Posts

Macros for graph separations

In a recent paper by Richard Guo and me, we proposed a systematic way to select confounders by eliciting expert opinion. We invented some new notation to distinguish some different types of graph connections/separations.

Discussion on (quasi-)randomization inference

The following is an email exchange with Hyunseung Kang on the nature of randomization inference. This was sparked by a couple of papers by David Freedman and David Lane: A Nonstochastic Interpretation of Reported Significance Levels; Significance Testing in a Nonstochastic Setting.

Amusing counterfactual inference (by words)

My good friend Joshua Loftus and I spent some 30 minutes to crack (at least we think we did!) a counterfactual inference made in a speech in the House of Commons in London in 1850 by Lord Palmerston, who was the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs at the time.

The origin of randomization

This post is derived from my talk “Fisher, Statistics, and Randomization” in the Fisher in the 21st Century Conference organized by Fisher’s College, Gonville & Caius. In the first half of that talk, I tried to trace the origin of randomization.

The philosophy behind hypothesis testing

I read a few interesting articles this week on the Fisher-Neyman debate on the foundation of hypothesis testing: The Fisher, Neyman-Pearson Theories of Testing Hypotheses: One Theory or Two?. Rigorous uncertainty: why RA Fisher is important.

Statistical Modeling: Returning to its roots

Over this Easter weekend, I wrote the following commentary for the reprinting on Leo Breiman’s paper “Statistical Modeling: The Two Cultures” by Observational Studies. This is partly based on a talk I gave last year.

A fun model to explain the surging popularity of Mendelian randomization

Ever wondered why Mendelian randomization is getting so popular?

Seeking a summer research intern (EXPIRED)

Seeking one student for a summer internship project on Mendelian randomization.

Is this estimand really an average treatment effect?

This post is about an interesting causal (?) estimand that appears in studies of racially biased policing using adminstrative records.

Migrating my website to Hugo + Academic + ox-hugo

Update <2021-05-30 Sun>: A template of this website is now available on GitHub. Being stuck at home during the pandemic, as miserable as it is, actually helps me to redesign my working environment.