Sequential causal inference in experimental or observational settings (AI, Statistics & Data Science in Practice Series)

Tuesday, August 26, 2025 - 12:00pm to 1:30pm

Overview

The AI, Statistics & Data Science in Practice Series during Fall 2025 will focus on the critical role of experimentation in the development and refinement of artificial intelligence (AI) systems: "Incorporating principles of design of experiments and randomization ensures that AI models are trained on reliable, unbiased data, leading to more generalizable and interpretable results. By planning data collection with experimental design and randomization, researchers can minimize bias from uncontrolled variables and improve the statistical validity of their conclusions, whether the models are inferential or predictive. However, in many real-world scenarios, fully controlled experiments may not be feasible. When working with observational data, researchers can employ quasi-experimental techniques to approximate the benefits of randomized trials. These methods help isolate the effects of key variables and adjust for potential confounders, improving the robustness of AI-driven insights. By integrating structured experimentation and causal inference methodologies, AI developers can enhance the reliability and applicability of their models in practice.

Speaker

Aaditya Ramdas, Associate Professor, Department of Statistics and Data Science & Department of Machine Learning, Carnegie Mellon University

Moderator

Will Wei Sun, Associate Professor of Quantitative Methods, Daniels School of Business, Purdue University

Abstract

Title: Sequential causal inference in experimental or observational settings

Abstract: I will discuss three modern statistical topics around experimentation and deployment of AI models at scale: (a) how to track the risk of a deployed model and detect harmful distribution shifts, (b) how to sequentially estimate average treatment effects in A/B tests or observational studies, (c) post-selection inference when performing doubly-sequential experimentation. Solutions will be enabled by the development of new methodology, like asymptotic analogs of Robbins' confidence sequences and online analogs of classical multiple testing procedures like the Benjamini-Hochberg procedure. These methods in turn require the development of new foundational statistical concepts like time-uniform central limit theory, and e-values.

About the Speaker

Aaditya Ramdas is an Associate Professor at Carnegie Mellon University in the Departments of Statistics and Machine Learning. His work has been recognized by the Presidential Early Career Award (PECASE), the highest distinction bestowed by the US government to young scientists, a Kavli fellowship from the NAS, a Sloan fellowship in Mathematics, a CAREER award from the NSF, the inaugural COPSS Emerging Leader Award, the Bernoulli new researcher award and the IMS Peter Hall Early Career Prize, and faculty research awards from Adobe and Google. He was recently elected Fellow of the IMS, was awarded Statistician of the Year by the ASA's Pittsburgh Chapter, and will be the program chair of AISTATS 2026. See Profile

About the Moderator

Dr. Will Wei Sun is an Associate Professor of Management at Purdue University's Mitchell E. Daniels, Jr. School of Business, with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Statistics. He serves as the PhD Coordinator for Quantitative Methods and is recognized for his expertise in statistical foundations of large language models, trustworthy reinforcement learning, online decision-making in two-sided markets, and neuroimaging analysis. Dr. Sun's research has been supported by notable grants, including a \$450K award from the National Science Foundation for work on trustworthy reinforcement learning, and a \$150K grant from the Office of Naval Research focusing on statistical methods for large tensor data. Dr. Sun earned his Ph.D. in Statistics from Purdue University in 2015, following M.S. degrees in Statistics and Computer Science from Purdue and in Statistics from the University of Illinois at Chicago. He began his academic career at the University of Miami before returning to Purdue. His teaching excellence has been acknowledged with multiple awards, such as the Salgo-Noren Outstanding Master's Teaching Award (First runner-up) in 2023 and 2024, and the Distinguished Teacher award from the Krannert School of Management in 2019, 2020, 2021, and 2023. Dr. Sun is also a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Data and Dynamic Systems. See Profile

About AI, StAtIstics and Data Science in Practice

The NISS AI, Statistics and Data Science in Practice is a monthly event series will bring together leading experts from industry and academia to discuss the latest advances and practical applications in AI, data science, and statistics. Each session will feature a keynote presentation on cutting-edge topics, where attendees can engage with speakers on the challenges and opportunities in applying these technologies in real-world scenarios. This series is intended for professionals, researchers, and students interested in the intersection of AI, data science, and statistics, offering insights into how these fields are shaping various industries. The series is designed to provide participants with exposure to and understanding of how modern data analytic methods are being applied in real-world scenarios across various industries, offering both theoretical insights, practical examples, and discussion of issues.

Event Type

NISS Hosted

Website

Location

Free Zoom Webinar

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