<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html charset=iso-8859-1"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; "><b id="docs-internal-guid-6ca75d6e-3a64-f60b-6b38-f57895685c6e"><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">CALL FOR PAPERS</span></div><br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">NIPS 2014 Workshop: ABC in Montreal</span></div><br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">December 12 or 13, 2014</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Montreal, Quebec, Canada</span></div><br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Approximate Bayesian computation (ABC) or likelihood-free (LF) methods have developed mostly beyond the radar of the machine learning community, but are important tools for a large segment of the scientific community. This is particularly true for systems and population biology, computational psychology, computational chemistry, etc. Recent work has both applied machine learning models and algorithms to general ABC inference (NN, forests, GPs) and ABC inference to machine learning (e.g. using computer graphics to solve computer vision using ABC). In general, however, there is significant room for collaboration between the two communities.</span></div><br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">The workshop will consist of invited and contributed talks, poster spotlights, and a poster session. Rather than a panel discussion we will encourage open discussion between the speakers and the audience!</span></div><br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Examples of topics of interest in the workshop include (but are not limited to):</span></div><br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">* Applications of ABC to machine learning, e.g., computer vision, inverse problems </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">* ABC in Systems Biology, Computational Science, etc</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">* ABC Reinforcement Learning </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">* Machine learning simulator models, e.g., NN models of simulation responses, GPs etc.</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">* Selection of sufficient statistics</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">* Online and post-hoc error </span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">* ABC with very expensive simulations and acceleration methods (surrogate modeling, choice of design/simulation points)</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">* ABC with probabilistic programming</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">* Posterior evaluation of scientific problems/interaction with scientists</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">* Post-computational error assessment</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">* Impact on resulting ABC inference</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">* ABC for model selection</span></div><br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">===========</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Submission:</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">===========</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">We invite submissions in NIPS 2014 format with a maximum of 4 pages, excluding references. Anonymity is not required. Relevant works that have been recently published or presented elsewhere are allowed, provided that previous publications are explicitly acknowledged. Please submit papers in PDF format </span><a href="mailto:abcinmontreal@gmail.com" style="text-decoration: none; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">abcinmontreal@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; "> .</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">===============</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">ISBA@NIPS</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">===============</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">This workshop has been endorsed by ISBA. As part of their sponsorship, ISBA will be awarding a limited number of travel awards to PhD students and young researchers. The organizing committee may nominate particularly strong submissions for this award.</span></div><br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">In addition to the general ISBA endorsement, ABC in Montreal has been endorsed by the BayesComp section of ISBA.</span></div><br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">================</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Important Dates:</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">================</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Submission Deadline: October 9, 2014</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Author Notification: October 26, 2014</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Workshop: December 12 or 13, 2014</span></div><br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">=================</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Invited Speakers:</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">=================</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Michael Blum, Laboratoire TIMC-IMAG</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Juliane Liepe, Imperial College London</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Vikash Mansinghka, MIT</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Frank Wood, Oxford</span></div><br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">===========</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Organizers:</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">===========</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Neil Lawrence, University of Sheffield</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Ted Meeds, University of Amsterdam</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Christian Robert, </span><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(0, 51, 0); background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Université Paris-Dauphine</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Max Welling, University of Amsterdam</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Richard Wilkinson, University of Nottingham</span></div><br><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">Contact:</span></div><div style="line-height: 1.15; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">The organizers can be contacted at </span><a href="mailto:abcinmontreal@gmail.com" style="text-decoration: none; "><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-weight: normal; text-decoration: underline; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">abcinmontreal@gmail.com</span></a><span style="font-size: 15px; font-family: Arial; font-weight: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; ">.</span></div></b></body></html>