Marta Catalano

I am an Assistant professor of Statistics at Luiss University in Rome.
Previously, I was a Harrison Early Career Assistant Professor at the University of Warwick. I am also affiliated to the BayesLab at Bocconi University.
A full version of my CV may be found here.

Research Interests

• Bayesian nonparametrics
• Distance-based methods in probabilistic machine learning
• Statistical optimal transport and Wasserstein distances
• Stochastic processes and random measures

Upcoming Events

• Reading group on Optimal Transport @Luiss, starting Feb 2025 every Wed 10:30-12:00. Email me to join!
• Early-Career Workshop on Nonparametric Statistics @Luiss (Roma, 15-16 May 2025)
• j-ISBA Peer Mentoring Scheme
• ACM Transactions on Probabilistic Machine Learning is open to submissions
• SDS 2025 (Milan, Apr 2025)
• BNP14 (Los Angeles, June 2025)
• ECOSTA 2025 (Tokyo, Aug 2025)
• RSS 2025 (Edinburgh, Sep 2025)
• BIRS-CMI Workshop on Bayesian Uncertainty Quantification in Large Models (Chennai, Dec 2025)

Preprints

1. Measuring Partial Exchangeability with Reproducing Kernel Hilbert Spaces.
   M. Catalano, H. Lavenant, and F. Mascari (submitted).
   
2. Measures of Dependence based on Wasserstein distances.
   M. Catalano and H. Lavenant (submitted).
   
3. Merging Rate of Opinions via Optimal Transport on Random Measures.
   M. Catalano and H. Lavenant (submitted). [arXiv]
   

Main Publications

1. Hierarchical Integral Probability Metrics:
   A distance on random probability measures with low sample complexity.
   M. Catalano and H. Lavenant (2024).
   Proceedings of the 41st International Conference on Machine Learning.
   [arXiv] [bib] [web]
2. A Wasserstein Index of Dependence for Random Measures.
   M. Catalano, H. Lavenant, A. Lijoi and I. Prünster (2024).
   Journal of the American Statistical Association, 119(547), 2396–2406.
   [arXiv] [bib] [web]
3. A Unified Approach to Hierarchical Random Measures.
   M. Catalano, C. Del Sole, A. Lijoi, I. Prünster (2024).
   Sankhya A, 86, 255-287.
   [pdf] [bib] [web]
4. Bayesian Modeling via Discrete Nonparametric Priors.
   M. Catalano, A. Lijoi, I. Prünster and T. Rigon (2023).
   Japanese Journal of Statistics and Data Science, 6, 607–624.
   [pdf] [bib] [web]
5. Posterior Asymptotics for Boosted Hierarchical Dirichlet Process Mixtures.
   M. Catalano, P. De Blasi, A. Lijoi and I. Prünster (2022).
   Journal of Machine Learning Research, 23(80), 1−23.
   [pdf] [bib] [web]
6. Measuring Dependence in the Wasserstein Distance for Bayesian Nonparametric Models.
   M. Catalano, A. Lijoi and I. Prünster (2021).
   The Annals of Statistics, 49 (5), 2916-2947.
   Winner of the ASA-SBSS 2021 Student Paper Competition.
   [pdf] [bib] [web] [YoungStatS blog]
7. Approximation of Bayesian Models for Time-to-Event Data.
   M. Catalano, A. Lijoi and I. Prünster (2020).
   Electronic Journal of Statistics, 14, 3366-3395.
   [pdf] [bib] [web]

Awards

• Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine Postdoctoral Prize, University of Warwick (2022)
• Finalist, Savage Award 2021 ‘Theory and Methods’ (2022)
• j-ISBA Blackwell-Rosenbluth Award (2021)
• IMS New Researcher Travel Award (2021)
• ASA-SBSS Student Paper Competition (2021)

