Dr. Mihir Arjunwadkar, Associate Professor at CMS, Pune


I am an Associate Professor at the Centre for Modeling & Simulation, SP Pune University. Here, I helped create academic programmes in Modeling & Simulation. (http://cms.unipune.ac.in/programmes/). A conference article about this curriculum design experiment is available at http://cms.unipune.ac.in/reports/pd-20120121/. At the Centre, over the years, I have taught courses on probability theory, statistical inference, advanced data analysis methods, stochastic simulation / monte carlo methods, the R statistical computing environment, numerical computing, optimization, etc.

Most fields of knowledge (and science in particular) have grown increasingly data-rich over the past few decades. The complexity of scientific questions being addressed has also increased rapidly. Indeed, 21st century science has been aptly described as "large data sets, complex questions" science (Bradley Efron, foreword to http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-04898-2). The use of statistics is inevitable because of the inherent uncertainties in data, whereas computation is unavoidable because of data size, methodological intricacies, and model complexity. What often helps address complex problems is fresh ways of looking at the problem and the available data, coupled with apt use of statistical and computational methodologies.

My approach and outlook is imminently inter-/multi-disciplinary (where problems are domain-specific, and the methodologies are statistical and computational) and problem-centric (where methods are devised or adopted to suit the problem being addressed, and not vice versa). My current research interest is in the development (or apt and meaningful use) of statistical and computational methodologies for data-intensive science, with focus on astrostatistics (radio astronomy in particular). I have occasionally dabbled in computational biology. In times ancient, my PhD research was in the field of (computational) condensed matter physics.

Mihir’s public profile

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