Charles Margossian
@charlesm993.bsky.social
Prof at the University of British Columbia. Research in statistics, ML, and AI for science. Views are my own. https://charlesm93.github.io./
Applications for the PhD and MSc programs in statistics at UBC are now open!
📆 Deadline for PhD program is December 1st
📆 Deadline for MSc program is January 5th
The department covers all areas of statistics and we have a lot of momentum in Bayesian computation!
📆 Deadline for PhD program is December 1st
📆 Deadline for MSc program is January 5th
The department covers all areas of statistics and we have a lot of momentum in Bayesian computation!
November 7, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Applications for the PhD and MSc programs in statistics at UBC are now open!
📆 Deadline for PhD program is December 1st
📆 Deadline for MSc program is January 5th
The department covers all areas of statistics and we have a lot of momentum in Bayesian computation!
📆 Deadline for PhD program is December 1st
📆 Deadline for MSc program is January 5th
The department covers all areas of statistics and we have a lot of momentum in Bayesian computation!
Application for a postdoc research fellowship in computational mathematics at the Flatiron Institute in New York are now open!
apply.interfolio.com/173401
📆 Deadline is December 1st.
🔭 This is an excellent place to do research at the interface of ML, stats and the natural sciences.
apply.interfolio.com/173401
📆 Deadline is December 1st.
🔭 This is an excellent place to do research at the interface of ML, stats and the natural sciences.
Apply - Interfolio
{{$ctrl.$state.data.pageTitle}} - Apply - Interfolio
apply.interfolio.com
September 16, 2025 at 11:55 PM
Application for a postdoc research fellowship in computational mathematics at the Flatiron Institute in New York are now open!
apply.interfolio.com/173401
📆 Deadline is December 1st.
🔭 This is an excellent place to do research at the interface of ML, stats and the natural sciences.
apply.interfolio.com/173401
📆 Deadline is December 1st.
🔭 This is an excellent place to do research at the interface of ML, stats and the natural sciences.
My paper with Loucas Pillaud-Vivien and Lawrence Saul, “Variational Inference for Uncertainty Quantification: An Analysis of Trade-offs”, has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Machine Learning Research.
📃 arxiv.org/abs/2403.13748
🧵 1/
📃 arxiv.org/abs/2403.13748
🧵 1/
September 10, 2025 at 12:28 AM
My paper with Loucas Pillaud-Vivien and Lawrence Saul, “Variational Inference for Uncertainty Quantification: An Analysis of Trade-offs”, has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Machine Learning Research.
📃 arxiv.org/abs/2403.13748
🧵 1/
📃 arxiv.org/abs/2403.13748
🧵 1/
Yes, in principle, I start at UBC Statistics today. But right now, I'm running around the Frankfurt airport to catch my flight to Vancouver .... 🏃♂️🧳✈️
www.stat.ubc.ca/news/charles...
www.stat.ubc.ca/news/charles...
Charles Margossian Joins the UBC Department of Statistics | UBC Statistics
www.stat.ubc.ca
August 1, 2025 at 10:29 AM
Yes, in principle, I start at UBC Statistics today. But right now, I'm running around the Frankfurt airport to catch my flight to Vancouver .... 🏃♂️🧳✈️
www.stat.ubc.ca/news/charles...
www.stat.ubc.ca/news/charles...
Earlier this month, I taught at the summer school on "cryptography, statistics and machine learning" (mathschool.ysu.am) hosted by Yerevan State University in Armenia 🇦🇲
🙏 Thank you to the organizers for putting together such a wonderful event! I truly enjoyed interacting with the students.
🙏 Thank you to the organizers for putting together such a wonderful event! I truly enjoyed interacting with the students.
July 28, 2025 at 3:30 PM
Earlier this month, I taught at the summer school on "cryptography, statistics and machine learning" (mathschool.ysu.am) hosted by Yerevan State University in Armenia 🇦🇲
🙏 Thank you to the organizers for putting together such a wonderful event! I truly enjoyed interacting with the students.
🙏 Thank you to the organizers for putting together such a wonderful event! I truly enjoyed interacting with the students.
