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<> Bayesian computational statistics (17)

Joint Posterior Inference for Latent Gaussian Models and extended strategies using INLA

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B3 L5 R5209

Bayesian inference is particularly challenging on hierarchical statistical models as computational complexity becomes a significant issue. Sampling-based methods like the popular Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) can provide accurate solutions, but they likely suffer a high computational burden.

Approximate Bayesian inference based on dense matrices and new features using INLA

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B4 L5 R5220

The Integrated Nested Laplace Approximations (INLA) method has become a commonly used tool for researchers and practitioners to perform approximate Bayesian inference for various fields of applications. It has become essential to incorporate more complex models and expand the method’s capabilities with more features. In this dissertation, we contribute to the INLA method in different aspects.

Solving real-world problems

1 min read ·
A tool developed by Håvard Rue has transformed data analysis, interpretation and communication. It has been applied broadly: from modeling the spread of infectious diseases to mapping fish stocks.

KAUST Ph.D. candidate wins ISBA-BayesComp poster award at the International Society for Bayesian Analysis 2022

1 min read ·
Esmail Abdul Fattah, a KAUST Ph.D. candidate in statistics, won a poster award in the "junior-BayesComp-ISBA" category at the 30th meeting of the International Society for Bayesian Analysis (ISBA 2022) held from June 26 to July 1 in Montreal, Canada.

Zhedong Liu

Ph.D. Student, Statistics
Ph.D. degree in Statistics at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

Małgorzata Forystek

M.S. Student, Statistics
Statistics Master's student interested in Data Science

Janet van Niekerk

Research Scientist, Statistics
Janet van Niekerk is a Research Scientist at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), under the supervision of Professor Håvard Rue in his research group. Education and Early Career MSc (Mathematical Statistics), University of Pretoria, 2014 PhD (Mathematical Statistics), University of Pretoria, 2017 Research interests Efficient Bayesian methods for practical implementation, statistics for medical applications, complex survival analysis, INLA. Awards World Bank Fund awardee, International Statistical Institute, 2013 and 2015 Best oral presentation, Statistical

Hyun Ho Shin

HyunHo (Daniel) Shin is a MS/Ph.D. candidate In Statistics at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), studying under the supervision of Professor Håvard Rue in his research group. Education and Early Career HyunHo obtained his Bachelor Degree in Economics in 2016 at the University of Seoul, Republic of Korea and a Bachelor Degree in Statistics in 2021 at the Korea National Open University. Research Interest His research interest is mainly in Bayesian and computational statistics and applications in R-INLA.

Hanan Alahmadi

Ph.D. Student, Statistics
Hanan Alahmadi is a PhD candidate in Statistics at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), studying under the supervision of Professor Paula Moraga in her Geospatial Statistics and Health Surveillance Research Group. Education Profile M.Sc. Statistics, KAUST, 2021 B.Sc. Mathematics, Taibah University , 2017 Research Interest Geospatial data analysis and health surveillance Spatio-temporal disease data Statistics and spatial epidemiology Geospatial modeling Disease mapping Location Building 1, Al-Khawarizmi, 4th floor, 4212-WS12 Publication Joint Quantile Disease Mapping

Haakon Bakka

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Statistics
Haakon Bakka is a Post-Doctoral fellow In Statistics at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), under the supervision of Professor Håvard Rue in his research group. Education and Early Career Haakon received his PhD degree from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway. Research Interest My focus is on applied Bayesian statistics, often with spatial or space-time models, including priors, constructing random effects, fast inference, software development and data analysis.

Haavard Rue

Program Chair, Statistics
Professor Haavard Rue is an internationally recognized expert in Bayesian computational statistics.

