Assistant Professor of Statistics, California Polytechnic State University
Welcome!
Hello! I am currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics at the California Polytechnic State University, having joined the department in Fall 2026. I completed my both my Master’s and my PhD in the Department of Statistics and Applied Probability at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and prior to that I earned my Bachelor’s degree (also in Statistics) at the University of California, Berkeley. My doctoral research is best described as belonging to the field of Mathematical Statistics. More specifically, it centers around the development of an Empirical Bayes estimation procedure for nonparametric regression problems with correlated errors, and intersects with Nonparametric Regression, Spectral Methods, Bayesian (specifically, Empirical Bayesian) Methodology, and Asymptotics. Aside from academics (and a passion for Statistics Education), my interests include playing the piano, drinking tea, and talking about cats!
All Models are Wrong: Concepts of Statistical Learning (CSL), by Sanchez, G. and Marzban, E.
While at UC Berkeley, I had the pleasure of working with Dr. Gaston Sanchez to co-author an electronic Machine Learning textbook, modeled after class notes from Stat 154 (the designated Machine Learning class in the Statistics Department at UC Berkeley). The textbook is freely available for use, and is updated/revised from time to time.
Academic Paper
Marzban, Ethan P. and Marzban, Caren, 2016. On the usage of musical keys: A descriptive statistical perspective. The Journal of Experimental Secondary Science. ISSN#2162-8092.
In 2016, I co-authored a paper that explored the distribution of musical keys different classical composers preferred to use in their compositions. Composers were analyzed both individually and comparatively, using a variety of statistical techniques.
Ph.D. Dissertation
Marzban, Ethan P. An Empirical Bayes Approach to Nonparametric Regression with Correlated Errors.
Please note that in the months since the publication of my dissertation, Dr. Carter and I modified our overall framework of the uncertainty quantification portions of my dissertation; these chapters are, therefore, obsolete and contain a handful of typos. We are currently working on a preprint that reframes and corrects the ideas presented in my dissertation.