Omer Tamuz


Omer Tamuz

עומר תמוז


I am a professor of economics and mathematics at Caltech. I am interested in probability, dynamics and group theory, and in their applications to topics in microeconomic theory, including information, risk and uncertainty, and social choice. I am a member of the Caltech CSIS interdisciplinary research group, and the chair of Caltech's undergrad admissions committee.

I got my B.Sc. in computer science and physics from Tel Aviv University, where I participated in the search for extrasolar planets with Tsevi Mazeh. In 2013 I received my Ph.D. in mathematics from the Weizmann Institute, advised by Elchanan Mossel. From 2013 until 2015 I was a Schramm postdoctoral fellow at the MIT math department / Microsoft Research, where I previously was an intern of Adam Kalai. I have been at Caltech since 2015.

Email me at [email protected], or visit me in Baxter Hall, room 213.

Support

I am (or have been) supported by a MURI grant (N000142412742), a Sloan research fellowship in mathematics, an NSF CAREER award (DMS-1944153), a BSF award, and a Simons foundation award.

Working papers

Inertial Mining: Equilibrium Implementation of the Bitcoin Protocol
with Manuel Mueller-Frank and Minghao Pan

Local Coordination and the Geometry of Social Networks video
with Tom Hutchcroft and Olga Rospuskova

A Fourier approach to Levine's hat puzzle
with Steven Heilman

Network and timing effects in social learning, presented at EC25
with Wade Hann-Caruthers and Minghao Pan

Monotonicity and bracketing in games
with Fedor Sandomirskiy, Po Hyun Sung and Ben Wincelberg

A separability foundation for random coefficients logit, presented at EC25
with Fedor Sandomirskiy, Po Hyun Sung and Ben Wincelberg

Robust Market Interventions, presented at EC25
with Andrea Galeotti, Benjamin Golub, Sanjeev Goyal and Eduard Talamàs

Homomorphisms to ℝ of automorphism groups of zero entropy shifts

Monotone additive statistics on heavy-tailed convolution semigroups
with Tobias Fritz and Xiaosheng Mu

Forthcoming

The power of two in token systems, Management Science, MATCH-UP 2024 best paper award
with Itai Ashlagi, Süleyman Kerimov and Geng Zhao

2026

A fixed-point theorem for face maps, or deletion-tolerant random finite sets, Mathematical Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society
with Tom Hutchcroft and Nicolas Monod

Learning through imitation: An experiment, Journal of Economic Theory
with Marina Agranov, Gabriel Lopez-Moctezuma and Philipp Strack

Private private information, Journal of Political Economy, presented at EC22 video
with Kevin He and Fedor Sandomirskiy

2025

Infinite stationary measures of co-compact group actions, Bulletin of the London Mathematical Society
with Mohammedsaid Alhalimi, Tom Hutchcroft, Minghao Pan and Tianyi Zheng

On the origin of the Boltzmann distribution, Mathematische Annalen video
with Fedor Sandomirskiy

The hazards and benefits of condescension in social learning, Theoretical Economics, presented at EC23
with Itai Arieli, Yakov Babichenko, Stephan Mülller and Farzad Pourbabaee

2024

Information cascades and social learning, Journal of Economic Literature
with Sushil Bikhchandani, David Hirshleifer and Ivo Welch

Monotone additive statistics, Econometrica, presented at EC22 video
with Xiaosheng Mu, Luciano Pomatto and Philipp Strack

Asymptotic Rényi entropies of random walks on groups, Electronic Journal of Probability video
with Kimberly Golubeva and Minghao Pan

Background risk and small-stakes risk aversion, AER: Insights
with Xiaosheng Mu, Luciano Pomatto and Philipp Strack

On the spectrum of asymptotic entropies of random walks, Groups, Geometry, and Dynamics
with Tianyi Zheng

A quantitative Neumann lemma for finitely generated groups, Israel Journal of Mathematics video
with Elia Gorokhovsky and Nicolás Matte Bon

Learning in repeated interactions on networks, Econometrica, presented at EC22 video
with Wanying Huang and Philipp Strack

2023

The cost of information: The case of constant marginal costs, American Economic Review
with Luciano Pomatto and Philipp Strack

2022

Characteristic measures of symbolic dynamical systems, Ergodic Theory and Dynamical Systems video
with Joshua Frisch

2021

Additive conjugacy and the Bohr compactification of orthogonal representations, Mathematische Annalen
with Zachary Chase and Wade Hann-Caruthers

Feasible joint posterior beliefs, Journal of Political Economy, EC20 best paper award
with Itai Arieli, Yakov Babichenko and Fedor Sandomirskiy

