invited Talks and schools

2026

2025

ISSAC25

[Tutorial] Probability and randomness in computing with polynomial ideals. International Symposium on Symbolic and Algebraic Computation, Guanajuato, Mexico, 28 July - 1 August 2025.

AS25

[Keynote]. Algebraic Statistics in Munich, March 24-28, 2025.

IPAM

Probability and Randomness in Nonlinear Algebra. "Computational Interactions between Algebra, Combinatorics, and Discrete Geometry" workshop, February 10-14, 2025 at the Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics (IPAM) at UCLA. [poster]

Fields

[Plenary lecture]. 2025 CAAC (Combinatorial Algebra meets Algebraic Combinatorics) workshop, Toronto on 24–26 January 2025. Part of the Spring 2025 thematic program at Fields.

Fields

[Participant and group leader], Apprenticeship Program in Commutative Algebra, January 20-25, 2025 at the Fields Institute in Toronto. Organized by Jenna Rajchgot and Adam Van Tuyl. Part of the Spring 2025 thematic program at Fields.

JMM

Actor critic algorithms for fiber sampling problems. Special session: Algebraic Statistics In Our Changing World, Joint Math Meetings, January 8, 2025, Seattle WA.

2024

MS SANU

Probability and Randomness in Nonlinear Algebra, Mathematics Institute of the Serbian National Academy of Sciences (SANU), The Mathematics Colloquium, 15 November 2024.

NITMB

Testing model/data fit for networks arising in biological contexts, National Institute for Theory and Mathematics in Biology (NITMB) seminar series, 1 November 2024.

Bernoulli

Longitudinal Network Models, Log-Linear Multigraph Models, and Implications to Estimation and Testing Model Fit, [contributed talk] Bernoulli Society for Mathematical Statistics and Probability Workshop: Innovation in dynamic network modelling, Università della Svizzera Italiana Lugano, 11-13 September 2024.

FrankFest

Sampling, learning, and coloring: an update on Markov bases and their uses, Conference June 3–7 2024, "Computational and Applied Enumerative Geometry", Fields Institute, Toronto Ontario.

AMS Central

Markov bases: a 25 year update, "Applications of Algebra and Geometry" at AMS 2024 Spring Central Sectional Meeting, April 2024 in Milwaukee.

2023

WICAII

Participant and group leader in the workshop: Women in Commutative Algebra II (WICA II) at CIRM Trento (Italy) on October 16-20, 2023. Organized by Sara Faridi, Elisa Gorla, Martina Juhnke-Kubitzke, Haydee Lindo, and Alexandra Seceleanu.

FoCM

The Spark Randomizer: a framework for computing Gröbner bases, Computational Algebraic Geometry workshop, Foundations of Computational Mathematics (FoCM 2023) conference, Paris, France, June 12 - 21, 2023.

BIRS-CMO

Sampling lattice points on a polytope: Bayesian updated lattice basis algorithm, workshop on Computations and Data in Algebraic Statistics, Casa Matemática Oaxaca (CMO) of the Banff International Research Station for Mathematical Innovation and Discovery (BIRS), Oaxaca, Mexico, May 14-19, 2023.

JMM [substituted]

Sampling and learning from random polynomials: two stories, special session on Topological and Combinatorial Methods in Commutative Algebra, Joint Mathematics Meetings, Boston MA, January 4-7, 2023.

A commutative algebraist's interest in randomness has many facets, of which this talk highlights two: 1) how to use basic statistics and machine learning for improving Buchberger's algorithm and 2) how to generate samples of ideals in a `controlled' way. The two topics, based on joint work with various collaborators and students, form a two-step process in learning on algebraic structures.For the learning angle, we study performance of linear regression models in predicting a performance metric for Buchberger's algorithm, and train a simple recursive neural network that outperforms these linear models. Our work serves as a proof of concept, demonstrating that learning certain invariants in algebraic computations is a feasible problem from the point of view of machine learning.For the sampling angle, we present random monomial ideals, using which we prove theorems about the probability distributions, expectations and thresholds for events involving monomial ideals with given Hilbert function, Krull dimension, first graded Betti numbers, and present several experimentally-backed conjectures about regularity, projective dimension, strong genericity, and Cohen-Macaulayness of random monomial ideals. The models for monomial ideals can be used as a basis for generating other types of algebraic objects, and proving existence of desired properties.

2022

Simons

Longitudinal Network Models, Log-Linear Multigraph Models, and Implications to Estimation and Testing Model Fit. Workshop on Graph Limits, Non-Parametric Models, and Estimation. Simons Institute, Berkeley, 26-30 September 2022.

