Marc Vidal

Ghent, Granada, Leipzig

Institute for Psychoacoustics and Electronic Music, Ghent University
Dept. of Statistics and Institute of Mathematics, Universidad de Granada
Dept. of Neurology, Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences

About me

MSc Math Stat | B. Music

My research revolves around high-dimensional statistical models, specifically principal and independent component analysis for object-oriented data. I specialize in nonlinear optimization, using denoising and smoothing techniques through spline and wavelet approximations. My primary emphasis is harnessing statistical methods to analyze complex neuroimaging data, particularly EEG and pupillometry, aiming to reveal the neuromodulatory effects of motor intention in natural behaviors.

Peer-reviewed

  • Moura, N., Vidal, M., Aguilera, A.M., Vilas-Boas, J.P., Serra, S., Leman, M. Knee flexion of saxophone players anticipates tonal context of music. Science of Learning, Nature Portfolio 2023.
    [DOI] [Code]
  • Vidal, M.,  Onderdijk, K.E., Aguilera, A.M., Six, J., Maes, P.-J., Fritz, T., Leman, M. Cholinergic-related pupil activity reflects level of emotionality during motor performance. European Journal of Neuroscience 2023.
    [DOI] [Code]
  • Vidal, M., Aguilera, A.M. Novel whitening approaches in functional settings. Stat 2022; 12(1), e516.
    [DOI] [Corregidum] [Code]
  • Vidal, M., Rosso, M., Aguilera, A.M. Bi-Smoothed Functional Independent Component Analysis for EEG Artifact Removal. Mathematics 2021, 9, 1243.
    [Arxiv] [DOI]


Check out my public projects in GitHub.

2023

  • Vidal, M. The near-perfect classification phenomenon: an overview of functional classification techniques applied to data coming from digital humanities. Presented at the 1st specialist course in 'Functional data analysis and applications in digital and augmented humanities',  Ghent, Belgium • November 28-30, 2023.
  • Vidal, M., Aguilera, A.M. Some properties of whitening transformations in function spaces. Presented at the   40th Annual Congress of the Spanish Statistical Society,  Elche, Spain • November 7-10, 2023.
  • Vidal, M., Móura, N. Relationships of prediction and alignment between musicians’ movement and rhythmical and tonal contexts of music. Presented at the   40th MÚSICA ANALÍTICA,   Coimbra, Portugal • October 12-14, 2023.
  • Vidal, M., Aguilera, A.M. Wavelet-based Sparse Optimization via Fixed-point Iteration Scheme in High-dimensional Data Analysis. Presented at the   21st IMACS WORLD CONGRESS (University of Rome 'La Sapienza'),  Rome, Italy • September 11-15, 2023.
  • Vidal, M., Aguilera, A.M. Smoothed functional principal/independent components: computational and theoretical considerations. Presented at the   64th ISI World Statistics Congress,  Ottawa, Canada • July 16-20, 2023.
  • Vidal, M., Aguilera, A.M. Theoretical properties of isotropic functional random variables. Presented at the   1st Joint Workshop on Functional Data Analysis and Nonparametric Statistics,  Madrid, Spain • June 6-9, 2023.

2022

  • Vidal, M.,  Onderdijk, K.E., Aguilera, A.M., Six, J., Maes, P.-J., Fritz, T., Leman, M. Measuring arousal with pupil dilation during experience of musical agency. Presented at the   2nd Conference on Music & Eye-Tracking,  Frankfurt, Germany • July 7-8, 2022.
  • Vidal, M., Aguilera, A.M. On the independent components model for functional data. Presented at the   39th Annual Congress of the Spanish Statistical Society,  Granada, Spain • June 7-10, 2022.

2021

  • Vidal, M., Leman, M., Aguilera, A.M., Fritz, T. Neuromodulatory effects of movement during auditory-motor tasks. Presented at the 17th Annual Neuromusic VConference,  Hamilton, Ontario  L8S 4L8, Canada • November 20, 2021.
  • Vidal, M., Aguilera, A.M., Leman, M., Vindas, J. Estimation Process in Hilbertian Independent Component Analysis Models. Presented at the 28th Annual meeting of the Royal Statistical Society of Belgium, Liège, Belgium • October 21-22, 2021.
  • Besada, J.L., Vidal, M. Confronting composers’ visual imagery with listeners’ experience of music. Presented at the 8th International Conference on Spatial Cognition, Rome, Italy • September 13-17, 2021.
  • Vidal, M., Aguilera, A.M. Independent Component Analysis Techniques for Functional Data. Presented at the 5th International Workshop on Functional and Operatorial Statistics, Brno, Czech Republic • June 23-25, 2021.

Taught courses

  • UGent specialist course entitled 'Functional data analysis and applications in digital and augmented humanities' • November 28-30, 2023. Lecture contents: probability principles, curve approximation (Fourier, B-spline, Wavelets), functional PCA and inference with functional data.
    [BROCHURE] [POSTER]

As referee

  • Applied sciences, Biosensors, Brain sciences, European Journal of Neuroscience, Healthcare, Musicae Scientiae, Sensors

As associate editor

Organization of scientific events

  • Specialist course and symposium at UGent (main organizer).
  • 39th Spanish Conference on Statistics and OR, 2022.

Current affiliations

  • Ghent University Doctoral Fellowship in Art Science, 2020
  • Master Thesis, specialization in Functional Data Analysis. Supervisors: A.M. Aguilera. Jury: M.D. Ruíz Medina, F.J. Alonso, J.E. Ruiz-Castro. MSc in Mathematical and Applied Statistics, UGR, 2020
  • First prize at “Frederic Mompou” International Composition Competition, 2016