Puneet Velidi

Statistics & neuroimaging
University of Victoria

I am an MSc student in Statistics at the University of Victoria, working with Farouk Nathoo and Michelle Miranda. My work primarily focuses on statistical neuroimaging, especially fMRI.

I also founded ChimeraML, a deeptech research studio backed by NVIDIA Inception, Labs4, and Mitacs. Previously, I studied Statistics and Economics at Cornell University.

puneet.velidi@gmail.com · Washington, DC

Puneet Velidi

Research interests

My research interests are in spatial and functional data analysis, primarily applied to statistical neuroimaging, especially fMRI. I also work on applications to gene expression data.

Publications & preprints

† Joint first authorship. See also Google Scholar.

Journal articles

  1. Altered structural connectivity and functional brain dynamics in individuals with heavy alcohol use elucidated via network control theory S. Parker Singleton†, Puneet Velidi†, Louisa Schilling, Andrea I. Luppi, Keith Jamison, Linden Parkes, and Amy Kuceyeski. Biological Psychiatry: Cognitive Neuroscience and Neuroimaging, 2024.

Preprints & manuscripts

  1. Covariance Nonstationarity is Evident in Spatial Transcriptomics and Provides a New Categorization of Spatially Varying Genes Puneet Velidi, Zhengxiao Wei, and Farouk Nathoo. 2026. Under review. [bioRxiv]
  2. Shape Analysis as an Inductive Bias for Glioma Grading from Tumor Contours Puneet Velidi, Michelle Miranda, Farouk Nathoo, Ashery Mbilinyi, and Cédric Beaulac. 2026. Submitted. [arXiv]
  3. Neural manifold connectomics reveals multiregime functional connectivity Puneet Velidi, Enrico Amico, Farouk Nathoo, and Michelle Miranda. 2026. Under review. [bioRxiv]
  4. SPARTACCUS: Semiparametric Bayesian Proportional Hazards Model with a Censored Covariate in Huntington’s Disease Puneet Velidi, Maryclare Griffin, Juxin Liu, Brian Richardson, Jing Qian, Roland Matsouaka, Sujit Ghosh, Tanya Garcia, and Farouk Nathoo. 2026. In preparation.
  5. SPaCeD uses spatial point process distances to pair heavy and light chains of B cell receptors from spatial BCR-seq Yimeng Liu, Céline M. Laumont, Shreena Kalaria, Puneet Velidi, Zhengxiao Wei, Brad H. Nelson, and Farouk S. Nathoo. 2026. Submitted for publication.
  6. Transcranial Photobiomodulation on Language and Cognitive Performance in Down Syndrome: A Pilot Randomized Sham-Controlled Trial Fabio Luchese, Puneet Velidi, …, Paolo Cassano. 2026. Under review. [medRxiv]
  7. Transcranial Photobiomodulation in Bipolar Disorder: A Case Series on Executive Skills and fMRI BOLD Signal B. Ferreras, …, P. Velidi, …, P. Cassano. 2026. Submitted. [SSRN]
  8. Volumetric Changes Induced by Transcranial Photobiomodulation Therapy in Major Depressive Disorder: An Exploratory Neuroimaging Study Guillermo Gonzalez-Garibay, Puneet Velidi, Akila Weerasekera, Nikos Makris, Carlos Lohmann, Katherine Anne Collins, Naomi Gaggi, Dan Vlad Iosifescu, and Paolo Cassano. 2026. Submitted. [SSRN]
  9. Generalized Jeffreys’s Approximate Objective Bayes Factor: Model-Selection Consistency, Finite-Sample Accuracy, and Statistical Evidence in 71,126 Clinical Trial Findings Puneet Velidi†, Zhengxiao Wei†, Shreena N. Kalaria, Yimeng Liu, Céline M. Laumont, Brad H. Nelson, and Farouk S. Nathoo. 2025. Revise and resubmit (R&R). [arXiv]

Technical report

Fellowships & awards

  • Labs4 Technology Readiness Level-Up (TRL^) Fellowship, 2025 — CAD 15,000 for ChimeraML. Lab-to-market grant funded by Mitacs, New Ventures BC, and BCIT. Also placed 2nd in the BC regional Labs4 TRL Pitch Competition.
  • Maud Menten Institute / PIMS Research Accelerator Award, 2025 — CAD 5,000 for Bayesian analysis of the TransPhoM-DS clinical trial in collaboration with Massachusetts General Hospital.
  • Betty & Gilbert Kennedy Graduate Scholarship in Mathematics & Statistics, University of Victoria, 2025 — CAD 5,130.
  • FGS Graduate Fellowship, University of Victoria, 2025 — CAD 5,000.
  • Early Career Recognition, Walmart Global Tech, 2023 — awarded to fewer than 10% of the Development Program cohort.

Competitions

  • 1st place, Critical Ops DC National Security Hackathon, 2026 — ENEL, a drone-swarm 3D Gaussian Splatting system; 166 participants.
  • 2nd place overall, SCSP AI+ Expo Hackathon, 2026 — Franklin; 200+ participants. 1st in the DC region and Electrical Grid Track winner; USD 5,000.
  • Silver medal, Stanford University RNA 3D Folding Competition, 2026 — top 3% of 1,867 teams.
  • Top 30 nationwide, Enactus Canada Student Entrepreneur National Competition, 2026 — ChimeraML.
  • Top 5, AI4Trade Global Challenge, Center for Collective Learning.

