PhD defence
Computational Solutions for Global and Closed Testing in High- dimensional Data
- N. Xu
- Date
- Thursday 12 March 2026
- Time
- Location
-
Academy Building
Rapenburg 73
2311 GJ Leiden
Supervisor(s)
- Prof.dr. J.J.Goeman
Summary
This research creates new statistical methods to reliably find true signals in large modern datasets, like those in genetics or brain imaging, where measuring thousands of features at once can lead to false discoveries. A powerful framework called "closed testing" that guarantees strong control of false positives was the focus, and innovative computational shortcuts—using smart branch-and-bound algorithms—were developed to make this framework both practical and powerful for high-dimensional data. These methods allow researchers to perform flexible, data-driven analyses without being misled by chance, which is crucial for accurately identifying disease-related genes or brain activity patterns in medical research. The findings in this work are special because they combine rigorous mathematical guarantees with efficient, user-friendly software, making advanced statistical reliability accessible to scientists tackling complex biological questions.
PhD dissertations
Approximately one week after the defence, PhD dissertations by Leiden PhD students are available digitally through the Leiden Repository, that offers free access to these PhD dissertations. Please note that in some cases a dissertation may be under embargo temporarily and access to its full-text version will only be granted later.
Press enquiries (journalists only)
General information
Beadle's Office
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