New manuscript by Nawaf Bou-Rabee, Bob Carpenter, Tore Kleppe and Sifan Liu on the WALNUTS algorithm which improves of the NUTS sampler by introducing a locally adaptive step size.
📜 Paper: arxiv.org/pdf/2506.18746
💻 Code: github.com/bob-carpente...
📜 Paper: arxiv.org/pdf/2506.18746
💻 Code: github.com/bob-carpente...
June 26, 2025 at 6:00 AM
New manuscript by Nawaf Bou-Rabee, Bob Carpenter, Tore Kleppe and Sifan Liu on the WALNUTS algorithm which improves of the NUTS sampler by introducing a locally adaptive step size.
📜 Paper: arxiv.org/pdf/2506.18746
💻 Code: github.com/bob-carpente...
📜 Paper: arxiv.org/pdf/2506.18746
💻 Code: github.com/bob-carpente...
🇸🇬 Next stop: Singapore for BayesComp'25 (bayescomp2025.sg) The organizers put together a wonderful program!
I'll be:
🪑 chairing the session on "Parallel comp for MCMC"
🎙️ speaking at the session on "Advances in VI"
Looking forward to meeting researchers and catching up with colleagues.
I'll be:
🪑 chairing the session on "Parallel comp for MCMC"
🎙️ speaking at the session on "Advances in VI"
Looking forward to meeting researchers and catching up with colleagues.
June 15, 2025 at 11:23 AM
🇸🇬 Next stop: Singapore for BayesComp'25 (bayescomp2025.sg) The organizers put together a wonderful program!
I'll be:
🪑 chairing the session on "Parallel comp for MCMC"
🎙️ speaking at the session on "Advances in VI"
Looking forward to meeting researchers and catching up with colleagues.
I'll be:
🪑 chairing the session on "Parallel comp for MCMC"
🎙️ speaking at the session on "Advances in VI"
Looking forward to meeting researchers and catching up with colleagues.
Research opportunity for a graduate student in ecology 🌳 at UBC 🇨🇦 with Lizzie Wolkovich and the Temporal Ecology lab (temporalecology.org).
📝 Apply here: temporalecology.org/joining-the-... by July 1st 2025!
The abstract sounds fascinating (see attached).
📝 Apply here: temporalecology.org/joining-the-... by July 1st 2025!
The abstract sounds fascinating (see attached).
June 13, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Research opportunity for a graduate student in ecology 🌳 at UBC 🇨🇦 with Lizzie Wolkovich and the Temporal Ecology lab (temporalecology.org).
📝 Apply here: temporalecology.org/joining-the-... by July 1st 2025!
The abstract sounds fascinating (see attached).
📝 Apply here: temporalecology.org/joining-the-... by July 1st 2025!
The abstract sounds fascinating (see attached).
🧑💻 Candidate release for Stan 2.37 is out: discourse.mc-stan.org/t/cmdstan-st.... Lots of exciting features to try out, including:
- embedded/integrated Laplace approximation
- new constrained types (e.g. sum_to_zero_matrix)
- built-in constraint transformations exposed
- embedded/integrated Laplace approximation
- new constrained types (e.g. sum_to_zero_matrix)
- built-in constraint transformations exposed
CmdStan & Stan 2.37 release candidate
I am happy to announce that the latest release candidates of CmdStan and Stan are now available on Github! This release cycle brings the embedded Laplace approximation, a sum-to-zero matrix type, new...
discourse.mc-stan.org
June 9, 2025 at 6:08 PM
🧑💻 Candidate release for Stan 2.37 is out: discourse.mc-stan.org/t/cmdstan-st.... Lots of exciting features to try out, including:
- embedded/integrated Laplace approximation
- new constrained types (e.g. sum_to_zero_matrix)
- built-in constraint transformations exposed
- embedded/integrated Laplace approximation
- new constrained types (e.g. sum_to_zero_matrix)
- built-in constraint transformations exposed
Reposted by Charles Margossian
Taking our Models Seriously (my talk at StanBio Connect, this Friday 9am)
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/05/27/t...
