Participation at SSIAB 16 in Smögen, Sweden

Last week, Emily Ewers, Chiara Fend, and Claudia Redenbach attended the 16th Workshop on Spatial Statistics and Image Analysis in Biology (SSIAB 16). This biannual event brings together researchers from the point process community and is held in a different location each time — this year, in the scenic seaside town of Smögen, Sweden.

Chiara and Emily both gave presentations on recent research. Chiara’s talk, titled “Nonparametric isotropy test for spatial point processes using random rotations” (joint work with Claudia), introduced a new replication strategy for Monte Carlo tests. Emily presented “Bayesian inference for Neyman–Scott point processes with anisotropic clusters”, a collaboration with Jiří Dvořák, Tomáš Mrkvička, and Claudia Redenbach. Her talk focused on a Bayesian inference framework that allows the anisotropy in the clusters of a Neyman–Scott process to depend on covariates.

In addition to the rich academic program, the workshop offered many opportunities for informal exchange — whether during seaside swims, casual conversations, or a group boat trip organised for all participants. We're already looking forward to the next SSIAB in two years!