The Fast and Curious 2: MCMC in Action Brings Together Researchers in Toronto
From September 25–27, 2025, leading statisticians, computer scientists, and applied researchers convened in downtown Toronto for The Fast and Curious 2: MCMC in Action, a three-day international conference dedicated to the theory and practice of Markov Chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. Held at the Ontario Power Building, the event was hosted by the University of Toronto’s Department of Statistical Sciences in partnership with the Faculty of Arts and Science, the Data Sciences Institute, and the Institute for Research in Statistics and its Applications at the University of Minnesota.
The inaugural Fast and Curious conference drew strong engagement and highlighted the need for ongoing collaboration in MCMC research. This second edition deepened that momentum, attracting both seasoned experts and early-career researchers eager to exchange ideas. In the current landscape, where complex-structured and high-dimensional data play an increasingly central role across disciplines, the development of robust and scalable Bayesian methods is essential.
“The energy and engagement over the three days were remarkable,” said Professor Radu Craiu, chair of the Scientific Committee. “The turnout exceeded our expectations, and the depth of discussion reaffirmed how vital MCMC research is for tackling the challenges posed by modern data.”
The program combined invited and contributed talks, organized around MCMC’s wide-ranging applications. While the conference touched on fields as diverse as computational biology, astronomy, and data privacy, the unifying theme was the centrality of MCMC to modern data science and its potential to unlock new ways of modeling, inference, and prediction.
The event was made possible thanks to the efforts of the Scientific Committee—Radu Craiu (University of Toronto), James Flegal (UC Riverside), and Galin Jones (University of Minnesota)—and the Local Organizing Committee of Yichen Ji, Morris Greenberg, Ruyi Pan, KC Tsiolis, and Leo Watson.
Financial and logistical support came from the Department of Statistical Sciences, the Faculty of Arts and Science, the Data Sciences Institute at the University of Toronto, and the Institute for Research in Statistics and its Applications at the University of Minnesota. The Department of Statistical Sciences is proud to have sponsored this landmark event, reinforcing the University of Toronto’s role as a hub for innovative statistical research and international collaboration.
Conference Abstracts
Click here to download a full list of speaker abstracts presented at this year's conference.
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