Summary
Rafael De Souza is an astrophysicist and data scientist with 11+ years of experience bridging academic research and applied Bayesian modeling across institutions in Europe, Asia, North America and Brazil. As Chair of the Cosmostatistics Initiative and a senior academic at the University of Hertfordshire and UNC Chapel Hill, he leads interdisciplinary teams solving complex, data-driven problems in astrostatistics, machine learning and probabilistic inference. He authored the award-winning book "Bayesian Models for Astrophysical Data," a practical resource that has influenced statistical practice beyond astronomy. Rafael combines hands-on development in Bayesian tools (R, JAGS, Python, Stan) with public outreach and training, regularly running workshops to upskill the next generation of data scientists. Based in Rio de Janeiro, he is known for turning sophisticated statistical theory into usable toolkits and collaborative open-science projects through COIN.
11 years of coding experience
6 years of employment as a software developer
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Astronomy and Astrophysics, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Astronomy and Astrophysics at Universidade de São Paulo / USP
Bachelor's degree, Astronomy and Astrophysics, Bachelor's degree, Astronomy and Astrophysics at Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro
English