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Virginia Tech

Deep Gaussian Process Surrogates for Computer Experiments

Abstract

dc:description.abstract

Deep Gaussian processes (DGPs) upgrade ordinary GPs through functional composition, in which intermediate GP layers warp the original inputs, providing flexibility to model non-stationary dynamics. Recent applications in machine learning favor approximate, optimization-based inference for fast predictions, but applications to computer surrogate modeling - with an eye towards downstream tasks like Bayesian optimization and reliability analysis - demand broader uncertainty quantification (UQ). I prioritize UQ through full posterior integration in a Bayesian scheme, hinging on elliptical slice sampling of latent layers. I demonstrate how my DGP's non-stationary flexibility, combined with appropriate UQ, allows for active learning: a virtuous cycle of data acquisition and model updating that departs from traditional space-filling designs and yields more accurate surrogates for fixed simulation effort. I propose new sequential design schemes that rely on optimization of acquisition criteria through evaluation of strategically allocated candidates instead of numerical optimizations, with a motivating application to contour location in an aeronautics simulation. Alternatively, when simulation runs are cheap and readily available, large datasets present a challenge for full DGP posterior integration due to cubic scaling bottlenecks. For this case I introduce the Vecchia approximation, popular for ordinary GPs in spatial data settings. I show that Vecchia-induced sparsity of Cholesky factors allows for linear computational scaling without compromising DGP accuracy or UQ. I vet both active learning and Vecchia-approximated DGPs on numerous illustrative examples and real computer experiments. I provide open-source implementations in the "deepgp" package for R on CRAN.

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
Doctor of Philosophy
Level thesis:degree_level
doctoral
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
Statistics
Department dc:contributor.department
Statistics
Grantor dc:publisher
Virginia Tech
Year dc:date.issued
2023

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Sauer, Annie Elizabeth
Chair dc:contributor.committeechair
  • Gramacy, Robert B.
Committee members dc:contributor.committeemember
  • Higdon, David
  • Van Mullekom, Jennifer H.
  • Ferreira, Marco A. R.

Subjects

dc:subject × 5

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • In Copyright
Language dc:language.iso
en

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
Dc Identifier Other
vt_gsexam:37048
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/114845

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
Virginia Tech
Base URL
vtechworks.lib.vt.edu/oai/request
Last updated
2026-07-22
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Sauer, Annie Elizabeth. Deep Gaussian Process Surrogates for Computer Experiments. doctoral thesis, Virginia Tech, 2023. http://hdl.handle.net/10919/114845