Gulzhan Tumenbayeva

Ph.D. Student, Statistics
Gulzhan Tumenbayeva is a Ph.D. candidate In Statistics at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), studying under the supervision of Professor Håvard Rue in his research group. Education and Early Career Gulzhan obtained her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Diploma with Honors in 2017 from Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan. Then, she joined the MS/PhD program in Statistics at KAUST in 2017. In 2018, she graduated her Master of Science in Statistics at KAUST. Research Interest Her research interest is mainly in Bayesian and computational Statistics as well as

Elias Teixeira Krainski

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Statistics
Elias T Krainski is a Post-Doctoral fellow In Statistics at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), under the supervision of Professor Håvard Rue in his research group. Education and Early Career Postdoctoral fellow, Dalhousie University, 2019-2020. Adjunct professor, Universidade Federal do Paraná, 2018-2019. PhD, Norwegian University of Science and Tecnology, 2018. Research interests Efficient Bayesian methods for practical implementation, Spatio and spatio-temporal statistics, INLA.

Djidenou Montcho

Ph.D. Student, Statistics
Djidenou (Hans) Montcho is a Ph.D. candidate In Statistics at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), studying under the supervision of Professor Håvard Rue in his research group. Education and Early Career Hans obtained his Bachelor Degree in Applied Mathematics at the Federal University of Rio Grande in Brazil. He graduated with a Master of Science from the Federal University of Sao Carlos and the University of Sao Paulo. He has worked as a data scientist for a large credit bureau in Brazil. Research Interest His research interest is mainly in Bayesian and

Denis Rustand

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Statistics
Denis Rustand is a Post-Doctoral fellow In Statistics at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), under the supervision of Professor Håvard Rue in his research group. Education and Early Career MSc (Statistics), University of Southern Brittany, 2017 PhD (Biostatistics), University of Bordeaux, 2020 Research interests Bayesian computational statistics, survival analysis, applications of statistics to medical research, INLA. Awards Doctor Norbert Marx Award, 2021 Summer school grant, Univerity of Toronto, 2018 Académie Française, Jean Walter Zellidja grant, 2018 EHESP

Cristian Chiuchiolo

Cristian Chiuchiolo is a Ph.D. candidate In Statistics at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), studying under the supervision of Professor Håvard Rue in his research group. Education and Early Career Christian obtained his Bachelor Degree in Statistics in 2015 at Florence, Italy. H e graduated with a Master of Science in Statistics at Bologna, Italy in 2017. Research Interest His research interest is mainly in Bayesian and computational Statistics as well as Probability and applications in R-INLA. Honors and Awards Cristian was announced a SAS Certified Base

Abylay Zhumekenov

Ph.D. Student, Statistics
Abylay Zhumekenov is a Ph.D. candidate In Statistics at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), studying under the supervision of Professor Håvard Rue in his research group. Education and Early Career Abylay obtained his Bachelor of Science in Mathematics in 2017 from Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan. He then obtained a Master of Science degree in Applied Mathematics from Nazarbayev University in 2019. Research Interests Abylay's main research interests are Bayesian computational statistics and numerical methods for large sparse systems.
<> machine learning (12)

David Gomez-Cabrero

Associate Professor, Bioscience
Professor Cabrero's research focuses on developing statistics and machine learning tools for understanding biological systems that address health-related applications, advance biomedical research and enhance our understanding of the molecular mechanisms of diseases with the potential to uncover novel therapeutic approaches.

Hayssam Dahrouj

Senior Research Scientist at KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology)

Karen Sanchez

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Karen Sanchez is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the IVUL lab at KAUST, specializing in deep learning, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) for healthcare applications. Her research focuses on video understanding, domain adaptation, generative AI, and methods for preserving patient privacy.

Hani A. Al Majed

M.S. Student
Electrical and Computer Engineering Master's student at KAUST under the supervision of Professor Bernard Ghanem, with expertise in machine learning workflow automation, physics-informed neural operators, and AI for Science, particularly in chemistry applications. Passionate about leveraging AI to solve complex scientific problems.

Ahmad Sait

M.S. Student, Computer Science
Ahmad Sait is a Master's student in the Computer Science program at KAUST. Before joining KAUST, Ahmad obtained his Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. Ahmad is also a KAUST Academy graduate from the AI track, having been under the supervision of Prof. Naeemullah Khan. The Academy provided him with seven opportunities to assist in teaching students enrolled in subsequent cohorts.

