Kick-off Groningen Institute of Applied Statistics

A community for UG statisticians: that is the newly established Groningen Institute of Applied Statistics (GIAS). On 11 November, the institute will have its official kick-off in the Academy Building. ‘At the moment, expertise in statistics is spread across faculties; with our community, we want to bring it together.’

Four UG researchers, Casper Albers, Gerard van den Berg, Marco Grzegorczyk and Gerton Lunter, are responsible for setting up the institute. They work at four different faculties and know each other among other things from jointly supervising students. From this month, the four will start a virtual institute in the field of applied statistics, where researchers from different faculties can meet.

According to Grzegorczyk, associate professor for Computational Statistics at the Bernoulli Institute, an institute in the field of statistics is common in other countries. 'In the Netherlands, however, statistics is often treated as a sub-discipline of mathematics. As a result, Groningen statisticians are divided across faculties. There is a lot of deep knowledge, but it is very fragmented and you only meet each other by chance. If you work at the UMCG, for example, it can be difficult to find a mathematical statistician for your project. Why not bundle this expertise in an institute to facilitate these meetings?’

Collaboration and sharing knowledge

Initially, it will be a virtual institute, Grzegorczyk explains. ‘A virtual version is most feasible given the current circumstances. We will start, for instance, with a website, regular meetings with speakers, workshops and communication about the institute. In the long run, we are considering joint funding applications, as this often offers a higher chance than an individual application.’

In addition, Grzegorczyk sees opportunities in the field of education, such as a joint minor. For quite a few students, statistics is a ‘service lecture’, an introductory course where they learn the basics. This applies to medical students, for example. ‘A minor offers our students the opportunity to further specialise in statistics.’

From PhD students to senior researchers

The Groningen Institute of Applied Statistics is centred around community building and increasing visibility, says the associate professor. The initiative originates from researchers from its four respective faculties, but statisticians from all faculties are welcome to join, from PhD students to senior researchers.

The emphasis is on applied statistics. 'It is not so much about deep mathematical statistics but more about using statistics and data science to solve problems in a careful and responsible way.’ Applications often require new methods, the researcher explains. ‘As a matter of fact, this often goes hand in hand with methodological innovations. The applied part comes naturally, but applications require serious thinking about the assumptions that underlie existing methods, and we might end up developing a new method that is tailor-made for the application at hand.'

The official kick-off will feature key lectures by two renowned researchers with in-depth knowledge in the field of statistics: Prof Peter Visscher and Prof Melinda Mills, both from Oxford University and affiliated with the UG. In addition, the kick-off will include an introduction to the institute and an interactive session where participants can share insights on the joint initiative. 

The event will be hosted by the Jantina Tammes School of Digital Society, Technology and AI. The programme, which takes place at the Academy Building on 11 November, starts at 2pm and lasts until 6pm. Participation is by request only. More information can be found on the Jantina Tammes School website.