Bayesian Macroeconometric Modelling Workshop

The Bayesian Macroeconometric Workshop will be held on 31 August to 1 September 2025 and will be hosted by the School of Economics at The University of Queensland.The aim of this workshop is to produce a research volume in Advances in Econometrics on the theory and practice of Bayesian applied and theoretical macroeconometrics.The workshop is a place for researchers to present cutting edge research in Bayesian macroeconometric methods. Possible topics include, but are not limited to:

• Forecasting
• Policy analysis
• Identification
• Factor models
• High dimensional VARs
• Computational methods
• Time variation in high dimensional models
• Estimation, identification and inference in VARMAs 
  • Achieving parsimony through techniques such as shrinkage and selection

Selected papers will appear as a volume in Advances in Econometrics: Bayesian Macroeconometric Modelling. The volume will be edited by Dr Rodney Strachan (University of Queensland) and Dr Eric Eisenstat (University of Queensland). Please email extended abstracts or completed papers no later than 31 March 2025. 

Advances in Econometrics (AiE) is a research annual whose editorial policy is to publish original articles that contain enough detail so that non-experts will find them accessible and useful in their work. Authors should be able to provide, upon request, data and code to facilitate replication of their results.

Please send any questions to bmw2025@uq.edu.au.

Junior Paper and Travel Awards

The Organizing Committee is pleased to announce two funding opportunities for student members of ISBA attending the workshop. The winner of this award will notified at the time of paper acceptance and announced at the conference dinner.

1. The Economics, Finance and Business Section of ISBA (ISBA EFaB) is funding one USD1000 paper award for junior scholars (defined as a PhD student) who are members of EFaB.
2. The International Society for Bayesian Analysis (ISBA) is funding one USD1000 travel grant for a junior scholar (defined as above) to help partially off-set travel costs.

Important Dates

Keynote speakers

Mike West, Duke University

Mike West is The Arts & Sciences Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Statistics and Decision Sciences at Duke University. He has made very considerable contributions to a wide range of areas of theoretical and applied work in Bayesian analysis, including time series and forecasting. He has an extensive line of past and current research on Bayesian statistics and decision analysis in causal inference, dynamic modelling, forecasting & time series analysis, dynamic networks, model uncertainty, simulation & optimisation. Important areas of application include forecasting in finance and, of particular relevance to this workshop, macroeconomics for decision making. He is a highly distinguished academic having served as President of International Society for Bayesian Analysis (ISBA), been elected fellow of the Royal Statistical Society, the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, the American Statistical Association, and the International Statistical Institute and inaugural fellow of ISBA. He has published 4 books, several edited volumes and well over 200 papers in leading journals, primarily in dynamic modelling. He has received many awards for his contributions including the inaugural award of the Zellner Medal (ISBA), as well as, among other awards, the Bruno de Finetti Lecture Award (ISBA) and the Akaike Memorial Lecture Award.

Sylvia Kaufmann, Study Center Gerzensee, University of Basel

Sylvia Kaufmann is Deputy Director of the Study Center Gerzensee, and adjunct professor at the University of Basel. Before working for the Swiss National Bank, Sylvia held positions at the University of Vienna, the Austrian Central Bank as consultant for the Economic Analysis Division and as research economist in the Economic Studies Division; she worked as senior staff member in the Inflation Forecasting Unit of the Swiss National Bank. Her research interests include time series econometrics, monetary policy and macroeconomics. She has published in top journals such as the Journal of Econometrics, Journal of Applied Econometrics, Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, Journal of Monetary Economics, Journal of Applied Econometrics and Studies in Nonlinear Dynamics & Econometrics. She has made a number of contributions to Bayesian macroeconometrics including her resent work on various dynamic factor models.

Submissions

Please email submissions to bmw2025@uq.edu.au by 31 March 2025.

Registration for workshop

Registrations open 1 May 2025 and close on the 31 July 2025. A registration link will be available soon. 

Preliminary Program

To be announced.

Visiting Brisbane

Welcome to Brisbane! Brisbane is one of the fastest-growing cities in Australia and is known for its vibrant urban precincts, outdoor lifestyle and friendly locals. While in Brisbane, carve out some time to explore the thriving arts, culture and dining scene in the city's heart. The University of Queensland is located 15 minutes from Brisbane CBD.

Visit Brisbane

Accommodation

We recommend staying in Brisbane City or South Brisbane, both of which are well connected to UQ’s campus. Another option that is closer to campus is Toowong. See Visiting UQ St Lucia for suggested accommodation. 

Transportation

The AirTrain is a cost-effective and efficient way of traveling to and from Brisbane Airport (BNE). Airtrain tickets can be purchased at Airtrain desks in the airport or directly from the Airtrain site (online discounts apply).

Traveling to and from UQ via the ferry (“City Cat”) is a scenic and convenient option. Contactless payment via a credit or debit card can be made when boarding. To find times, visit Translink and enter as your destination UQ St Lucia ferry terminal. Alternative public transport options include the bus or ferry. For further information, visit Public transport via bus, train and ferry is easily accessible.

Important locations TBA.

Visa

Except for New Zealand citizens, all international visitors require a visa. Please check with Australian Immigration what type of visa you may need to apply for to enter Australia. Most visas can be easily applied for online.

Organising and Programme Committee

• Professor Rodney Strachan
• Professor Mike Smith
• Professor Joshua Chan
• Associate Professor Eric Eisenstat

Related Events

Note that this workshop follows the European Seminar on Bayesian Econometrics (ESOBE) at the University of Melbourne in Australia on 26th and 27th of August 2025. The dates for the Macroeconometrics and ESOBE workshops are chosen so that they follow closely on from the Econometric Society World Congress in Seoul, Korea, which ends on 22nd of August. Both the ESOBE conference and the Bayesian Macroeconometric workshop will be preceded by a one-day short course.