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SAMBa Conference 9-10 July 2024
31 October 2024

The SAMBa conference is an opportunity for students to showcase their work to members of the department, outside the department and at other Universities in a supportive environment.

Welcome and information

The SAMBa conference is an opportunity for students to showcase their work to members of the department, outside the department and at other Universities in a supportive environment. The work of SAMBa students covers the entire spectrum of statistical applied mathematics: including projects in statistics, probability, analysis, numerical analysis, mathematical biology, fluid dynamics, machine learning and high-performance computing. The conference is organised by students and contains talks by SAMBa students, external speakers, and students from other departments of the University of Bath.

Keynote speakers

Dr Minmin Wang, University of Sussex

Random intersection graphs at criticality

We study a random graph model that has a flexible degree distribution and nontrivial clustering. The random graph in question can be constructed from a bipartite graph with a dual sequence of vertex weights. We will focus on the case where the weights are sampled from two power laws. Depending on these two power laws, a range of limit distributions can emerge for the component sizes at the critical threshold for connectivity.

Dr Katerina Kaouri, Cardiff University

Modelling across scales and disciplines: from fertilization to viral transmission
I will present an overview of several biomedical challenges we have been working on, in collaboration with experimentalists and industrial partners. To begin, I will discuss mechanochemical models of calcium signalling in embryogenesis. These models aim to capture the complex coupling between calcium oscillations and waves with mechanics (forces and contractions), as an embryo is growing. I will introduce a new continuum mechanochemical model, and then our latest cell-based (vertex) model which accurately reproduces several experimental findings, elucidating embryo malformations such as Spina Bifida and anencephaly. Next, I will describe a novel model for calcium signalling in In-Vitro Fertilization (IVF) and explore how computational modelling, together with academia-clinic collaborations, can potentially enhance the relatively low success rates of IVF treatments. Lastly, I will present our ongoing work on modelling viral transmission in indoor spaces, undertaken in collaboration with architects, and demonstrate a new, user-friendly web app for policymakers and the public.

Prof Martin Benning, University College London

Beyond backpropagation – a lifted Bregman framework for training and inversion of neural networks

In this talk, we present a novel framework for the training and regularised inversion of deep neural networks with proximal activation functions. The framework lifts the network parameter space into a higher dimensional space by introducing auxiliary variables and penalises these variables with tailored Bregman distances. Instead of estimating the network parameters with a combination of first-order optimisation method and backpropagation (as is state-of-the-art), we propose the use of non-smooth first-order optimisation methods that do not require backpropagation and are flexible enough to allow for distributed optimisation approaches. We present theoretical and computational findings for both training and inversion of neural networks. This is joint work with Xiaoyu Wang (Heriot-Watt), Audrey Repetti (Heriot-Watt) and Alexandra Valavanis (QMUL).

Prof Rebecca Killick, Lancaster University

Research Collaborations – why and are they worth it?

This talk is a reflection on the myriad of collaborations across my career thus far. I will attempt to give an honest reflection on the highs and lows of statistical, cross-disciplinary, and industrial collaborations I have experienced both locally and internationally. The talk will consist of several anecdotes along the way that have shaped my approaches to collaboration. I will conclude with a look at the future of research collaborations in the advent of virtual assistants (including AI-powered research tools) and the fast-evolving nature of academic research.

Student speakers

Dáire O’Kane: Solving underdamped Langevin dynamics
Sangeetha Sampath: Estimating River Bathymetry for Non-Uniform Flow
João Luiz De Oliveira Madeira: Can deleterious mutations surf deterministic population waves?
Seb Scott: What does it mean for a regulariser to be good?
Xinle Tian: Multi-response linear regression estimation based on low-rank pre-smoothing
Beth Stokes: Speed and shape of population fronts with density dependent diffusion
Pablo Arratia Lopez: Solving Dynamic Inverse Problems with Neural Fields
Henry Writer: Free-surface flow over generalised topographies using an arclength formulation
Matt Evans: Modern Approaches for Sweeping During Neutron Transport: Cycle-Free Polygonal Mesh Design
Abby Barlow: Analysis of a household-scale model for the invasion of Wolbachia into a resident mosquito population
Matthew Pawley: Testing for time-varying extremal dependence
Christian Jones: The Sharp Corner Singularity of the White-Metzner Model
Sadegh Salehi: An Adaptively Inexact Algorithm for Bilevel Learning
Henry Lockyer: Learning Splitting and Composition Methods

Prize winners

Best presentation – Beth Stokes
Best poster – Sinyoung Park

Many thanks to:

Conference organising committee: Chiara Boetti, Diana De Armas Bellon, Henry Writer, Patrick Fahy and Veronika Chronholm

Conference sponsors: Wessex Water and CameraForensics

News and events

Events
Centre for Doctoral Training in Statistical Applied Mathematics (SAMBa) ignites in style
19 December 2014

On Thursday 11 December 2014, the University of Bath hosted the official launch of the EPSRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Statistical Applied Mathematics.

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Events
SAMBa’s first Integrative Think Tank a great success
09 February 2015

48 PhD students, academics and industrialists gathered at Bath Royal Literary and Scientific Institution for the first SAMBa Integrative Think Tank.

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Events
SAMBa’s second Integrative Think Tank explores energy supply and nuclear reactor core design
19 June 2015

For our second Integrative Think Tank (ITT) at the beginning of June, over 60 academics, students and industrialists came together for a week of collaboration.

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Events
Third SAMBa Integrative Think Tank focuses on uncertainty and forecasting
08 February 2016

We hosted our biggest Integrative Think Tank (ITT3) yet in January with almost 90 people taking part.

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