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/05/27/t...
Taking our Models Seriously (my talk at StanBio Connect, this Friday 9am) | Statistical Modeling, Causal Inference, and Social Science
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu
May 27, 2025 at 1:25 PM
Taking our Models Seriously (my talk at StanBio Connect, this Friday 9am)
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/05/27/t...
statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/05/27/t...
✨ Thank you #AISTATS for the best paper award!!
📜 arxiv.org/abs/2410.11067
💡What does VI learn and under what conditions? The answer lies in symmetry.
🤝 Honored to share this award with my co-author Lawrence Saul from @flatironinstitute.org
📜 arxiv.org/abs/2410.11067
💡What does VI learn and under what conditions? The answer lies in symmetry.
🤝 Honored to share this award with my co-author Lawrence Saul from @flatironinstitute.org
May 5, 2025 at 1:15 AM
✨ Thank you #AISTATS for the best paper award!!
📜 arxiv.org/abs/2410.11067
💡What does VI learn and under what conditions? The answer lies in symmetry.
🤝 Honored to share this award with my co-author Lawrence Saul from @flatironinstitute.org
📜 arxiv.org/abs/2410.11067
💡What does VI learn and under what conditions? The answer lies in symmetry.
🤝 Honored to share this award with my co-author Lawrence Saul from @flatironinstitute.org
🇹🇭 Just arrived in Phuket, Thailand for #AISTATS 2025.
📃 I'll presenting my recent work with Lawrence Saul on Variational Inference in Location-Sacale Families: arxiv.org/abs/2410.11067
DM if you are in town and want to connect at the conference!
📃 I'll presenting my recent work with Lawrence Saul on Variational Inference in Location-Sacale Families: arxiv.org/abs/2410.11067
DM if you are in town and want to connect at the conference!
May 1, 2025 at 6:00 PM
🇹🇭 Just arrived in Phuket, Thailand for #AISTATS 2025.
📃 I'll presenting my recent work with Lawrence Saul on Variational Inference in Location-Sacale Families: arxiv.org/abs/2410.11067
DM if you are in town and want to connect at the conference!
📃 I'll presenting my recent work with Lawrence Saul on Variational Inference in Location-Sacale Families: arxiv.org/abs/2410.11067
DM if you are in town and want to connect at the conference!
Reposted by Charles Margossian
For the first time, Journal-to-Conference papers have entered the schedule of #AISTATS2025 🎉
To celebrate here is a bingo card: should you be among the first to meet all of our amazing Journal-to-Conference presenters (I need proof!), I’ll buy you a drink... provided that you can find me too!
To celebrate here is a bingo card: should you be among the first to meet all of our amazing Journal-to-Conference presenters (I need proof!), I’ll buy you a drink... provided that you can find me too!
April 28, 2025 at 4:29 AM
For the first time, Journal-to-Conference papers have entered the schedule of #AISTATS2025 🎉
To celebrate here is a bingo card: should you be among the first to meet all of our amazing Journal-to-Conference presenters (I need proof!), I’ll buy you a drink... provided that you can find me too!
To celebrate here is a bingo card: should you be among the first to meet all of our amazing Journal-to-Conference presenters (I need proof!), I’ll buy you a drink... provided that you can find me too!
📚 Putting together a reading list for #AISTATS 2025. I already found a few very good papers, and I'm curious to hear about more accepted publications.
April 21, 2025 at 2:13 PM
📚 Putting together a reading list for #AISTATS 2025. I already found a few very good papers, and I'm curious to hear about more accepted publications.
📣 Nominations for the Stan Governing Body are open for another two weeks. Calling on all members of the Stan community to consider this role.
🔗 discourse.mc-stan.org/t/elections-...
💡 A post about my own experience: statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/03/15/e...
🔗 discourse.mc-stan.org/t/elections-...
💡 A post about my own experience: statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/03/15/e...