Saleh AlJazzar

Research Fellow at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST) .

Muhammad Esmat

Visiting student at, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

Yasser Jaber

Visiting Student Researcher ,Machine Learning Engineer at KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology).
Syed Abidullah Fareed

Syed Abidullah Fareed

Visiting Student (former), Information Science Lab

Ahsan Mehmood

Intern (former), Information Science Lab
Visiting student at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

Abdulkarem Badiea Alshaibani

Visiting Student at the Information Science Lab at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST).

Djidenou Montcho

Ph.D. Student, Statistics
Djidenou (Hans) Montcho is a Ph.D. candidate In Statistics at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), studying under the supervision of Professor Håvard Rue in his research group. Education and Early Career Hans obtained his Bachelor Degree in Applied Mathematics at the Federal University of Rio Grande in Brazil. He graduated with a Master of Science from the Federal University of Sao Carlos and the University of Sao Paulo. He has worked as a data scientist for a large credit bureau in Brazil. Research Interest His research interest is mainly in Bayesian and
<> statistics (10)

2017 Workshop Modern Statistics for Complex Data Structures

1 min read ·
2017 Workshop Modern Statistics for Complex Data Structures

How extreme weather exacerbates air pollution

1 min read ·
Simultaneously modeling of air pollutants and weather under extreme conditions highlights the potential for serious health risks.

Solving real-world problems

1 min read ·
A tool developed by Håvard Rue has transformed data analysis, interpretation and communication. It has been applied broadly: from modeling the spread of infectious diseases to mapping fish stocks.

2018 Workshop on Statistics and Data Science

1 min read ·
The Statistics Program at KAUST is proud to host the 2018 Workshop on Statistics and Data Science. This workshop gathers the leading experts on statistical data science to discuss the current needs, challenges and opportunities of modeling massive and high dimensional data, predicting complex biological and physical processes. The workshop will run from November 12-14. Talks and posters presentations will take place in Auditorium 0215 (between Buildings 4 & 5). Details on the workshop (speakers, abstracts and schedule) can be found here.

3 Faculty Positions in Statistics 2020 at KAUST

1 min read ·
The 3 faculty positions are in the Statistics Program (http://stat.kaust.edu.sa) within the Computer, Electrical, and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division. Currently, the Statistics Program has 7 core faculty and 10 affiliated faculty. We are primarily interested in applicants with strong background in one of the following areas: (1) Statistical Data Science and AI, including network data analysis and high-dimensional statistics (https://apply.interfolio.com/69165); (2) Statistical Climatology, with expertise in statistical analysis of climate model output data, in particular regional climate models, and in physical systems (https://apply.interfolio.com/69167); (3) Statistics for Public Health, including smart health data analysis, personalized medicine, and disease mapping (https://apply.interfolio.com/69168).

Today we celebrate World Statistics Day!

1 min read ·
Let’s discover the world of the statisticians at KAUST and be ready to be amazed by their cutting-edge research!

Hanan Alahmadi

Ph.D. Student, Statistics
Hanan Alahmadi is a PhD candidate in Statistics at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), studying under the supervision of Professor Paula Moraga in her Geospatial Statistics and Health Surveillance Research Group. Education Profile M.Sc. Statistics, KAUST, 2021 B.Sc. Mathematics, Taibah University , 2017 Research Interest Geospatial data analysis and health surveillance Spatio-temporal disease data Statistics and spatial epidemiology Geospatial modeling Disease mapping Location Building 1, Al-Khawarizmi, 4th floor, 4212-WS12 Publication Joint Quantile Disease Mapping

Haakon Bakka

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Statistics
Haakon Bakka is a Post-Doctoral fellow In Statistics at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), under the supervision of Professor Håvard Rue in his research group. Education and Early Career Haakon received his PhD degree from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Trondheim, Norway. Research Interest My focus is on applied Bayesian statistics, often with spatial or space-time models, including priors, constructing random effects, fast inference, software development and data analysis.

