Global Big Data Conference

A Columbia University research team affiliated with the Data Science Institute (DSI) has received a Facebook Probability and Programming research award to develop static analysis methods that will enhance the usability and accuracy of probabilistic programming. The team includes Jeannette M. Wing, DSI's Avanessians Director and Professor of Computer Science; Andrew Gelman, Professor of Statistics and Political Science and DSI member; and Ryan Bernstein, a doctoral student in computer science who is co-advised by Wing and Gelman. The three will conduct a static analysis of Stan, an open-source probabilistic language program developed mainly at Columbia that describes statistical models. Their analysis will make it easier for users to reliably design statistical and machine learning models in high-level programming languages, according to Gelman, who is a co-principal investigator on the award. "Stan is used in applications ranging from drug development [for Novartis] to political polling and forecasting [for YouGov and The Economist]," Gelman said.