Elections for Stan Governing Body 2025
It’s this time of the year again! (And in fact, we’re a little bit overdue.) We’re renewing the Stan Governing Body (SGB) with all 5 seats up for grabs. Current SGB members may still run, however the...
discourse.mc-stan.org
April 16, 2025 at 4:03 PM
📣 Nominations for the Stan Governing Body are open for another two weeks. Calling on all members of the Stan community to consider this role.
🔗 discourse.mc-stan.org/t/elections-...
💡 A post about my own experience: statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/03/15/e...
🔗 discourse.mc-stan.org/t/elections-...
💡 A post about my own experience: statmodeling.stat.columbia.edu/2025/03/15/e...
I'm thrilled to share that, starting this summer, I will continue my academic journey as an assistant professor of statistics at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
Full statement here: charlesm93.github.io/files/letter...
Full statement here: charlesm93.github.io/files/letter...
charlesm93.github.io
March 20, 2025 at 6:56 PM
I'm thrilled to share that, starting this summer, I will continue my academic journey as an assistant professor of statistics at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada.
Full statement here: charlesm93.github.io/files/letter...
Full statement here: charlesm93.github.io/files/letter...
Reposted by Charles Margossian
🚀 Exciting news! We're proposing a new *Bayesian Deep Learning* section within @isba-bayesian.bsky.social .
If you support this initiative, add your name to the petition and help make it happen!
🔗 Petition: tinyurl.com/527vaamz
Sinead Williamson, Theo Papamarkou @vincefort.bsky.social Sara Wade
1/2
If you support this initiative, add your name to the petition and help make it happen!
🔗 Petition: tinyurl.com/527vaamz
Sinead Williamson, Theo Papamarkou @vincefort.bsky.social Sara Wade
1/2
Petition to form a Bayesian Deep Learning section at ISBA
Petition to form a Bayesian Deep Learning section at ISBA We, the undersigned members of the International Society for Bayesian Analysis (ISBA), petition the ISBA board to establish a new Bayesian D...
tinyurl.com
March 17, 2025 at 10:35 PM
🚀 Exciting news! We're proposing a new *Bayesian Deep Learning* section within @isba-bayesian.bsky.social .
If you support this initiative, add your name to the petition and help make it happen!
🔗 Petition: tinyurl.com/527vaamz
Sinead Williamson, Theo Papamarkou @vincefort.bsky.social Sara Wade
1/2
If you support this initiative, add your name to the petition and help make it happen!
🔗 Petition: tinyurl.com/527vaamz
Sinead Williamson, Theo Papamarkou @vincefort.bsky.social Sara Wade
1/2
📣 Calling all members of the Stan community to action!
❕We're renewing the Stan Governing Body. This is a fantastic way to contribute to the project. The SGB co-organizes StanCon and related events, funds developers, and helps set the directions of the project.
🧵 Link in thread.
❕We're renewing the Stan Governing Body. This is a fantastic way to contribute to the project. The SGB co-organizes StanCon and related events, funds developers, and helps set the directions of the project.
🧵 Link in thread.
March 14, 2025 at 7:05 PM
📣 Calling all members of the Stan community to action!
❕We're renewing the Stan Governing Body. This is a fantastic way to contribute to the project. The SGB co-organizes StanCon and related events, funds developers, and helps set the directions of the project.
🧵 Link in thread.
❕We're renewing the Stan Governing Body. This is a fantastic way to contribute to the project. The SGB co-organizes StanCon and related events, funds developers, and helps set the directions of the project.
🧵 Link in thread.
StanConnects are a series of one-day online conferences for the application of Stan to specific areas. This year, we're kicking off with Stan for biology (broadly defined), co-organized by @ericnovik.bsky.social and @vianeylb.bsky.social, on 30 May '25!!
stanbio.org
stanbio.org
StanBio Connect 2025 – StanBio Connect
Advancing Biomedical Research with Stan
stanbio.org
March 13, 2025 at 3:39 PM
StanConnects are a series of one-day online conferences for the application of Stan to specific areas. This year, we're kicking off with Stan for biology (broadly defined), co-organized by @ericnovik.bsky.social and @vianeylb.bsky.social, on 30 May '25!!
stanbio.org
stanbio.org
Yesterday, an undergraduate asked me whether I used the same tools as 3blue1brown to animate my slides. Maybe one of the coolest compliments I've ever gotten :)
... and excellent reason to share my appreciation for this beautiful channel: www.youtube.com/@3blue1brown.
