Modern explorations in science, technology and medicine increasingly demand complex stochastic models. Computational and theoretical advances are needed in order to formulate, analyze, apply and interpret these models. Recent years have witnessed a remarkable interplay between computation and probability. On the one hand, probabilistic techniques have led to powerful computational methods such as Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithms, while on the other hand the calculation of probabilistic quantities such as modes and marginals of high-dimensional distributions and the analysis of data from random samples has posed several computational challenges.

The Fall 2012 Semester on "Computational Challenges in Probability" aims to bring together leading experts and young researchers who are advancing the use of probabilistic and computational methods to study complex models in a variety of fields. The goal is to identify common challenges, exchange existing tools, reveal new application areas... (more)

Rapid growth in computational resources has heightened the expectation that scientific knowledge can indeed be a driver for societal well-being and betterment. At the same time, our ability to measure the natural and social world around has significantly increased, aided by technological development in sensors, the internet, and other modalities of communication. Science is thus faced, simultaneously, with a complex description of reality at an unprecedented resolution, and the possibility to describe this reality with mathematical models of increasing complexity. Probabilistic formulations of physical problems can be viewed as attempts to adapt rational procedures to this complexity, while tackling the conceptual challenges they inevitably present. As a testament to the significance of this confluence of mathematics, science, and technology, Uncertainty Quantification is arguably one of the fastest growing sub-disciplines in mechanics.

The communities of computational science,... (more)

Monte Carlo methods are one of the main tools used to study the properties of complex physical, chemical and biological systems. Since their introduction in the late 1940s, these methods have undergone a remarkable expansion and are now used in many other fields, including statistical inference, engineering, and computer science. However, the design and theoretical understanding of Monte Carlo methods is still a challenging topic, especially for those problems where rare events play the key role in determining algorithm performance. The aim of the workshop is to bring together specialists in the application areas who understand the specific challenges posed by realistic problems and have developed sophisticated tools to tackle these problems, and mathematicians developing methods for algorithm analysis, abstraction, and optimization.

Monte Carlo methods have become increasingly important in Engineering and the Sciences. These application areas have posed challenges and opportunities in the analysis of modern Monte Carlo algorithms. The workshop's main focus is on: a) the mathematical techniques and aspects that have been key in the analysis of these algorithms, and b) the identification of techniques that are likely to play a role in future analysis.