Gulzhan Tumenbayeva

Ph.D. Student, Statistics
Gulzhan Tumenbayeva is a Ph.D. candidate In Statistics at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), studying under the supervision of Professor Håvard Rue in his research group. Education and Early Career Gulzhan obtained her Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, Diploma with Honors in 2017 from Nazarbayev University, Astana, Kazakhstan. Then, she joined the MS/PhD program in Statistics at KAUST in 2017. In 2018, she graduated her Master of Science in Statistics at KAUST. Research Interest Her research interest is mainly in Bayesian and computational Statistics as well as

Cristian Chiuchiolo

Cristian Chiuchiolo is a Ph.D. candidate In Statistics at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), studying under the supervision of Professor Håvard Rue in his research group. Education and Early Career Christian obtained his Bachelor Degree in Statistics in 2015 at Florence, Italy. H e graduated with a Master of Science in Statistics at Bologna, Italy in 2017. Research Interest His research interest is mainly in Bayesian and computational Statistics as well as Probability and applications in R-INLA. Honors and Awards Cristian was announced a SAS Certified Base
<> Computer Vision (6)

Abdelrahman Eldesokey

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
I am a Postdoctoral Fellow at KAUST, Saudi Arabia, specializing in Generative AI and conducting research on advanced topics in Generative and Large Language Models (LLMs). I bring over 11 years of combined academic and industrial experience in Computer Vision and Deep Learning across Sweden, Egypt, and Saudi Arabia.
Najmeddine Dhieb

Najmeddine Dhieb

Karen Sanchez

Postdoctoral Research Fellow
Karen Sanchez is a Postdoctoral Researcher in the IVUL lab at KAUST, specializing in deep learning, machine learning, and artificial intelligence (AI) for healthcare applications. Her research focuses on video understanding, domain adaptation, generative AI, and methods for preserving patient privacy.

Aznaur Aliev

M.S. Student

Hani A. Al Majed

M.S. Student
Electrical and Computer Engineering Master's student at KAUST under the supervision of Professor Bernard Ghanem, with expertise in machine learning workflow automation, physics-informed neural operators, and AI for Science, particularly in chemistry applications. Passionate about leveraging AI to solve complex scientific problems.

Ahmad Sait

M.S. Student, Computer Science
Ahmad Sait is a Master's student in the Computer Science program at KAUST. Before joining KAUST, Ahmad obtained his Bachelor's degree in Computer Science from King Abdulaziz University, Saudi Arabia. Ahmad is also a KAUST Academy graduate from the AI track, having been under the supervision of Prof. Naeemullah Khan. The Academy provided him with seven opportunities to assist in teaching students enrolled in subsequent cohorts.
<> deep learning (6) <> artificial intelligence (5)
Najmeddine Dhieb

Najmeddine Dhieb

Yasmeen Alsaedy

M.S. Student, Computer Science
She is an AI researcher specializing in generative AI and deep learning. With a strong academic foundation and hands-on experience in machine learning, data science and artificial intelligence, she is passionate about advancing AI applications in real-world scenarios. She has contributed to cutting-edge projects, published research, and collaborated on innovative solutions that bridge the gap between AI theory and practice. Her expertise includes designing and implementing advanced data models, AI-driven visual/text computing, and deep learning architectures.

