Curriculum Vitae of Zsolt Talata
Present Position
2015 – Present Associate Professor
Department of Mathematics, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS.
Research area: mathematical statistics, machine learning
Previous Positions
2007 – 2015 Assistant Professor
Department of Mathematics, University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS.
Research area: mathematical statistics, probability, information theory
2005 – 2007 Visiting Assistant Professor
School of Mathematics, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA.
Research area: mathematical statistics, stochastics, bioinformatics
2004 – 2005 Young Research Fellow
Stochastics Research Group, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
Research area: information-theoretical methods in mathematical statistics, model selection, Gibbs fields
2003 – 2004 Junior Researcher
Information Theory Research Division, Rényi Institute of Mathematics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest, Hungary.
Research area: information-theoretical methods in mathematical statistics, model selection, Gibbs fields
Visiting Positions
2005 Invited Researcher (for 1 month)
Laboratoire de Mathématique, Université Paris-Sud, Orsay, France.
Research area: model selection
2018 Visiting Fellow (in the spring semester)
Department of Statistics and Data Science, Yale University.
Research area: Gibbs fields
Education
2000 – 2003 Ph.D. student
Department of Stochastics, Doctoral School of Mathematical Institute, Faculty of Science,
Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary,
and Rényi Institute of Mathematics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Hungary.
Degree: Ph.D. in Applied Mathematics, June 2005 (summa cum laude)
Thesis advisor: Imre Csiszár
Thesis title: Model Selection via Information Criteria for Tree Models and Markov Random Fields
1998 – 2002
Mathematics program, Faculty of Science, Eötvös Loránd University, Budapest, Hungary.
Measure-theory based courses: Probability Theory; Mathematical Statistics I–III; Multivariate Statistics I–II; Markov Chains; Independent Increment and Markov Processes; Information Theory; Martingale Theory; System Theory I–II; Lifetime-Data Analysis
Related courses: Functional Analysis; Function Series; Differential Equations
1993 – 2000 Undergraduate and graduate student
Faculty of Electrical Engineering and Informatics, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary.
Degree: M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering, June 2000 (excellent)
Master's thesis advisor: Gábor Horváth
Master's thesis title: Order Estimation for Dynamic Neural Networks
Grants
2025 Undergraduate Research Award in Mathematics, University of Kansas, “Exploring Policy Gradient Methods for Applications in Healthcare.” Mentor: Talata; awardee: Shad Ahmed Shahul Hameed.
2019 – 2020 General Research Fund, University of Kansas, GRF 2142078 “Information-Theoretical Methods in Mathematical Statistics.” PI: Talata.
2016 – 2021 National Institutes of Health, NIH 1DP5OD023118-01 “Comprehensive Analysis of Human Adaptive Immune Receptors to Elucidate Correlates of Epstein-Barr Virus Disease.” Co-PI: Talata; PI: DeKosky.
2019 Undergraduate Research Award in Mathematics, University of Kansas, “The Application of Variable Length Markov Chain (VLMC) Model and Probabilistic Suffix Tree (PST) Model on Unemployment Rate Prediction and Categorization of Genes.” Mentor: Talata; awardee: Yuan Fang.
2014 – 2018 National Science Foundation, Division of Mathematical Sciences, DMS 1407819 “Statistical Inference on Memory Structure of Processes.” PI: Talata.
2014 – 2015 US Army Research Office, Mathematical Sciences Division, 65386-MA-II “Statistical Inference on Memory Structure of Processes and Its Applications to Information Theory.” PI: Talata.
2010 – 2015 National Institutes of Health, NIH/NIAMS 1 R01 AR056347-01 “Gradient-Based Strategy for Osteochondral Regeneration.” PI: Detamore.
2013 Undergraduate Research Award, University of Kansas, “Statistical Estimation of Scattered Memory Processes.” Mentor: Talata; awardee: Varady.
2009 – 2013 National Science Foundation, Division of Mathematical Sciences, DMS 0906929 “Information-Theoretical Methods in Statistics.” PI: Talata.
2008 – 2010 NASA Graduate Student Researchers Program, GSRP NNX08AV41H “Modified Lorentzian Modeling of OH, H2O, and SO4 Spectral Absorption Bands to Determine the Presence of Phyllosilicates and Sulfates on Mars.” PI: Talata; student: Makarewicz.
2008 – 2009 New Faculty General Research Fund, University of Kansas, GRF 2302156 “Context Tree Estimation for Finite and Infinite Memory Processes, via Bayesian Information Criterion.” PI: Talata.
2006 – 2007 Hungarian National Committee for Technological Development, OMFB F-23/2005 OMFB-00421/2006 “Information Theory and Statistics.” PI: Csiszár.
2004 – 2007 Hungarian National Foundation for Scientific Research, OTKA T046376 “Information Theory and Its Applications.” PI: Csiszár.
Honors and Awards
2018 Visiting Fellow, Department of Statistics and Data Science, Yale University (January 1, 2018 – May 31, 2018)
2018 Max Wells Teaching Award, In recognition of outstanding or exemplary teaching in the field of mathematics, Department of Mathematics, The University of Kansas
2018 Sabbatical Leave for Spring 2018, The University of Kansas
2011 Inducted in to Phi Beta Delta Honor Society for International Scholars
2005 “Thanks For Being a Great Teacher” In appreciation of your teaching style and dedication of helping students learn in Mathematics, Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning, Georgia Institute of Technology
2000 — 2003 Ph.D. Scholarship, Rényi Institute of Mathematics, Hungarian Academy of Sciences
2000 Dunaferr Award by Dunaferr Danube Iron Works Inc. For excellence in graduate studies.
2000 Dissertation Award by Budapest and Pest County Chamber of Engineering. For the Master’s thesis.
2000 3rd Prize, Thesis Competition, “Industry for the Modern Engineering Education” Foundation and LANeX Consulting Ltd. For the Master’s thesis.
1999 2nd Prize, Informatics Section, Students’ Scientific National Conference (OTDK). For graduate research.
1998 1st Prize, Control Section, Students’ Scientific Conference (TDK), Technical University of Budapest. For graduate research.
1997 2nd–3rd Prize, Signal Processing Competition, Technical University of Budapest
1996 Schlumberger Scholarship (1 year) by Schlumberger Industries
Teaching Experience
2007 – Present The University of Kansas, USA
Statistical Decision Theory (grad); Stochastic Processes (grad); Statistical Theory (grad); Probability Theory (grad); Time Series Analysis (grad/undergrad); Statistical Data Science (grad/undergrad); Applied Regression Analysis (grad/undergrad); Mathematical Theory of Statistics (grad/undergrad); Probability (grad/undergrad); Applied Mathematical Statistics (upper-undergrad); Elementary Statistics (undergrad); Elementary Differential Equations (undergrad)
2005 – 2007 Georgia Institute of Technology, USA
Probability I (measure-theory based graduate course); Mathematical Statistics I & II (grad/undergrad); Statistics and Applications (upper-undergrad); Introduction to Probability and Statistics (upper-undergrad)
2005 Central European University, Hungary
Information Theory (in the international Ph.D. program)
2000 – 2005 Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Hungary
Calculus; Multivariate Calculus; Differential Geometry; Function Series; Linear Algebra; Probability Theory