ISNPS 2026

 

The International Symposium on Nonparametric Statistics (ISNPS) successfully concluded its 2026 edition, which took place from June 22 to June 26 in the city of Thessaloniki, Greece. This in-person event gathered 440 distinguished academics, researchers, and students from 39 countries, including strong delegations from China, the United States of America, Spain, and Australia. Hosted at the Grand Hotel Palace Thessaloniki, a stylish city hotel at the city entrance.

Under the leadership of Conference Chair Prof. George Michailides, alongside the dedicated efforts of Local Organizers Professor Dimitris Kugiumtzis and Prof. Dimitris Ioannides, the event offered rigorous science and cultural experiences.

The execution of the symposium was guided by this year’s distinguished scientific committee, which included Lefteris Aggelis, Juan Carlos Escanciano, Konstantinos Fokianos, Dimitris Ioannides, Alex Karagrigoriou, Dimitris Karlis, Dimitris Kugiumtzis, Eric Matzner-Lober, Jeffrey Racine, and George Tsaklidis.

 

Programme

The scientific program was exceptionally robust, spanning diverse conference tracks that addressed the most pressing challenges in the field today. Sessions covered Time Series, Generative AI, High-Dimension, Copulas, Extremes, Sequential Methods, Inference, Functional Data, Geometry, Complex Systems, Econometrics, Machine Learning, Dependence Modeling, Bayesian analysis, and Survival Analysis.

The symposium featured a lineup of keynote presentations from world-renowned authorities:

• Professor Jianqing Fan from Princeton University delivered a talk titled “Distributed-oracle estimation for high-dimensional quantile regression”.
• Professor Daniela Witten from the University of Washington captivated the audience with “Testing hypotheses via orthogonalization”.
• Professor Xuming He from Washington University in St. Louis provided deep insights with his presentation on “Distributed-oracle estimation for high-dimensional quantile regression”.
• Professor Ingrid Van Keilegom from KU Leuven explored survival complexities in “When Censoring Is Not Innocent: Challenges and Solutions for Dependent Censoring in Survival Analysis”.
• Professor Dimitris N. Politis from the University of California at San Diego illuminated predictive methods with “Predictive Inference in Nonparametric Regression: Model-free Bootstrap, Conformal Prediction, and Pertinent Prediction Intervals”.

Prof. George Michailides praised the impact of this year’s gathering:

“By introducing events for junior researchers, such as our dedicated awards and poster sessions, we are actively shaping the future of the community. Looking ahead, we are excited to introduce short talks to further diversify our program. We invite passionate minds to engage with ISNPS moving forward, whether by joining our scientific committee or stepping up as future event organizers“.

More than 10 outstanding poster presentations were displayed by junior researchers. At the closing ceremony, Noah Bolanos and Annesha Deb received the Best Student Poster Awards for “Learning graphical models for multivariate nonstationary time series” and “A Random Projection-based Kernel Density Estimator“.

Beyond the lecture halls, the social program allowed participants to meet old friends and forge new international collaborations. The welcome reception set a festive tone, where attendees enjoyed canapes and local drinks at the venue right alongside an impressive display of antique cars and red umbrellas, accompanied by DJ music.

A guided city tour took attendees through the most important monuments of Thessaloniki, leading them up to the Old Town walls. From this historic point, participants enjoyed the panoramic view of the Thermaic Gulf, catching a glimpse of Mount Olympus. The tour concluded with a walk along the famous Thessaloniki promenade, where everyone watched a golden sunset while walking toward the dinner venue. The conference dinner, held at a local lounge bar restaurant, treated guests to local cuisine, wines, and a soothing live saxophone performance.

Many participants also took advantage of an optional excursion to the nearby Vergina Museum, where they learned about the Royal Tombs of ancient Macedon, viewing golden wreaths and artifacts.

 

Acknowledgements

At the closing ceremony, Professor Dimitris Kugiumtzis shared a warm message of appreciation on behalf of the organizing team:

“We extend our heartfelt thanks to every participant, speaker, and student who traveled from across the globe to Thessaloniki. Your brilliant contributions and collaborative spirit made this an unforgettable week of science and fellowship”.

Easyconferences seamlessly supported the event through its comprehensive suite of management tools. The conference utilized their Online Registration System for seamless attendee check-ins, the Abstract Submission Platform to manage the extensive scientific program, expert Conference Coordination Services to oversee logistics, and a dedicated Conference Application to keep attendees connected and informed in real-time.

 

Next Location

The International Symposium on Nonparametric Statistics looks forward to its next edition, which will take place in the metropolis of Milano, Italy. Far from just a fashion capital, Milano is known for its art, history, and architectural genius. Future attendees will find themselves inspired by the intricate Gothic spires of the Duomo di Milano, the historic Sforza Castle, and the Navigli canals, designed in part by Leonardo da Vinci, which now buzz with cafes and artistic energy.