Andreas Emil Kryger Jensen, University of Copenhagen, Denmark, will present the Department of Statistical Science seminar with a talk entitled, "Regression models for random density functions".

Abstract: The topic of Functional Data Analysis (FDA) has played a noticeable role in the development of contemporary statistical methodology during the last 10 to 15 years as it has become easier and more inexpensive to collect large amounts of data over time. A primary focus of FDA has been on extending existing multivariate statistical methods to settings where either the outcome or an explanatory variable belongs to a linear function space. A natural extension is to pursue similar methodological developments for non-linear function spaces. An assortment of such extensions has more recently been given the name Object-oriented Data Analysis (ODA). In the functional version of ODA the aim is to model infinite dimensional random objects belonging to some non-linear manifold.

Andreas Kryger Jensen obtained his Master of Science degree in 2010 and in 2014 his PhD degree in Biostatistics from the University of Southern Denmark. From 2014 he has been employed at the Section of Biostatistics, Institute of Public Health, at the University of Copenhagen; since 2015 as Assistant Professor. Part of his current employment involves statistical consulting for medical doctors at a local hospital. His research is based on statistical applications in bio- and medical sciences with a strong focus on methodology. A special research interest is Functional Data Analysis and its applications.

In this talk Andreas will present both a non-parametric and a semi-parametric regression model where the functional objects are random density functions. The motivation for considering these models is a medical application with the purpose of predicting and discriminating between different severities of heart failure in human patients based on CT scanning measurements of the density of lung tissue.