  We reframe linear dimensionality reduction as a problem of Bayesian inference
on matrix manifolds. This natural paradigm extends the Bayesian framework to
dimensionality reduction tasks in higher dimensions with simpler models at
greater speeds. Here an orthogonal basis is treated as a single point on a
manifold and is associated with a linear subspace on which observations vary
maximally. Throughout this paper, we employ the Grassmann and Stiefel manifolds
for various dimensionality reduction problems, explore the connection between
the two manifolds, and use Hybrid Monte Carlo for posterior sampling on the
Grassmannian for the first time. We delineate in which situations either
manifold should be considered. Further, matrix manifold models are used to
yield scientific insight in the context of cognitive neuroscience, and we
conclude that our methods are suitable for basic inference as well as accurate
prediction.