SFSU

Sampling and learning in computational algebra: two stories. Algebra-Geometry-Combinatorics seminar, San Francisco State University, 28 September 2022.

This talk is motivated by probabilistic models of random monomial ideals that mirror and extend those from random graphs and simplicial complexes literatures. Our results provide precise probabilistic statements about various algebraic invariants of (coordinate rings of) monomial ideals: the probability distributions, expectations and thresholds for events involving monomial ideals with given Hilbert function, Krull dimension, first graded Betti numbers.We will tackle the following related questions: What is a systematic way, in a probabilistic-model sense, to generate binomial ideals randomly? What can be (machine) learned from such data sets? How do we 'test out the waters' to see if a problem is 'learnable'? How do we generate, share, and make available large training data sets for machine learning in computational algebra? These topics are based on joint work with various collaborators and students and form a two-step process in learning on algebraic structures.

CIMPA

Nonlinear algebra and Nonlinear Statistics for Networks, at the CIMPA School "Mathematical Methods in Data Analysis" Tirana, Albania, 18-31 July, 2022.

2021

NLA

Sampling and learning from random polynomials: two stories. Kickoff workshop for Paul Breiding's Emmy-Noether research group "Numerical and Probabilistic Nonlinear Algebra" at the Max-Planck-Institute for Mathematics in the Sciences. Leipzig, Germany, 20-21 September 2021.

Learning in commutative algebra & models for random algebraic structures, Workshop on applications of machine learning ("DANGER"), organized by Alexander Kasprzyk, Yang-Hui He, Tom Oliver. Online. 25-26 August 2021.

MyFavThm

What is a Markov basis? a talk in the series "My Favorite Theorem" organized by the SIAM student chapter at IIT. Online. March 2021.

Randomness in Commutative Algebra: Part I -- Random Monomial Ideals

SIAM Seminar on Applied Geometry and Algebra, Online. January 12, 2021.

2020

*What a year!!

Algebraic Statistics for Networks - The Fienberg advantage and linear ERGMs

Seminar talk in Statistical Data Science, École polytechnique fédérale de Lausanne, Switzerland, June 12, 2020

2019

* I was on maternity leave for the majority of 2019.

JSM2019

An IMS-sponsored invited session on “Emerging Methods for Network Testing and Related Problems”, organized by Eric Kolaczyk. Joint Statistical Meetings, Denver Colorado, July 27 - August 1, 2019.

AG2019

Goodness of fit of (mixtures of) log-linear models, Minisymposium on Algebraic Statistics at the 2019 SIAM Conference on Applied Algebraic Geometry in Bern, Switzerland (July 9-13, 2019).

2018

Norway

I taught a short course on The role of algebraic statistics in estimation and modeling of random graphs and networks in the Summer school on algebraic statistics, taking place September 24-28, 2018, The Arctic University of Norway in Tromso. The lectures were on the board but here are some slides with references.

CIMPA

I taught a short course on The role of algebraic statistics in estimation and modeling of random graphs and networks in the 2018 CIMPA Research School - Latinamerica: "Commutative Algebra with Applications to Statistics and Coding Theory", taking place June 25 - July 6, 2018, Zacatecas, MEXICO.

IMS2018

Finite-sample goodness-of-fit tests for stochastic block models and extensions to latent-variable log-linear models . Invited session on "Algebraic Methods in Statistics" for the 2018 Annual Meeting of the IMS, Institute of Mathematical Statistics. Vilnius, Lithuania, July 2 – 6, 2018.

Turing

Goodness-of-fit tests for 3 SBM variants, Turing workshop on Statistics of Network Analysis, 29-30 May 2018, the Alan Turing Institute, London.
Detailed program.

AMS

An invitation to algebraic statistics: a brief overview. AMS special session on algebraic statistics at the spring Eastern Section meeting, April 21-22, 2018, Boston.

CISC

Randomized algorithms for computing with polynomials, IIT Center for Interdisciplinary Scientific Computation matchmaking seminar. April 4th, 2018.

2017

*I was on maternity leave during half of 2017, which resulted in cancellation of 3 invited talks (at FoCM - Foundations of Computational Mathematics, MCA - Mathematical Congress of the Americas, and AMS - American Mathematical Society sectional meeting).

CanaDAM

Mathematical Biology Minisymposium at the Canadian Discrete and Algorithmic Mathematics Conference (CanaDAM) Toronto, Canada, June 12-15, 2017.

