Research

Research Interests

I am interested in high-dimensional statistics, nonconvex optimization, machine learning, mathematics of data, signal processing, randomized algorithm, and problems in related areas. My research seeks to understand the information-theoretic limits of and develop fast algorithms for specific problems.

Selected Papers (by Topic)

See Google Scholar for full list.

Nonconvex Optimization

• Low-Rank Tensor Estimation from Nonlinear Observations: A Unified Framework.
  Junren Chen, Lijun Ding, Dong Xia, Ming Yuan.
  Preprint, 2026.   [arxiv, matlab]

• Optimal Quantized Compressed Sensing via Projected Gradient Descent.
  Junren Chen, Ming Yuan.
  Preprint, 2024.  [arxiv, matlab]

• Finite-Sample Performance of Gradient Descent in Logistic Regression with Gaussian Design.
  Junren Chen, Arya Mazumdar.
  Preprint, 2026.  [arxiv]

1-Bit Estimation and Learning

• High Dimensional Statistical Estimation under Uniformly Dithered One-Bit Quantization.
  Junren Chen, Cheng-Long Wang, Michael K. Ng, Di Wang.
  IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, 2023.  [tit, arxiv]

• One-Bit Phase Retrieval: Optimal Rates and Efficient Algorithms.
  Junren Chen, Ming Yuan.
  IEEE Transactions on Information Theory, 2026.  [tit, arxiv, matlab, slide]

• A Parameter-Free Two-Bit Covariance Estimator with Improved Operator Norm Error Rate.
  Junren Chen, Michael K. Ng.
  Applied and Computational Harmonic Analysis, 2025.  [arxiv, acha, matlab]

• Robust Mean Estimation under Quantization.
  Pedro Abdalla, Junren Chen. (α–β)
  Preprint, 2026.  [arxiv, matlab]

• One-Bit Clustering for Two Component Sub-Gaussian Mixture Models.
  Junren Chen, Yun Yang.
  Preprint, 2026.  [arxiv]

Information-Theoretic Limit

• Exact Thresholds for Noisy Non-Adaptive Group Testing.
  Junren Chen, Jonathan Scarlett.
  ACM-SIAM Symposium on Discrete Algorithms (SODA), 2025.  [arxiv, soda, slide]

• Robust Instance Optimal Phase-Only Compressed Sensing.
  Junren Chen, Michael K. Ng, Jonathan Scarlett. (α–β)
  Information and Inference: A Journal of the IMA, 2026.  [iai, arxiv, matlab]

• Near-Optimal Lower Bounds on One-Bit Compressed Sensing of Approximately Sparse Signals.
  Junren Chen, Arya Mazumdar, Ming Yuan. (α–β)
  Preprint, 2026.  [arxiv]

• Minimax Optimal Estimator and Improved Error Rate for the MLE in Logistic Regression with Gaussian Design.
  Junren Chen, Arya Mazumdar.
  Preprint, 2026.  [arxiv, matlab]

Randomized Algorithm

• On Subsample Size of Quantile-Based Randomized Kaczmarz.
  Jian-Feng Cai, Junren Chen, Anna Ma, Tong Wu. (α–β)
  SIAM Journal on Matrix Analysis and Applications, 2026.  [simax, arxiv, matlab, slide]

• Quantile Randomized Kaczmarz for Streaming Linear Systems with Massart Noise.
  Emeric Battaglia, Jian-Feng Cai, Junren Chen, Anna Ma, Deanna Needell, Tong Wu. (α–β)
  Preprint, 2026.  [arxiv, code]