Current and Future Challenges in Robust Statistics

The Banff International Research Station will host the "Current and Future Challenges in Robust Statistics" workshop from November 15th to November 20th, 2015.

Current statistical applications are characterized by the abundance of data and the complexity of the models used to analyze them. These data sets arise naturally in many fields, for example: genomics and proteomics, finance, network data, functional and object-oriented analysis, cosmology, etc. Such data sets have a high chance of containing a large proportion of errors because any assumed model is usually a simplification of the true (and generally complex) data-generating process. Often these large and complex data sets contain several patterns that are followed by different subsets of the data. These patterns are of major interest and can be detected by robust statistical methods, once the appropriate tools are available.

This workshop will bring together leading scientists to identify current and immediate statistical challenges where robust statistics has an important role to play. For example: the analysis of genomics and proteomics data, financial applications, network analysis, functional and object-oriented analysis, cosmology, molecular and evolutionary biology (where the objects of study may be phylogenetic trees), etc. The fast pace of advances in computational biology and other quantitative life-sciences brings additional challenges and a sense of urgency in finding and implementing well-founded and stable statistical methods applicable to their scientific needs.

The Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS) is a collaborative Canada-US-Mexico venture that provides an environment for creative interaction as well as the exchange of ideas, knowledge, and methods within the Mathematical Sciences, with related disciplines and with industry. The research station is located at The Banff Centre in Alberta and is supported by Canada's Natural Science and Engineering Research Council (NSERC), the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF), Alberta's Advanced Education and Technology, and Mexico's Consejo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnología (CONACYT).

BIRS Scientific Director, Nassif Ghoussoub
E-mail: birs-director[@]birs.ca
http://www.birs.ca/~nassif