AMS

Discrete methods for statistical network analysis, Special session on Probabilistic Methods in Combinatorics at the Spring 2017 AMS Central Sectional Meeting at the Indiana University in Bloomington, IN. April 1-2, 2017.

Oberwolfach

Exact tests for mixtures of log-linear models: stochastic block models for random graphs, Algebraic statistics workshop, Mathematisches Forschungsinstitut Oberwolfach (MFO, Oberwolfach Research Institute for Mathematics), April 16-22, 2017.

2016

Cambridge

Isaac Newton Institute for Mathematical Sciences hosted a Program on Theoretical Foundations for Statistical Network Analysis, July-December 2016, in which I was a long-term participant.

COSTNET

The role of algebraic statistics in estimation and modeling of random graphs and networks. Invited talk at the first COSTNET conference [COST Conference on Statistical Network Science], Ribno, Slovenia, September 2016.

IMS-APRM

The role of algebraic statistics in estimation and modeling of random graphs and networks. Invited talk at the Invited paper session on Recent advances on algebraic methods in statistics. The 4th Institute of Mathematical Statistics Asia Pacific Rim Meeting, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, June 27-30, 2016.

RIMS-Kyoto

Fitting 3 variants of the p1 random graph model (varying reciprocity). Plenary talk at the "Applications of Algebraic Methods to Statistics" conference at the Research Institute of Mathematical Science (RIMS) of Kyoto University, 20 - 24 June, 2016.

IIT Alumni

Network data: (Ir)relevant insights, Bay Area IIT Alumni Association gathering, San Francisco, April 2016.

De Paul

Random graphs and networks: estimation and modeling challenges, School of Computing Research Colloquium, DePaul University, Chicago, 19 February 2016.

2015

Mini-TAGS

A mini-TAGS talk at Texas Algebraic Geometry Seminar 2015 Fall Workshops, Texas A&M, October 2015.

AMS

Bouquet algebra of toric ideals, Special Session on Combinatorial and Computational Algebra. AMS 2015 Central Fall Sectional Meeting, Loyola University Chicago, October 3-4, 2015.

GB 50th

Bouquet algebra of toric ideals. Current Trends on Gröbner Bases, a 50th anniversary of GB conference. Mathematical Society of Japan, Seasonal Institute, Osaka, Japan, July 1-10, 2015.

Torino

Random graphs and networks: estimation and modeling challenges (slides), Seminari di Statistica, Probabilita' e Ottimizzazione 2015 Politecnico di Torino, Italy, 11 June 2015

AS2015

What are shell structures of random networks telling us?, Algebraic Statistics in Genoa Genova, Italy, 8-11 June, 2015

cassc15

Random sampling in computational algebra: Helly numbers and violator spaces, Plenary talk at the Chicago area SIAM student conference, April 11, 2015.

JMM

Algebra on hypergraphs, AMS Special Session on Algebraic and Geometric Methods in Applied Discrete Mathematics (a Mathematics Research Communities Session) at the 2015 Joint Mathematics Meetings, San Antonio, January 2015.

2014 and earlier

Full list

2014:

Randomized algorithms, Foundations of Computational Mathematics Conference, Workshop on Computational Algebraic Geometry (workshop homepage), Montevideo, Uruguay, December 11-20, 2014.

Bouquet algebra of toric ideals: hypergraphs, Seminar talk at the University of Kentucky, Algebra Seminar, November 2014.

Fitting network models, Seminar talk at the University of Illinois Chicago, Statistics Seminar, November 2014.

What are shell structures of random networks telling us?, Special Session on algebraic statistics at the Western Section Meeting, San Francisco, October 2014.

Goodness of fit for log-linear network models: Dynamic Markov bases using hypergraph, Workshop on Algebraic Statistics, Prague Stochastics 2014, August 25-29, 2014.

Goodness of fit for log-linear network models: Dynamic Markov bases using hypergraphs, The 21st International Conference on Computational Statistics (COMPSTAT2014), Geneva, Switzerland, August 19-22, 2014. Session on Symbolic/Algebraic Methods in Computational Statistics.

Developing and testing ERGMs using algebraic statistics, DARPA GRAPHS Review Meeting, Washington D.C., July 21-24 2014.

Goodness of fit for network models: dynamic Markov bases, Invited Session on Algebraic Statistics, Institute for Mathematical Statistics annual meeting, Sydney Australia, July 7-11, 2014.