Yasser Jaber

Visiting Student Researcher ,Machine Learning Engineer at KAUST (King Abdullah University of Science and Technology).
Syed Abidullah Fareed

Syed Abidullah Fareed

Visiting Student (former), Information Science Lab

Ahmed Youssef Ragab Radwan

Visiting Student (former), Information Science Lab
Visiting student at the Information Science Lab, in the Electrical Engineering Department, CEMSE, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
<> healthcare (4) <> Signal processing (4) <> AI (3) <> data analysis (3) <> data science (3) <> haps (3)

Bang Huang

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Bang Huang works as a postdoctoral fellow at the Computer Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division (CEMSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), under the supervision of Prof. Mohamed-Slim Alouini in the Communication Theory Lab (CTL). Education and Early Career Bang Huang received the M.S. degree (with honors) in electrical engineering and Ph.D degree in information and communication engineering from the School of Information and Communication Engineering (SICE), University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC), Chengdu, China, in

Xiaowei Pang

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Xiaowei Pang is currently a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Computer Electrical and Mathematical Sciences and Engineering Division (CEMSE), King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), working with Professor Mohamed-Slim Alouini in the Communication Theory Lab (CTL). Education and Early Career Xiaowei Pang received her B.S. degree in Telecommunication Engineering from Northwestern Polytechnical University, Xi'an, China, in 2018, and her Ph.D. degree in Information and Communication Engineering from Dalian University of Technology, Dalian, China, in 2024. From 2021 to 2022
H

Hussein Al-Shatri

I chose KAUST because of its reputation for excellence in research and its recent emphasis on applied research. With my extensive background in both academic research and industrial development, I am excited to contribute my experience and ambition. My goal is to foster new ideas and develop innovative prototypes in the field of wireless communications, which will undoubtedly enhance people's lives.
<> LiDAR (3)

Xiaoyi Song

Xiaoyi Song received his Bachelor's degree in Electronic Science and Technology from the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China (UESTC) in 2022 and is currently pursuing a Master's degree at UESTC. Before joining KAUST, he engaged in research on magneto-optical integration and integrated photonics for three years. His research experience encompasses the deposition, design, and characterization of magneto-optical materials and photonic devices, including phase shifters and nonreciprocal components such as optical circulators. He has published a research paper in Photonics

Hongyan Yu

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Electrical and Computer Engineering
Dr. Hongyan Yu is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Integrated Photonics Laboratory (IPL) under the supervision of Prof. Yating Wan at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Before joining KAUST, he received his B. S. degree in Material Physics from Harbin University of Science and Technology, in 2015, and M. Sc. degree in Optical Engineering from Beijing University of Technology, in 2019. He earned his Ph.D degree in Optical Engineering from Zhejiang University - Westlake University joint program, in 2023. Prior to joining IPL, Dr. Yu was a postdoctoral scholar at Hangzhou

Saud Alabdulal

Saud received his bachelor's degree in 2023 in Physics from King Fahad University of Petroleum and minerals (KFUPM). He is currently working towards a master’s degree under the supervision of Prof. Yating Wan at King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST). Research interests Saud’s research interests are in applications of integrated photonics for optical computing and LiDAR Education profile B.Sc.: King Fahad University of Petroleum and minerals (KFUPM) 2018-2023.
<> MATLAB (3) <> Reinforcement Learning (3) <> Statistics of extremes (3)
Simon Nik

Simon Nik

Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Statistics
Simon obtained his PhD in 2024 from Helmut-Schmidt-University Hamburg, Germany, with a thesis entitled " Stochastic modeling and statistical analyses of non-negative data and times series". He is now a postdoctoral researcher at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), working in the XSTAT group under Prof. Raphaël Huser's supervision. Education and Early Career Simon obtained his PhD in 2024 from Helmut-Schmidt-University Hamburg, Germany. He joined KAUST as a postdoc in December 2024. Research interests Simon's current research interests focus primarily on extreme

New paper accepted in JABES

1 min read ·
New accepted paper: Castro-Camilo, D., Huser, R., and Rue, H. (2019+), A spliced Gamma-generalized Pareto model for short-term extreme wind speed probabilistic forecasting, Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics, to appear [ PDF preprint]

New paper accepted in JGR - Earth Surface

1 min read ·
New accepted paper: Lombardo, L., Bakka, H., Tanyas, H., van Westen, C., Mai, P. M., and Huser, R. (2019+), Geostatistical modeling to capture seismic-shaking patterns from earthquake-induced landslides, Journal of Geophysical Research-Earth Surface [ PDF preprint]
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