Thijs van de Laar

Thijs van de Laar is an Assistant Professor at the BIASlab (Bayesian Intelligence and Autonomous Systems Laboratory) within the Department of Electrical Engineering at Eindhoven University of Technology. His research bridges advanced computational principles with real-world applications in uncertainty modeling.

• Education:
  • PhD in Machine Learning (2019), Eindhoven University of Technology
  • MSc in Natural Sciences (2010), Radboud University Nijmegen

Research Focus: Bayesian machine learning, active inference, and probabilistic programming, with applications in autonomous agent control, hearing loss compensation, and efficient real-time decision-making systems. His work integrates insights from physics and neuroscience to develop novel computational frameworks.

Software Contributions: Key contributor to ForneyLab.jl, a Julia toolbox for automated Bayesian inference through message passing on factor graphs. Also developed Herring.jl, a Poisson node extension for probabilistic modeling.

Publications: His 15 most recent articles focus on variational message passing, active inference agents, epistemic value in graphical models, and factor graph-based algorithm design. These works span disciplines including artificial intelligence, control theory, and biomedical engineering.