Hypergraph problems arising from networks in algebraic statistics, Modeling networks minisymposium at the 2014 SIAM Discrete conference, June 16-19, Minneapolis MN.

Goodness-of-fit for log-linear network models: Dynamic Markov bases using hypergraphs, Plenary talk at the 2nd annual Midwest Women in Mathematics Symposium, Notre Dame University, April 5, 2014.

Markov bases through hypergraphs, Algebra and Discrete Math seminar, University of California at Davis, February 24, 2014.

Markov bases through hypergraphs , Computational Algebraic Statistics, Theories and Applications (CASTA 2014) Workshop, January 21-24, 2014, Kyoto, Japan.

2013:

Algebraic Statistics for Network Models, DARPA GRAPHS Annual Meeting, Washington D.C., November 2013.

Network/graph algorithms in algebraic statistics, Joint discrete math - iCeNSa seminar, Notre Dame University, October 17, 2013.

Algebraic Statistics and Macaulay2: Running Markov Chains on Network Fibers, Minisymposium: "Software for Algebraic Geometry: Macaulay2", at the SIAM Conference on Applied Algebraic Geometry 2013, August 1-4 in Fort Collins, Colorado

Toric algebra of hypergraphs , Scientific Session on Commutative Algebra and Combinatorics at the Canadian Mathematical Society Summer Meeting, June 4-7 2013. Dalhousie University and Saint Mary's University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.

Algebraic statistics for network models Colloquium, 7 May 2013, Institut de Mathématiques, Universite de Neuchâtel, Switzerland

Two lectures on Algebraic Statistics applied to network science, during the Summer School in Network Science, May 20-24, 27-31, 2013 University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC.

Workshop on `Perspectives and Emerging topics in Algebra and Kombinatorics', March 2013. Haus Bergkranz, Riezlern (Kleinwalsertal), Austria

Testing model fit with algebraic statistics, Minisymposium on “Analysis and Modeling of Static and Dynamic Networks” at the SIAM Conference on Computational Science & Engineering. February 2013. Boston, MA.

2012:

Toric geometry of hypergraphs, Workshop: Combinatorial Commutative Algebra and Applications, MSRI, Berkeley, CA. (slides)

Geometry of Statistical Models, Undergraduate Colloquium in the Mathematical Sciences, Loyola University Chicago

Algebraic Statistics for Network Models, DARPA GRAPHS Kickoff meeting, Chicago, IL

A principal speaker at the first annual University of Kentucky Mathematics Alumni Day, Lexington, KY

Phylogenetics and algebraic geometry, Seminar on Math in Bio and Geo Sciences, Penn State, PA

2011:

Toric ideals from hypergraphs: algebra for network models, Applied Algebra Seminar, Penn State, PA

Algebraic statistics for network models, Department colloquium, Applied and Computational Mathematics and Statistics, Notre Dame, IN

Constructing Markov bases for hypergraphs, Computational and Algorithmic Algebraic Geometry Session at the AMS Sectional Meeting in Salt Lake City

Commutative Algebra and Applications: An Invitation to Algebraic Statistics , Representing MSRI at

the NSF Mathematics Institutes' Modern Math Workshop (at SACNAS), San Jose, CA

Toric ideals of hypergraph models (abstract), Minisymposium on Categorical Data: Contingency Tables and Network Structures, Meeting on Applied Algebraic Geometry, Raleigh, NC

Algebraic statistics for random graph models, Statistics colloquium summer series, University of Chicago

Existence of maximum likelihood estimators for three toric models, Toric Geometry and Applications conference, K.U.Leuven, Belgium

Existence of MLE for a directed random graph model, Combinatorial Optimization, Statistics, and Applications workshop (COSA), TU Munich

Applications of algebraic geometry: special fiber rings and Graver bases in algebraic statistics, Department of Mathematical Sciences Colloquium,

Northern Illinois University, DeKalb IL

Identifiability of two-tree mixtures under group-based models, Department of Mathematics and Statistics Colloquium,

Georgia State University, Atlanta GA

Markov bases for p1 random graph models , Statistics Department Colloquium,

The Pennsylvania State University, State College PA

2010:

Edge subrings of hypergraphs , Special session on commutative algebra and combinatorics, CMS winter meeting, Vancouver, Canada

An invitation to algebraic statistics, Applied Math Colloquium, Illinois Institute of Technlogy, Chicago, IL

A computational challenge in algebraic statistics, AMS special session on numerical algebraic geometry, Notre Dame University, South Bend, IN

