Congratulations to Centre researchers Dr Matt Sutton and Dr David Warne for just being awarded Discovery Early Career Researcher Awards (DECRAs) from the Australian Research Council (ARC).
Matt just recently finished up his time in our Centre and is now at The University of Queensland. David is a Lecturer in QUT’s School of Mathematical Sciences.
Here are details of their projects:
Dr Matt Sutton: “Scalable Bayesian inference for secure and reliable decision making”
This project aims to develop the next generation of scalable Bayesian algorithms for fitting complex statistical models with big data. Existing scalable algorithms are either approximate or restricted to simple models with a small number of parameters. This can lead to unreliable data-informed decision making. Moreover, these methods are typically reliant on processing and storing big data at a central location which presents a higher risk to the privacy of the data. This project expects to significantly expand the set of problems where scalable Bayesian learning is practical and safe. This will lead to significant benefits for practitioners looking to make reliable decisions when working with big data.
Dr David Warne: Sustainable Statistical Computing for Climate-Sensitive Science.
This project aims to address the substantial carbon footprint of simulation-based statistical computations underpinning modern science. Current research focuses on reducing the time-to-result for computations at the expense of energy efficiency. Thus it is not currently possible to scale-up computations to address great environmental challenges without increased contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. Expected project outcomes are new simulation-based inference algorithms designed to be fast, accurate, and energy-efficient. Novel, readily available, low-power computer hardware will be used to demonstrate the future of low-energy statistical computing for climate-sensitive applications in health, environment and sustainability.