The SanDAL Inaugural Lecture took place on January 23rd, 2020, as an excellent opportunity to introduce ERA Chair Holder Dr. Yannick Baraud to the diverse community involved in Statistics and Data Science. The hosting of this event is a regular tradition for the University of Luxembourg, which commenced with the Dean of the Faculty of Science, Technology and Medicine, Prof. Jean-Marc Schlenker (the project coordinator), welcoming the ERA Chair professor to the institution and also sharing a few words about the significance of the SanDAL project for their faculty and the university as a whole.
Aptly titled, “On the evolution of Data Science”, the main focus of the event was Dr. Baraud’s scientific lecture to an audience from a wide variety of backgrounds, including finance and biomedicine, among others. Incorporating an engaging perspective and thought-provoking notions during his talk, Dr. Baraud addressed the development of Data Science over time and the trajectory it has taken to become an essential component in multi-disciplines within academic and industry.
Following the lecture, audience members were also invited to ask questions. The ensuing discussion mostly centred around what experts in certain fields, such as mathematical statistics, lack or could better understand about how machine learning algorithms work.
The reception provided time and opportunities for the ERA Chair holder to exchange with interested stakeholders and start building the necessary network for future joint projects, collaborations and student internships.
There were at least 100 participants in attendance, including colleagues, students and invited stakeholders.
An official press release for this event is featured in the Chronicle here.