... and excellent reason to share my appreciation for this beautiful channel: www.youtube.com/@3blue1brown.
February 13, 2025 at 9:28 PM
Yesterday, an undergraduate asked me whether I used the same tools as 3blue1brown to animate my slides. Maybe one of the coolest compliments I've ever gotten :)
... and excellent reason to share my appreciation for this beautiful channel: www.youtube.com/@3blue1brown.
... and excellent reason to share my appreciation for this beautiful channel: www.youtube.com/@3blue1brown.
@flatironinstitute.org released recordings of the FWAM meeting, a 2-day event during which experts present introductory talks on computational and scientific methods.
www.simonsfoundation.org/event/2024-f...
I had the pleasure to give a talk on: "For how many iterations should we run MCMC?"
www.simonsfoundation.org/event/2024-f...
I had the pleasure to give a talk on: "For how many iterations should we run MCMC?"
2024 Flatiron Wide Autumn Meeting (FWAM)
2024 Flatiron Wide Autumn Meeting (FWAM) on Simons Foundation
www.simonsfoundation.org
February 13, 2025 at 9:17 PM
@flatironinstitute.org released recordings of the FWAM meeting, a 2-day event during which experts present introductory talks on computational and scientific methods.
www.simonsfoundation.org/event/2024-f...
I had the pleasure to give a talk on: "For how many iterations should we run MCMC?"
www.simonsfoundation.org/event/2024-f...
I had the pleasure to give a talk on: "For how many iterations should we run MCMC?"
Reposted by Charles Margossian
Our paper "Batch, match, and patch: low-rank approximations for score-based variational inference" is accepted to #AISTATS2025.
This paper addresses score-based variational inference with Gaussians (batch and match VI) with low rank + diagonal covariances.
Preprint: arxiv.org/abs/2410.22292
This paper addresses score-based variational inference with Gaussians (batch and match VI) with low rank + diagonal covariances.
Preprint: arxiv.org/abs/2410.22292
January 24, 2025 at 2:30 PM
Our paper "Batch, match, and patch: low-rank approximations for score-based variational inference" is accepted to #AISTATS2025.
This paper addresses score-based variational inference with Gaussians (batch and match VI) with low rank + diagonal covariances.
Preprint: arxiv.org/abs/2410.22292
This paper addresses score-based variational inference with Gaussians (batch and match VI) with low rank + diagonal covariances.
Preprint: arxiv.org/abs/2410.22292
Our paper was accepted (oral) for #AISTATS. From the AC:
"This paper provides a very elegant analysis of variational inference in location-scale families, providing much-needed insights into when and why variational methods can so often accurately obtain accurate means estimates."
"This paper provides a very elegant analysis of variational inference in location-scale families, providing much-needed insights into when and why variational methods can so often accurately obtain accurate means estimates."
January 22, 2025 at 5:49 PM
Our paper was accepted (oral) for #AISTATS. From the AC:
"This paper provides a very elegant analysis of variational inference in location-scale families, providing much-needed insights into when and why variational methods can so often accurately obtain accurate means estimates."
"This paper provides a very elegant analysis of variational inference in location-scale families, providing much-needed insights into when and why variational methods can so often accurately obtain accurate means estimates."
Kicking off the year with a visit to the Center for AI Fundamentals at the University of Manchester 🇬🇧
Thank you for the invitation and the opportunity to exchange ideas!
Thank you for the invitation and the opportunity to exchange ideas!
Looking forward to the visit of Charles Margossian (@charlesm993.bsky.social) from the Flatiron Institute, who will spend a few days with us here at the Manchester Centre for AI Fundamentals.
January 12, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Kicking off the year with a visit to the Center for AI Fundamentals at the University of Manchester 🇬🇧
Thank you for the invitation and the opportunity to exchange ideas!
Thank you for the invitation and the opportunity to exchange ideas!