Carlos A. Coelho is a Full Professor of Statistics at the Mathematics Department of NOVA School of Science and Technology of NOVA University of Lisbon. He holds a Ph.D. in Biostatistics by The University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, U.S.A., where he was a Fulbrighter. His main area of research is Multivariate Analysis, namely the development of likelihood ratio tests for elaborate covariance structures and for MANOVA models, also with elaborate covariance structures, together with the study of the exact distribution and the development of near-exact distributions for the associated test statistics. Related with this area, other areas of interest are Mathematical Statistics and Distribution Theory, as well as Estimation, Univariate and Multivariate Linear, Generalized Linear and Mixed Models. More recently, he also got interested in tests for high-dimensionality and the application of Multivariate Analysis techniques to Statistical Disclosure Control problems. Carlos A. Coelho has served in the Editorial Boards of Discussiones Mathematicae—Probability and Statistics, REVSTAT-Statistical Journal, the Journal of Interdisciplinary Mathematics and the Journal of Applied Statistics and currently serves in the Editorial Boards of the Journal of Statistical Theory and Practice, the American Journal of Mathematical and Management Sciences. He is also Associate Editor of the Springer Book series "Emerging Topics in Statistics and Biostatistics" and a member of the International Council of the "Business World" Library of the Tsenov Academy of Economics (Svishtov, Bulgaria). Currently, Carlos A. Coelho also serves as President of Fulbrighters Portugal, the Portuguese Fulbright Alumni Association.
Tanja Verster, a professor at the Centre for Business Mathematics and Informatics at North-West University in South Africa, launched her career with a Master’s degree in Quantitative Risk Management. She initially worked as a quantitative analyst at First National Bank before transitioning to academia as a lecturer at North-West University in May 2003. She earned her PhD in Risk Analysis, with a focus on credit scoring, from the Centre for BMI in 2007. Currently, she teaches postgraduate courses in credit scoring, predictive modelling, and data mining, and engages in applied research projects mostly related to predictive modelling in credit. Over the past 21 years at BMI, Tanja has published over 30 peer-reviewed papers, completed more than 40 industry-directed research projects, and supervised numerous PhD and master’s students. She was recognized as a C-rated researcher by the National Research Foundation (NRF) in 2020.
Prof Maxim Finkelstein
Professor Maxim Finkelstein had obtained the M.Sc. degree in mathematical physics from Leningrad State University, St. Petersburg, Russia in 1971; the Ph.D. degree in operations research and the Doctor of Science (habilitation) degree in operations research from the Elektropribor Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia in 1979 and 1993, respectively. He is currently a Distinguished Professor with the Department of Mathematical Statistics, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa, where he works since 1998. He is awarded the highest A1 ranking by the National Research Foundation of South Africa and is a recipient of 3 Sichel Medals (for the best publications) from the South African Statistical Association. Currently, he is also a Visiting Professor at the Department of Management Science of Strathclyde University, Glasgow, UK (since 2021). He had published around 300 papers and six books on different aspects of mathematical reliability theory and stochastic modeling. His main research interests are reliability theory and applications, survival analysis, risk and safety modeling and relevant stochastic processes. His last book (co-authored with prof. J.H. Cha) “Point Processes for Reliability Analysis. Shocks and Repairable Systems” was published by Springer in 2018. From 2003 to 2018, he was also a Visiting Professor at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, where he was applying methods of stochastic modeling used for engineering systems to populations of organisms including human populations. Prof. Finkelstein serves as a board member or/and an associate editor for a numerous international journals in his field.
Professor Maxim Finkelstein had obtained the M.Sc. degree in mathematical physics from Leningrad State University, St. Petersburg, Russia in 1971; the Ph.D. degree in operations research and the Doctor of Science (habilitation) degree in operations research from the Elektropribor Institute, St. Petersburg, Russia in 1979 and 1993, respectively. He is currently a Distinguished Professor with the Department of Mathematical Statistics, University of the Free State, Bloemfontein, South Africa, where he works since 1998. He is awarded the highest A1 ranking by the National Research Foundation of South Africa and is a recipient of 3 Sichel Medals (for the best publications) from the South African Statistical Association. Currently, he is also a Visiting Professor at the Department of Management Science of Strathclyde University, Glasgow, UK (since 2021). He had published around 300 papers and six books on different aspects of mathematical reliability theory and stochastic modeling. His main research interests are reliability theory and applications, survival analysis, risk and safety modeling and relevant stochastic processes. His last book (co-authored with prof. J.H. Cha) “Point Processes for Reliability Analysis. Shocks and Repairable Systems” was published by Springer in 2018. From 2003 to 2018, he was also a Visiting Professor at the Max Planck Institute for Demographic Research, Rostock, Germany, where he was applying methods of stochastic modeling used for engineering systems to populations of organisms including human populations. Prof. Finkelstein serves as a board member or/and an associate editor for a numerous international journals in his field.
Mr Lucas van der Meer
Lucas
van der Meer is a doctoral researcher in geoinformatics at the University of
Salzburg in Austria. He obtained a bachelor in spatial planning at the University
of Groningen in The Netherlands, with an academic minor in mathematics and
statistics. His master in Geospatial Technologies was a joint degree from the
University of Münster in Germany and the Nova Information Management School in
Lisbon, Portugal. His research lies on the intersection between spatial data
science and human behavioral science. It focuses on quantitative model
development within human-centric urban planning practices, geospatial network
analysis, and the assessment of sustainable transport accessibility in
particular. Lucas is an advocate for open, reproducible science, and has
authored multiple software packages in both R and Python.
Dr Alex Shabala
Dr Alex Shabala is the Group Head of Data Science at Capitec. He holds a PhD in Applied Mathematics from the University of Oxford. Over the past decade, he has worked in both academia and industry, applying Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in fields as varied as Climate Research and Financial Services.
He is passionate about Machine Learning and its potential to improve peoples' lives. At Capitec, he is leading the use of AI products that deliver on its four fundamental pillars of Simplicity, Affordability, Accessibility and Personalised Experience.
Dr Alex Shabala is the Group Head of Data Science at Capitec. He holds a PhD in Applied Mathematics from the University of Oxford. Over the past decade, he has worked in both academia and industry, applying Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence in fields as varied as Climate Research and Financial Services.
He is passionate about Machine Learning and its potential to improve peoples' lives. At Capitec, he is leading the use of AI products that deliver on its four fundamental pillars of Simplicity, Affordability, Accessibility and Personalised Experience.