ICS News Archive

Professor Guindani Named Incoming Editor-in-Chief of Bayesian Analysis

Statistics Professor Michele Guindani has been named editor-in-chief of Bayesian Analysis, the electronic journal of the International Society for Bayesian Analysis (ISBA). His term starts in January 2019 and will run through December 2021 for this free, open-access journal that focuses on innovative research about Bayesian theory, methodology and application. In the words of the founding Editor-in-Chief, Rob E. Kass of Carnegie Mellon University, the journal provides an “outward-looking” view of Bayesian statistics, which can be of interest “not only to statisticians but to a very broad spectrum of quantitative researchers.”

Although its foundations trace back to the probabilistic work of Thomas Bayes and Pierre Simon Laplace in the 18th century, in the last few decades, Bayesian thinking has assumed a prominent role not only in statistics but also in computer science and bioinformatics, economics, medicine and even physics. “It is undoubtedly a great honor to be nominated as editor-in-chief of Bayesian Analysis,” says Guindani.

The journal welcomes submissions that present new computational and statistical methods; offer critical reviews and discussions of existing approaches; review historical perspectives; describe important scientific or policy application areas; present case studies; or develop methods for experimental design, data collection, data sharing or data mining. With a 2017 Journal Impact Factor (JIF) of 2.342, its rank is comparable to other major publications in statistics — the Annals of Statistics (2.522), the Journal of the American Statistical Association (2.297) and the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society: Series B (2.894).

As EIC, Guindani will coordinate the work of 10 area editors and around 40 associate editors, promoting quick reviews to ensure timely and effective editorial management. In addition, he will help the editorial board organize invited sessions at the Joint Statistical Meetings, a well-known conference in the field of statistics, and at ISBA World Meetings, the major Bayesian conference. The editorial board ofBayesian Analysis is also involved in the selection of the Lindley Prize, which is awarded for innovative research in Bayesian statistics. Named for Dennis V. Lindley, it recognizes the impact of his work in the foundations, theory and application of Bayesian statistics, and his marked influence on the evolution and spread of the discipline over many decades.

Guindani will be the third EIC out of six to come from the UC system. “I personally see this nomination as the recognition of the work of the entire faculty at UCI in recent years,” he says. He highlights the accomplishments of faculty and graduate students in the Department of Statistics, who are continuously involved in high-profile and impactful research. He also commends many of his colleagues for serving on prestigious grant review panels, editorial boards and committees in institutions worldwide. “Hence, my commitment follows in the growing tradition of outstanding professional service that we have been creating at UCI,” says Guindani. “I am confident that this opportunity would have not been possible without the strong credibility and reputation developed by the supportive environment of Statistics, ICS and UCI.”

— Shani Murray