Maximilian Ramgraber

Postdoctoral Associate at Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics / Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering

About

Welcome! I am a postdoctoral researcher with a background in geoscience and a focus on Bayesian statistics, data assimiliation, and hydrogeology. In my current project, I explore triangular  transport methods, a powerful set of tools for non-Gaussian Bayesian inference and data assimilation.

Research Interests

Uncertainty Estimation and Parameter Inference

Most of my research revolves around uncertainty estimation in one form or another. Statistical methods allows us to quantify uncertainty where it cannot be otherwise resolved. This is critical in the study of complex, information-limited systems, such as the subsurface. I am particularly interested in statistical methods which allow us to capture advanced aspects of uncertainty such as Pareto frontiers, multi-modality, and other non-Gaussian features.

Data Assimilation and Sequential Inference

Data assimilation is a special form of uncertainty estimation. It plays an important role in systems where we have an interest in sequential or real-time updates to our simulations. Examples include weather forecasts, pump control, petroleum engineering, or GPS tracking. Advanced data assimilation algorithms can even infer and improve a model's parameters with time, yielding self-improving simulations. Much of my work focusses on such algorithms.

Hydrogeology and Numerical Modelling

The context in which I often explore these subjects is hydrogeology. Groundwater is the most important freshwater reservoir in many parts of the world. Unfortunately, the subsurface is mostly unobservable, which makes its study challenging. With predominantly point-wise data, numerical models are an important tool to create physically meaningful connections between these fragmented pieces of information. When combined with uncertainty estimation, we can rigorously study the plausibility and consequences of different hypotheses about the subsurface's properties even with incomplete data.

Academic waypoints

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University of KielGermany
Geoscience B.Sc.

University of NeuchâtelSwitzerland
Doctorate(Affiliation)
University of TübingenGermany
Applied & Environmental Geoscience M.Sc. 
MITUnited States of America
Postdoctoral Researcher
Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science & TechnologySwitzerlandDoctorate(Workplace)