frederick R. Adler. Do mechanisms matter? Comparing cancer treatment strategies across mathematical models and outcome objectives[J]. Mathematical Biosciences and Engineering, 2021, 18(5): 6305-6327. doi: 10.3934/mbe.2021315
Preprints/Misc
Efficient Solution of Portfolio Optimization Problems via Dimension Reduction and Sparsification
Regularized Nonlinear Conjugate Gradient Methods for Machine Learning
Cassidy K. Buhler and Hande Y. Benson