The Principal Investigators will organize a five-day conference, focused on the theory and applications of Bayesian nonparametric statistical methods, that will feature Dr. Peter Muller of the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center as a principal lecturer. Dr. Muller will deliver a total of ten two-hour lectures (two each day), which will be complemented by four two-hour invited lectures. The conference will be held at the campus of the University of California, Santa Cruz between August 16 and August 20, 2010.It will bring together the major ideas and recent results in the rapidly growing field of Bayesian nonparametrics, and will chart future directions for research.
Bayesian nonparametric methods constitute an extremely important and timely area of research in the statistical sciences, which has recently generated enormous interest and is starting to become widely used in multiple areas of application. However, the sudden growth in the area of Bayesian nonparametricsover the last ten years has resulted in a literature that is scattered and confusing for newcomers, imposing a steep entry barrier into the field. This conference, will contribute to alleviate this problem. In particular, we expect that it will help attract new researchers to the field of Bayesian nonparametrics by providing a well organized introduction to this important research area. In addition, given the regional emphasis of the conference, we expect that it will strengthen the links and collaborations between multiple groups working on Bayesian nonparametric methods in the western United States, including groups at University of California, Irvine, University ofCalifornia, Santa Cruz, University of California, Berkeley, and University of Washington.
