invited Talks
2023
WICAII
Participant 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
Title TBD, Computational Algebraic Geometry workshop, Foundations of Computational Mathematics (FoCM 2023) conference, Paris, France, June 12 - 21, 2023.
BIRS-CMO
Participant in the 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.
ML
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.