Practical Bayesian Inference

'Coryn Bailer-Jones provides a coherent introduction to the most important modern statistical methods and computational tools for analysing data. His writing style is easy to follow, without the burden of formal proofs and complex derivations, but with sufficient mathematical rigour. This book could be used as an excellent textbook for a semester-long course aimed at undergraduate and graduate students of physical sciences and engineering (knowledge of basic calculus is assumed, but no specific experience with probability or statistics is required). Theoretical concepts and examples of applications are extensively illustrated and supported by author's code in the R language.' Zeljko Ivezic, University of Washington 'Bailer-Jones' book is an excellent textbook that provides a simple yet rigorous introduction to statistical methods for data analysis. The book mainly focuses on Bayesian inference and parameter estimation and its goal is to make these topics accessible to a large variety of applied scientists interested in applying data analysis and uncertainty quantification to physical and natural science problems. ... Overall, Bailer-Jones's book is an excellent resource for undergraduate students in STEM disciplines who wants to grasp an intuitive understanding of probability and statistics, and it is a comprehensive introductory handbook to keep on the bookshelf for graduate students and researchers in physical and natural sciences, interested in applying statistical methods for data analysis.' Dario Grana, Math Geosci 'Bailer-Jones does an excellent job of giving the reader an understanding of the techniques and the knowledge for further study in the subject ... The care and effort that has been put into writing this book is clearly obvious. One of the author's intentions was, no doubt, to make the subject accessible and enjoyable and I think that goal has been achieved. Bailer-Jones has written an excellent book which uses real-life examples (in medicine and astronomy, for example) to explain the technique ... I will make frequent use of this book for reference and will definitely give it a second reading.' Terence Morley, Mathematics Today 'The book can serve as a primer for undergraduate and graduate students or for researchers in physical and mathematical sciences whose interests lie in the application of statistical methods in analyzing complex data sets.' Fred Boadu, The Leading Edge 'Coryn Bailer-Jones provides a coherent introduction to the most important modern statistical methods and computational tools for analysing data. His writing style is easy to follow, without the burden of formal proofs and complex derivations, but with sufficient mathematical rigour. This book could be used as an excellent textbook for a semester-long course aimed at undergraduate and graduate students of physical sciences and engineering (knowledge of basic calculus is assumed, but no specific experience with probability or statistics is required). Theoretical concepts and examples of applications are extensively illustrated and supported by author's code in the R language.' Zeljko Ivezic, University of Washington 'Bailer-Jones' book is an excellent textbook that provides a simple yet rigorous introduction to statistical methods for data analysis. The book mainly focuses on Bayesian inference and parameter estimation and its goal is to make these topics accessible to a large variety of applied scientists interested in applying data analysis and uncertainty quantification to physical and natural science problems. ... Overall, Bailer-Jones's book is an excellent resource for undergraduate students in STEM disciplines who wants to grasp an intuitive understanding of probability and statistics, and it is a comprehensive introductory handbook to keep on the bookshelf for graduate students and researchers in physical and natural sciences, interested in applying statistical methods for data analysis.' Dario Grana, Math Geosci 'Bailer-Jones does an excellent job of giving the reader an understanding of the techniques and the knowledge for further study in the subject ... The care and effort that has been put into writing this book is clearly obvious. One of the author's intentions was, no doubt, to make the subject accessible and enjoyable and I think that goal has been achieved. Bailer-Jones has written an excellent book which uses real-life examples (in medicine and astronomy, for example) to explain the technique ... I will make frequent use of this book for reference and will definitely give it a second reading.' Terence Morley, Mathematics Today 'The book can serve as a primer for undergraduate and graduate students or for researchers in physical and mathematical sciences whose interests lie in the application of statistical methods in analyzing complex data sets.' Fred Boadu, The Leading Edge