Presentations

• Gatsby Computational Neuroscience Unit (London, 19 Feb 2025)
• Recent Developments in the Techniques of Bayesian Paradigm (Varanasi, Jan 2025)
• COBAL-EBEB 2024 (Belo Horizonte, Dec 2024)
• DEMO2024 Workshop on Dependence Modelling (Ischia, Sep 2024)
• Workshop on Frontiers of Bayesian Inference and Data Science (Oaxaca, Sep 2024)
• Bernoulli-IMS World Congress (Bochum, Aug 2024)
• Interpretable Inference via Principled BNP Approaches in Biomedical Research and Beyond (Singapore, Jul 2024)
• VIASM Workshop on Bayesian learning and network analysis (Hanoi, Jul 2024)
• International Symposium on Nonparametric Statistics (Braga, Jun 2024)
• 4th Italian Meeting on Probability and Mathematical Statistics (Rome, Jun 2024)
• BNP-ISBA Webinar (Online, May 2024)
• Optimal Transport Cargese Workshop (Cargèse, Apr 2024)
• Autumn School in Bayesian Statistics, CIRM (Marseille, Nov 2023)
• ECOSTA 2023 (Tokyo, Aug 2023)
• Workshop Emerging Topics in Applications of Optimal Transport, ETH (Zürich, Jun 2023)
• Workshop Distance-based methods in Machine Learning, UCL (London, Jun 2023)
• Statistics Seminar, Imperial College London (London, May 2023)
• SIAM-IMA Student Chapter Conference, University of Manchester (Manchester, Apr 2023)
• IISA (Bangalore, Dec 2022)
• Statistics Seminars, Collegio Carlo Alberto (Torino, Dec 2022)
• Department of Mathematics, University of York (York, Nov 2022)
• BNP13 (Puerto Varas, Oct 2022)
• Bernoulli Young Researcher Event 2022 (Jul 2022)
• ISBA 2022 (Montreal, Jun 2022)
• SIS2022 (Caserta, Jun 2022)
• Third Italian Meeting on Probability and Mathematical Statistics (Bologna, Jun 2022)
• Workshop on Bayesian nonparametrics, Postech (Pohang, May 2022)
• 100 UMI - 800 UniPD (Padova, May 2022)
• StatML CDT, Imperial College London & University of Oxford (London, May 2022)
• S3AI, JK Universität Linz (May 2022).
• School of Mathematics, University of Edinburgh (Edinburgh, May 2022)
• BNP networking workshop (Nicosia, Apr 2022)
• Department of Economics and Finance, Luiss (Rome, Mar 2022)
• School of Mathematics, Cardiff University (Cardiff, Mar 2022)
• Applied Maths Seminars, University of Warwick (Coventry, Feb 2022)
• BIRS-CMO Workshop (Oaxaca, Nov 2021)
• Algorithms & Computationally Intensive Inference Seminars, University of Warwick (Coventry, Nov 2021)
• JB^3 for Blackwell-Rosenbluth Award (Nov 2021)
• Department of Statistical Sciences, University College London (London, Nov 2021)
• OxWaSP Annual Workshop (Oct 2021)
• JSM (Aug 2021)
• ISBA 2020 (Jun 2021)
• ECOSTA 2021 (Jun 2021)
• Department of Economics, University of Bergamo (May 2021)
• One World YoungStatS webinar (Apr 2021)
• Department of Statistics and Data Science, Cornell University (Feb 2021)
• CMSTATISTICS 2020 (Dec 2020)
• BAYSM:O (Nov 2020)
• Bernoulli-IMS One World Symposium 2020 (Aug 2020)
• XV CLAPEM 2019 (Mérida, Dec 2019).
• SIS 2019 (Milano, Jun 2019).
• Second Italian Meeting on Probability and Mathematical Statistics (Vietri sul Mare, Jun 2019).

Teaching

• Advanced Statistics, Luiss University (AY 2023/2024, 2024/2025)
• Machine Learning, Luiss University (AY 2023/2024, 2024/2025)
• Dependent nonparametric priors via CRMs, University of Torino (Short course, 2022)
• Bayesian Forecasting and Intervention, University of Warwick (AY 2021/2022, 2022/2023)
• Numerical and Statistical Methods for Finance, University of Torino (TA, AY 2020/2021)
• Data Analysis, Bocconi University (TA, AY 2020/2021, 2019/2020, 2018/2019, 2017/2018)
• Mathematics and Statistics, Bocconi University (TA, AY 2018/2019, 2017/2018)

Contact

mcatalano@luiss.it
Luiss University, Viale Romania 32, 00197, Roma, Italy.