Travel awards & research support

  • UVic FGS Travel Award, 2026 — CAD 600 for Bayesian Methods for the Social Sciences III in Dublin; accepted poster.
  • ICSA–Canada Student/Postdoc Travel Scholarship, 2026 — CAD 600.
  • UVic FGS Travel Award & CUPE Conference Award, 2025 — CAD 1,050 in combined support for CNS.
  • Supported participant at the 3MC–PIMS–IDMS–ICMS Summer School and Maud Menten Institute HQP Summit, 2025 — travel, room, and board.

Education & experience

Education

  • 2025–2026
    MSc, Statistics, University of Victoria.
    Thesis-based, fully funded. Co-supervisors: Farouk Nathoo and Michelle Miranda.
  • 2018–2022
    BA, Statistics & Economics, Cornell University.

MSc thesis

Methods for Censored Covariates, Spatial Transcriptomic Data and Neural Manifolds. University of Victoria, 2026. [Oral examination]

Committee: Tanya Garcia, Maryclare Griffin, and Enrico Amico. External examiner: Jörn Diedrichsen.

Research & professional experience

  • 2025–present
    Founder, ChimeraML.
    Combinatorial nanobody design using ensembles of protein ML models.
  • 2025–present
    Graduate Researcher, University of Victoria, Department of Mathematics and Statistics.
  • August 2025
    Visiting Researcher, AMICO Lab, University of Birmingham.
  • May–Dec. 2024
    Postbaccalaureate Researcher, Harvard Medical School / Massachusetts General Hospital.
  • Feb. 2023–May 2024
    Software Engineer II, Walmart Global Tech.
  • June–August 2022
    AI/ML & NextGen Analytics Intern, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.
  • Jan.–Dec. 2022
    Undergraduate Researcher, Weill Cornell Medicine.

Teaching

  • Jan.–April 2025
    Teaching Assistant, Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Victoria.
  • Sept. 2021–Dec. 2022
    Math Support Center Tutor, Department of Mathematics, Cornell University.

Professional service

Peer reviewer for BMC Medical Research Methodology and Network Neuroscience; with my supervisor, Human Brain Mapping and Journal of the American Statistical Association: Applications and Case Studies.

Invited talks

  • Brain Fingerprinting of Principal-component derived fMRI BOLD functional connectivity. ICSA–Canada, Montreal, August 2026. Invited session chair and speaker. [Program]
  • A Bayesian Semiparametric Model for Survival Analysis with a Right Censored Covariate. EcoSta, Kyoto, August 2026. Co-author of invited talk. [Conference]
  • Applications of Protein Folding Models in Immunotherapeutic Research. UBC Mathematics Biology Seminar, January 2026. [Recording]
  • 70,000 Leagues Under the Sea of p-Values. UBC Statistics and the Maud Menten Institute, October 2025. [UBC seminar] [MMI]
  • Statistical methods for censored covariates. WNAR/IMS Annual Meeting, June 2025. Co-author and discussant. [Conference]
  • Network Control Theory in Neuroscience: Characterizing the Brain’s Energy Landscape. University of Victoria Cognition & Brain Sciences Seminar, March 2025; Maud Menten Institute, February 2025. [UVic seminar]

Conference abstracts & posters

  • Further developments of generalized Jeffreys’s approximate Bayes factor. Bayesian Methods for the Social Sciences III, University College Dublin, December 9–11, 2026. Accepted poster (upcoming). [Workshop]
  • Cardiac and Neurological Characterization of Friedreich’s Ataxia: An Exploratory Analysis of a Hispanic Cohort. International Congress for Ataxia Research (ICAR), Atlanta, GA, November 10–13, 2026. [Poster] [Conference]
  • Acute Effects of Transcranial Photobiomodulation On Glymphatic CSF Dynamics in Two Patients with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment or Early Alzheimer Disease. Clinical Research Day, Mass General Brigham, October 30, 2026. Virtual poster. [Poster] [Event]
  • A Bayesian Semiparametric Model for Survival Analysis with a Right Censored Covariate. ICSA–Canada, Montreal, August 2026. [Poster]
  • Bayesian Analysis of the TransPhoM-DS Clinical Trial. OHBM, Bordeaux, June 2026. [Poster]
  • Ahab’s Harpoon: Calibrated irreplicability detection with approximate objective Bayes factors. Statistical Society of Canada Annual Meeting, Hamilton, May 2026.
  • Reassessing the Statistical Evidence in Clinical Trials with Extended Approximate Objective Bayes Factors. Maud Menten Institute HQP Summit, Edmonton, July 2025.
  • Photobiomodulation therapy-induced volumetric brain changes on patients with depression. Cognitive Neuroscience Society, Boston, March 2025. [Poster]
  • Altered structural connectivity and functional brain dynamics in individuals with heavy alcohol use elucidated via network control theory. OHBM, Seoul, June 2024.
  • Network control analysis of individuals with substance use disorder. OHBM, Montreal, July 2023.

Travel

A growing collection of places I’ve visited or called home: Washington, DC; Victoria; Ithaca; Boston; New York; Bentonville; Vancouver; Birmingham; Banff; Amsterdam; Winnipeg; Montreal; Hamilton; Whistler; Edmonton; Bordeaux; and San Francisco.

Photos and notes to come.

Contact

I welcome conversations about quantitative research, statistical modeling, and machine learning. Email puneet.velidi@gmail.com or schedule a conversation.