Equitable voting rules, Econometrica, presented at EC19
with Laurent Bartholdi, Wade Hann-Caruthers, Maya Josyula and Leeat Yariv

From Blackwell Dominance in Large Samples to Rényi Divergences and Back Again, Econometrica
with Xiaosheng Mu, Luciano Pomatto and Philipp Strack

Unfriendly colorings of graphs with finite average degree, Proceedings of the London Mathematical Society
with Clinton T. Conley

Rational groupthink, Quarterly Journal of Economics
with Elchanan Mossel, Matan Harel and Philipp Strack

2020

Repeated coordination with private learning, Journal of Economic Theory
with Pathikrit Basu, Kalyan Chatterjee and Tetsuya Hoshino

Stochastic dominance under independent noise, Journal of Political Economy
with Luciano Pomatto and Philipp Strack

Social learning equilibria, Econometrica, presented at EC18
with Elchanan Mossel, Manuel Mueller-Frank and Allan Sly

Invariant random subgroups of semidirect products, Ergodic Theory and Dynamical Systems
with Ian Biringer and Lewis Bowen

2019

Strong amenability and the infinite conjugacy class property, Inventiones Mathematicae
with Joshua Frisch and Pooya Vahidi Ferdowsi

Normal amenable subgroups of the automorphism group of the full shift, Ergodic Theory and Dynamical Systems
with Joshua Frisch and Tomer Schlank

Thompson's group F is not strongly amenable, Ergodic Theory and Dynamical Systems
with Yair Hartman, Kate Juschenko and Pooya Vahidi Ferdowsi

Choquet-Deny groups and the infinite conjugacy class property, Annals of Mathematics
with Joshua Frisch, Yair Hartman and Pooya Vahidi Ferdowsi

2018

A deterministic protocol for sequential asymptotic learning, IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory (ISIT)
with Yu Cheng and Wade Hann-Caruthers

The speed of sequential asymptotic learning, Journal of Economic Theory
with Wade Hann-Caruthers and Vadim V. Martynov

Non-exploitable protocols for repeated cake cutting, AAAI Conference on Artificial Intelligence
with Shai Vardi and Juba Ziani

Quasi-regular sequences and optimal schedules for security games, Symposium on Discrete Algorithms (SODA)
with David Kempe and Leonard J. Schulman

2017

Opinion exchange dynamics, Probability Surveys
with Elchanan Mossel

Symbolic dynamics on amenable groups: the entropy of generic shifts, Ergodic Theory and Dynamical Systems
with Joshua Frisch

Generic stationary measures and actions, Transactions of the American Mathematical Society
with Lewis Bowen and Yair Hartman

Unimodularity of invariant random subgroups, Transactions of the American Mathematical Society
with Ian Biringer

2016

Stabilizer rigidity in irreducible group actions, Israel Journal of Mathematics
with Yair Hartman

Efficient bayesian learning in social networks with Gaussian estimators, The Allerton Conference on Communication, Control, and Computing
with Elchanan Mossel and Noah Olsman

Convergence, unanimity and disagreement in majority dynamics on unimodular graphs and random graphs, Stochastic Processes and their Applications
with Itai Benjamini, Siu-On Chan, Ryan O'Donnell and Li-Yang Tan

Graphical potential games, Journal of Economic Theory
with Yakov Babichenko

Transitive graphs uniquely determined by their local structure, Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society
with Joshua Frisch

Property (T) and the Furstenberg entropy of nonsingular actions, Proceedings of the American Mathematical Society
with Lewis Bowen and Yair Hartman

2015

Strategic learning and the topology of social networks, Econometrica
with Elchanan Mossel and Allan Sly

Furstenberg entropy realizations for virtually free groups and lamplighter groups, Journal d'Analyse Mathématique
with Yair Hartman

OMG UR funny! Computer-aided humor with an application to chat, The International Conference on Computational Creativity (ICCC)
Miaomiao Wen, Nancy Baym, Omer Tamuz, Jaime Teevan, Susan Dumais and Adam Kalai

2014

Majority dynamics and the retention of information, Israel Journal of Mathematics
with Ran Tessler

Scenery reconstruction on finite abelian groups, Stochastic Processes and their Applications
with Hilary Finucane and Yariv Yaari

An Abramov formula for stationary spaces of discrete groups, Ergodic Theory and Dynamical Systems
with Yair Hartman and Yuri Lima

Asymptotic learning on Bayesian social networks, Probability Theory and Related Fields
with Elchanan Mossel and Allan Sly