Random graph models: an example in applied algebraic geometry, Algebraic Geometry seminar, Kingston, ON, Canada

Combinatorial commutative algebra in action: Markov moves from classical algebraic constructions, Algebraic Statistics Minisymposium, SIAM annual meeting, Pittsburgh, PA

Identifiability of two-tree mixture models, The Second CREST-SBM International Conference "Harmony of Gröbner bases and the modern industrial society", Osaka, Japan

Toric ideals in algebraic statistics, Algebraic Geometry Seminar, Barcelona, Spain

Universal Gröbner and Graver bases: combinatorics of multihomogeneous toric ideals, Special Session on Combinatorial Commutative Algebra, Lexington, KY

Algebraic Statistics of random graph models, Graduate Student Seminar, Northwestern University, Evanston IL

2009:

Markov degrees of hierarchical models determined by Betti numbers of Stanley-Reisner ideals, Symbolic Computation Seminar, NC State University, Raleigh NC

Markov degrees of hierarchical models arising from Betti numbers of Stanley-Reisner ideals , Graduate Computational Algebraic Geometry Seminar, UIC, Chicago IL

The Likelihood Equations, Graduate Computational Algebraic Geometry Seminar, UIC, Chicago IL

Markov degrees of hierarchical models and betti numbers of Stanley-Reisner ideals, 1st Prima Congress, Sydney, Australia

Graver bases of rational normal scrolls, Algebra and Geometry Seminar, University of Kentucky, Lexington KY

Phylogenetic invariants of group-based models and related problems. Workshop on Molecular Evolution and Phylogenetics, Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute, Research Triangle Park NC

Algebraic Statistics of p1 random graph models. Special Session on Algebraic Methods in Statistics and Probability, UIUC, Urbana IL

Toric ideals in algebraic statistic. 2nd Bluegrass Algebra Conference, Lexington, KY. (Abstract can be found here.)

An invitation to algebraic statistics. Statistics Seminar, UIC, Chicago IL

Graver Bases of Varieties of Minimal Degree. Video available here. Connections for Women: Algebraic Geometry and Related Fields (workshop), Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, Berkeley CA

Algebraic Statistics of p1 random graph models. Workshop on Algebraic Statistical Models, Statistical and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute, Research Triangle Park NC

2008 and prior:

Algebraic Statistics of p1 random graph models. (abstract). There will be a video available soon. Workshop on Algebraic Statistics, Mathematical Sciences Research Institute, Berkeley CA

Algebraic properties of cut ideals associated with ring graphs, Algebraic Geometry Seminar, UIC, Chicago IL

Algebraic properties of cut ideals of certain graphs. AMS Central Section meeting, special session on combinatorial and geometric aspects of commutative algebra, Bloomington, IN. See conference webpage for the abstract.

Special Session on Toric Varities, The SIAM-SEAS (Society for Applied and Industrial Mathematics -- SouthEastern Atlantic Section) 2008 Meeting., University of Central Florida, Orlando.

Phylogenetic invariants: an example in algebraic statistics. ( See "Seminar series" on the Departmental calendar here for the abstract.) Statistics Department seminar, Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, PA.

Universal Grobner bases of varieties of minimal degree. Invited talk at the Special Session on Progress in Commutative Algebra at the JMM.

Phylogenetic invariants. (Slides), Statistics Student seminar, University of Kentucky.

Algebraic properties of cut ideals. (Slides). AMS Eastern Section meeting, special session on toric varieties, Rutgers NJ., See conference webpage for the abstract.

Some toric ideals in theory and applications. (Toric ideals, demystified!) (abstract). Graduate student seminar, Univeristy of Kentucky.

Algebraic properties of cut ideals. (abstract) Algebra and geometry seminar, Univeristy of Kentucky.

Toric Ideals of phylogenetic invariants for the general group-basd model on claw trees. See Conference webpage for links., Conference held at Research Institute for Symbolic Computation (RISC), Austria.

Presentation on Introduction to phylogenetics, Symposium held at Eastern Kentucky Univeristy.

Poster on toric ideals of phylogenetic invariants, Workshop held at the IMA, Minneapolis.

Tropicalize your life: a new tool at the crossroads of algebra and polyhedral geometry. (abstract), Graduate student seminar, Univeristy of Kentucky.

Phylogenetics: an invitation. (abstract), Graduate student seminar, Univeristy of Kentucky.

Oscillation of solutions of dynamic equations on time scales: the Sturm-Picone comparison theorem. (abstract), Graduate student seminar, Univeristy of Kentucky.

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