Overview
Overview Coming Soon!
Speakers
Patrick D. O'Hara, PhD., Integrated Marine Spatial Ecology Lab, ECCC-CWS, Institute of Ocean Sciences
Moderator
Saman Muthukumarana, Ph.D., Director of Data Science Nexus and Professor & Head of Department of Statistics at University of Manitoba
Abstract
Coming Soon!
About the Speakers
Dr. Laura L. E. Cowen is a Professor of Statistics in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Victoria and currently serves as the Acting Dean of Science. She joined the university in 2005 as an Assistant Professor and has since held various leadership roles, including Associate Chair of her department and the inaugural Associate Dean of Research for the Faculty of Science. Dr. Cowen specializes in ecological statistics, with a focus on capture-recapture methodologies used to estimate population parameters such as survival and abundance. Her research encompasses a wide range of applications, including studies on human populations, fisheries, aquaculture, and seabirds. She has collaborated with scientists across disciplines—ecologists, fisheries scientists, microbiologists, and sociologists—to address complex ecological and public health problems. Her academic journey began with extensive field research on seabirds in British Columbia and Alaska. She earned her Master of Mathematics in Biostatistics from the University of Waterloo and her Ph.D. in Statistics from Simon Fraser University, focusing on developing models to estimate the population size of hidden populations. Beyond her research, Dr. Cowen is committed to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) in academia. As Associate Dean of Research, she initiated the Faculty of Science's EDI Council and has been instrumental in launching programs to support underrepresented groups in science, such as the formation of a campus chapter of the American Indian Science and Engineering Society (AISES) and the establishment of Indigenous student travel scholarships. Dr. Cowen's contributions to statistical science and her dedication to fostering inclusive research environments have made her a respected leader in her field. See Profile
Patrick D. O'Hara, PhD., Integrated Marine Spatial Ecology Lab, ECCC-CWS, Institute of Ocean Sciences (Bio Sketch Coming Soon!)
About the Moderator
Dr. Saman Muthukumarana is a Professor and Head of the Department of Statistics at the University of Manitoba, where he also serves as Director of the Data Science Nexus. He joined the department as an Assistant Professor in July 2010, was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure in 2016, and became a full Professor in 2022. Dr. Muthukumarana received his B.Sc. Honours Special Degree in Statistics from the University of Sri Jayewardenepura, Sri Lanka. He went on to complete an M.Sc. in Statistics at Simon Fraser University in 2007. His M.Sc. work was recognized as a discussed paper in the Canadian Journal of Statistics. He continued his graduate studies under the supervision of Dr. Tim Swartz, completing his Ph.D. in June 2010, with research focused on Bayesian methods and applications. His doctoral work has been published in the Canadian Journal of Statistics and the Australian & New Zealand Journal of Statistics. His primary research interests are centered on Bayesian methods and computation for complex models, with a strong emphasis on multidisciplinary applications. He has developed novel methodologies to support modeling and inference on non-standard and complex data types, enabling innovative analyses across various domains including social networks, health studies, sports analytics, customer and user behavior, and environmental and ecological studies. Dr. Muthukumarana has secured over $8.4 million in research funding independently and collaboratively from numerous sources. These include the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC), Mitacs Globalink and Accelerate, Manitoba Institute of Child Health (MICH), Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR), the Canadian Statistical Sciences Institute (CANSSI), Research Manitoba, and several internal and interdisciplinary grants from the University of Manitoba. See Profile
About the NISS-CANSSI
Collaborative Data Science Web Series:
The NISS-CANSSI Collaborative Data Science initiative that the National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS) in collaboration with the Canadian Statistical Sciences Institute (CANSSI) brings together experts from various fields to tackle complex data challenges through interdisciplinary teamwork and innovative methodologies.
Goals of the Initiative
The goal is to foster progress in:
- Developing new ideas for experimental and observational data-driven learning and discovery that address key questions at the cutting edge of science and scientific deduction;
- Quantifying and summarizing uncertainty in data-driven theories, as well as complex Data Science models, algorithms, and workflows; and
- Establishing new practices for scientific reproducibility and replicability through Data Science.
Featured Webinars
Changing Climate, Changing Data: A journey of statisticians and climate scientists
Date: Thursday, March 20, 2025 at 1-2pm ET
Speakers: Claudie Beaulieu, Assistant Professor of Ocean Sciences, University of California, Santa Cruz and Rebecca Killick, Professor of Statistics, School of Mathematical Sciences, Lancaster University; Moderator: Emily Casleton, Statistical Sciences Group, Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL)
Astronomy & Cosmic Emulation
From MPEG-4 to Deep Learning: Transforming Audio-Visual Analytics for Healthcare and Beyond
Data Science Techniques for Control of Assistive Devices After Neurological Injury
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