Majority dynamics and aggregation of information in social networks, Journal of Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems
with Elchanan Mossel and Joe Neeman

2013

A machine learning framework for programming by example, The International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML)
Aditya Menon, Omer Tamuz, Sumit Gulwani, Butler Lampson and Adam Kalai

Making consensus tractable, ACM Transactions on Economics and Computation
with Elchanan Mossel

A lower bound on seller revenue in single buyer monopoly auctions, Operations Research Letters

Testing booleanity and the uncertainty principle, Chicago Journal of Theoretical Computer Science
with Tom Gur

Tractable Bayesian social learning on trees, IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communication and IEEE International Symposium on Information Theory (ISIT)
with Yashodhan Kanoria

2012

Lower bounds on revenue of approximately optimal auctions, The Workshop on Internet and Network Economics (WINE)
with Balasubramanian Sivan and Vasilis Syrgkanis

Complete characterization of functions satisfying the conditions of Arrow's theorem, Social Choice and Welfare
with Elchanan Mossel

2011

Social learning in a changing world, The Workshop on Internet and Network Economics (WINE)
with Rafael Frongillo and Grant Schoenebeck

Adaptively learning the crowd kernel, The International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML)
Omer Tamuz, Ce Liu, Serge Belongie, Ohad Shamir and Adam Kalai

2010

Truthful fair division, The International Symposium on Algorithmic Game Theory (SAGT)
with Elchanan Mossel

Iterative maximum likelihood on networks, Advances in Applied Mathematics, and The Allerton Conference on Communication, Control, and Computing
with Elchanan Mossel

PROMO: A method for identifying modules in protein interaction networks, European Conference on Computational Biology (ECCB)
with Yaron Singer and Roded Sharan

The CORALIE survey for southern extra-solar planets. XVI. Discovery of a planetary system around HD 147018 and of two long period and massive planets orbiting HD 171238 and HD 204313, Astronomy & Astrophysics
Damien Ségransan, Stephane Udry, Michel Mayor et al.

2008

The CORALIE survey for southern extra-solar planets. XV. Discovery of two eccentric planets orbiting HD 4113 and HD 156846, Astronomy & Astrophysics
Omer Tamuz, Damien Ségransan, Stephane Udry et al.

A transiting planet among 23 new near-threshold candidates from the OGLE survey - OGLE-TR-182, Astronomy & Astrophysics
Frédéric Pont, Omer Tamuz, Andrzej Udalski et al.

OGLE-TR-211 - a new transiting inflated hot Jupiter from the OGLE survey and ESO LP666 spectroscopic follow-up program, Astronomy & Astrophysics
Andrzej Udalski, Frédéric Pont, Dominique Naef et al.

2007

The HARPS search for southern extra-solar planets. IX. mu Ara, a system with four planets, Astronomy & Astrophysics
Francesco Pepe, Alexandre Correia, Michel Mayor et al.

Photometric follow-up of the transiting planet WASP-1b, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Avi Shporer, Omer Tamuz, Shay Zucker and Tsevi Mazeh

2006

Automated analysis of eclipsing binary lightcurves. I. EBAS --- a new Eclipsing Binary Automated Solver with EBOP, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Omer Tamuz, Tsevi Mazeh and Pierre North

Automated analysis of eclipsing binary light curves. II. Statistical analysis of OGLE LMC eclipsing binaries, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Tsevi Mazeh, Omer Tamuz and Pierre North

2005

Correcting systematic effects in a large set of photometric lightcurves, Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Omer Tamuz, Tsevi Mazeh and Shay Zucker

Lectures notes

Real analysis

Game theory

Probability

Random walks

Information minicourse

General equilibrium theory

Simulations

Central limit theorem

Two dimensional random walk

Courses

PS/Ec 172: Undergraduate Game Theory

Ma140b: Random Walks

Ma140a: Probability

CS 101: Projects in Machine Learning

Undergraduate Seminar in Discrete Mathematics 18.304 (MIT, Spring 2015)

Multivariate Calculus 18.022 (MIT, Fall 2015)
CBS Los Angeles: On the chances of winning the lottery

Public lecture at Caltech: The Long Run Behavior of Random Walks

Caltech news: Economics Puzzle Leads to a New Understanding of a Fundamental Law of Physics

Caltech news: Math Professor and Students Take 'Random Walk' Together. Also covered in (overhyped) articles by popular mechanics and techexplorist, and in a comically badly article by by interestingengineering

Caltech news: Should You Take the Bet?

On computer-aided humor: wired.co.uk, engadget.com and newscientist.com