Applied Bayesian Statistics (STATS 371)

3 credits · Graduate

This course is a modern treatment of applied Bayesian statistics with a focus on high-dimensional problems. We will study a collection of canonical methods that see heavy use in applications, including high-dimensional linear and generalized linear models, hierarchical/random effects models, Gaussian processes, variable-dimension and Dirichlet process mixtures, graphical models, and methods used in Bayesian inverse problems. Each method will be accompanied by one or more motivating datasets. Through these examples the course will cover: (1) Bayesian hypothesis testing, multiplicity correction, selection, shrinkage, and model averaging; (2) prior choice; (3) Frequentist properties of Bayesian procedures in high dimensions; and (4) computation by Markov chain Monte Carlo, including constructing efficient Gibbs, Metropolis, and more exotic samplers, empirical convergence analysis, strategies for scaling computation to high dimensions (approximations, divide-and-conquer, minibatching, et cetera), and the theory of convergence rates.