Jessi Cisewski-Kehe - Colloquium Speaker

Faculty Candidate for Assistant Professor in Data Science; Assistant Professor, Department of Statistics & Data Science, Yale University
Date: 
Tuesday, January 28, 2020 - 3:30pm
Colloquium Title: 
Analyzing Data Full of Holes: Topological Data Analysis
Location: 
Reception at 3:00 p.m. in 241 SH / Talk at 3:30 in 71 SH

Abstract:

Data exhibiting complicated spatial structures are common in many areas of science (e.g., cosmology, biology), but can be difficult to analyze. Persistent homology is an approach within the area of Topological Data Analysis (TDA) that offers a framework to represent, visualize, and interpret complex data by extracting topological features which may be used to infer properties of the underlying structures. For example, TDA is a beneficial technique for analyzing intricate and spatially complex web-like data such as the large-scale structure (LSS) of the Universe. The output from persistent homology, called persistence diagrams, summarizes the different order holes in the data (e.g., connected components, loops, voids). Dr. Cisewski-Kehe will introduce persistent homology, present a unified framework for inference or prediction using functional transformations of persistence diagrams, and discuss how persistent homology can be used to locate cosmological voids and filament loops in the LSS of the Universe.