Statistical Science
DURHAM, N.C. -- The artificial intelligence behind self-driving cars, medical image analysis and other computer vision applications relies on what’s called deep neural networks. Loosely modeled on the brain, these consist of layers of interconnected “neurons” -- mathematical functions that send and receive information -- that “fire” in response to features of the input data. The first layer processes a raw data input -- such as pixels in an image -- and passes that information to the next layer above, triggering some of… read more about Accurate Neural Network Computer Vision Without The ‘Black Box’ »
Jacob Smith, an assistant research professor in Statistical Science, published this article in the Washington Post. Congratulations, Jacob! read more about Assistant Research Professor Jacob Smith published in Washington Post »
After several years of senior leadership at LinkedIn, Liang Zhang (PhD 2008) has taken a leadership position as Head of Pinterest Home Engineering, based in San Jose, CA. Congratulations Liang! read more about New Role for Liang Zhang, (Alum 2008) »
Six members of the Duke faculty have been named have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). Election as a AAAS Fellow is an honor bestowed upon AAAS members by their peers. They are among 489 new fellows elected this year. The tradition of AAAS Fellows began in 1874. A virtual induction ceremony for the new fellows in the organization’s 24 sections will be held on Feb. 13, 2021. Engineering L. Catherine Brinson, Sharon C.… read more about Six from Duke Named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) »
The Department of Statistical Science at Duke University invites applications for a postdoctoral associate to conduct research on causal inference. The position will be jointly supervised by Drs. Fan Li and Laine Thomas (Duke Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics) with focus on methods at the interface between causal inference and machine learning with applications to subgroup analysis, clustered randomized trials, electronic health records data, although other areas of causal inference are also of interest.… read more about Postdoctoral Associate Position »
A conference organized by the junior section (j-ISBA) of the International Society for Bayesian Analysis (ISBA), to be held online on November 17-18, 2020. Come see current Duke PhD students (Becky Tang, Graham Tierney, Fan Bu, Heather Mathews, and Vittorio Orlandi) and many other great junior statisticians present. Conference zoom link Short schedule Full schedule read more about Bayesian Young Statisticians Meeting: Online meeting »
Professors David Banks, Karen Kafadar, David Kaye and Maria Tackett have edited a new book on forensic statistics. The book grew out of the SAMSI program on Forensic Science that was held in 2015/16. That program laid bare a number of statistical concerns regarding the methodology and testimony of forensic scientists, and motivated the editors to collaborate to create the definitive exposition of best statistical practices in the field. All chapters have been peer reviewed, a requirement of the Daubert standard… read more about Statistical Science Faculty Collaborate on new book »
Duke alumnus Lorin Crawford SS’17 has been named a 2020 Packard Fellow, a prestigious fellowship awarded to the nation’s most promising early-career scientists and engineers. Crawford, who is currently the RGSS Assistant Professor of Biostatistics at Brown University and a senior researcher at Microsoft Research New England, is part of a group of 20 scientists who will each receive $875,000 over five years to pursue their research. Crawford said that his interdisciplinary experiences at Duke helped pave the way for his… read more about Duke Alum Lorin Crawford Named 2020 Packard Fellow »
Congratulations to Alum Jouchi Nakajima (PhD 2012) who has received the Ogawa Research Encouragement Award from the Japan Statistical Society. Jouchi is recognized for his "outstanding achievements that contribute significantly to the development of statistics ". More on the award here. read more about Jouchi Nakajima (PhD 2012) receives the Ogawa Research Encouragement Award »
On Friday, October 23rd, MSS students gathered to hear from program Alumni for their Annual Alumni Event, organized by the Graduate Consultative Committee (GCC). The goal of the event is to provide an opportunity for current MSS students in the Department of Statistical Science to gain insight from MSS Program Alumni into the practice of statistics and data science in industry and research. Participants had a chance to hear from Alumni representing a broad range of industries, including Tech, Sports Analytics, Consulting,… read more about Duke MSS Alumni Day 2020 »
Simone Gray (PhD 2010) was elected president of the Eastern North American Region of the International Biometric Society also known as ENAR. The International Biometric Society is an international society for the advancement of biological science through the development of quantitative theories and the application, development and dissemination of effective mathematical and statistical techniques. A link to the announcement is here. read more about Ph.D. alumnus Simone Gray elected ENAR president »
Lorin Crawford (PhD 17 ) has been awarded a Packard Fellowship, a highly prestigious award given to innovative early-career scientists. From the award summary, "As sequencing and imaging technologies continue to improve, there is a growing need for novel statistical tools to better analyze the biological data that they produce. The Crawford group develops scalable machine learning algorithms that uncover how genomic features affect the architecture of complex traits and contribute to disease etiology."… read more about PhD Alum Lorin Crawford awarded Packard Fellowship »
We would like to congratulate three of our outstanding MSS students for winning the Dean’s Research Award. The Dean’s Research Award provides funding for the purchase of materials and supplies to support research relevant to a Master’s student’s degree completion. Congratulations Yizi, Daniel, and Christine! Below is a brief summary of each of their research projects. Daniel Deng Daniel’s research focuses on Bayesian dynamic modeling and decision analysis, advised by Dr. Mike West. Christine Shen Christine’s research… read more about Three MSS Students Win Dean's Research Award »
The Department of Statistical Science is excited that Dr. Funda Gunes has joined the department as the new Master's Program Director. Previously, she worked at SAS Research and Development as a Principal Machine Learning Developer. At SAS, she built end-to-end predictive modeling pipelines for SAS Visual Data Mining and Machine Learning Software by researching and implementing new machine learning techniques and data science best practices. In addition, Funda was involved in many exciting projects with computer… read more about Statistical Science Welcomes New Master's Program Director, Funda Gunes »
DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke students will soon emerge more prepared to use data to create new knowledge in a host of disciplines thanks to the newly launched Center for Computational Thinking (CCT). The new center is a response to the growing demands for more computational skills among new college graduates. It will infuse data literacy across the academic experience while simultaneously preparing students to consider the ethical, legal, and social impacts of technology. “The CCT will provide training in a co-curricular… read more about Duke Launches Center to Bring Computational Thinking to All Students »
The annual American Statistical Association DataFest held at Duke each spring gives hundreds of students a glimpse of statistics and data science in practice, bringing real challenges to life in a collegial, competitive setting. Due to COVID, this year’s virtual version took place over several weeks – rather than a couple days – and focused on emerging data sets related to the pandemic and its effects. Two of those projects caught the attention of another organization whose members were impressed by what Statistical… read more about COVID-Inspired Statistics Projects Earn Accolades in Global Competition »
If hanging upside down from a crane while escaping a straitjacket seems like suitable training for today’s topsy-turvy campus environment, then statistician Eric Laber is primed for success. That daring escape is just one of many tricks Laber performed during a 12-year-career as a professional magician. But now he’s distinguished professor at NC State who will be joining the Duke faculty in the departments of statistical sciences and biostatistics and bioinformatics in January. Laber likes using data to solve real-world… read more about Eric Laber: From Awe-Inspiring Magic to Problem-Solving Statistics »
The National Science Foundation has awarded Duke University a $3 million, five-year Research Traineeship grant to develop a program for graduate students to develop expertise in using artificial intelligence (AI) for materials science research. The aiM (AI for Understanding and Designing Materials), program will fill a vital workforce gap by training the next generation in the new convergent field of materials and computer science research. “To achieve the promise of the U.S. Materials Genome Initiative of… read more about Filling an AI and Materials Science Training Gap »
Eric Laber Broadly, my research focuses on the development of rigorous statistical methods to inform data-driven decision making in complex environments. During the past few years, I have become particularly interested in driving the adoption of reinforcement learning methods as a means of decision support in high-risk settings including precision medicine, public health, defense, and business. From a methodological perspective, my work involves machine learning, causal inference,… read more about New Faculty Arriving in January 2021 »
The Graduate School published a piece titled Recognizing the “Me” in Team: A Journey of Self-Awareness through Teamwork in the Emerging Leaders Institute by Eduardo Coronado and his teammates about their experience in the program. read more about Alumni Eduardo Coronado published on the Graduate School Website »
This is the first installment in a series of articles profiling winners of the Duke ASA DataFest: COVID-19 Virtual Data Challenge, co-sponsored by the Duke University Department of Statistical Science and the Duke AI Health Institute. To read more read more about Duke DataFest Analysis Reveals How COVID-19 Impacts Communities Already Suffering from Health Disparities »
Professor Mine Cetinkaya-Rundel was named a Fellow of the American Statistical Association (ASA). As noted on the ASA Fellows website, "The designation of ASA Fellow has been a significant honor for nearly 100 years. Under ASA bylaws, the Committee on Fellows can elect up to one-third of one percent of the total association membership as fellows each year." read more about Professor Mine Cetinkaya-Rundel Named ASA Fellow »
What do toxicology, a Tanzanian imam, women’s tennis, virgin births and your cat have in common? Admittedly, not much, except that biostatistician Amy Herring has worked on projects involving all of them. Herring, the Sara and Charles Ayres Professor of Statistical Science & Global Health, has a hard time saying no to statistical analysis projects that seem like fun. She enjoys her work so much, if she hears that you are working on an interesting project, she might ask to take a look at your data when you’re done with… read more about Amy Herring Wants to See Your Data »
A panel of three Duke alumni recently joined the 2020 Data+ cohort to discuss their experiences in the program, the role of data science in their jobs today and the importance of building lasting professional relationships. Data+ is a 10-week summer program that provides research experiences allowing Duke undergraduates to explore data-driven approaches to interdisciplinary challenges. “We’ve had quite a few students move all the way through Duke and on to some very interesting careers,” said Paul Bendich, who helped… read more about Stats Alum Anne Driscoll Talks Career Paths and Mentoring with Duke Students »
Congratulations to our PhD alumna Raquel Prado on her selection as Fellow of the International Society for Bayesian Analysis (ISBA). Raquel is recognized "For outstanding contributions to research in Bayesian methodology, especially in time series analysis and its applications in neuroscience and other fields; her impact in university teaching and programmatic leadership; and her significant and dedicated service to ISBA." You can read about the Fellows in the latest ISBA Bulletin. read more about Alumna Raquel Prado is elected ISBA Fellow »
A panel of three Duke alumni recently joined the 2020 Data+ cohort to discuss their experiences in the program, the role of data science in their jobs today and the importance of building lasting professional relationships. Data+ is a 10-week summer program that provides research experiences allowing Duke undergraduates to explore data-driven approaches to interdisciplinary challenges. “We’ve had quite a few students move all the way through Duke and on to some very interesting careers,” said Paul Bendich, who helped create… read more about Data+ Alums Talk Career Paths and Mentoring with Duke Students »
Alumna Dr. Ana Rappold from EPA’s Office of Research and Development was awarded one of 13 prestigious Arthur S. Flemming Awards for her exceptional contributions to Social Science, Clinical Studies, and Translational Research. The Flemming Award recognizes outstanding and meritorious achievement, and encourages the highest standards of performance in federal service read more about Alumna Ana Rappold awarded Arthur S. Flemming Award »
Congratulations to our PhD alumna Lindsay Berry on her selection as a Savage Award finalist this year. Lindsay will present an invited talk in the virtual Savage Award session at the JSM this year. read more about Alumna Lindsay Berry is 2020 Savage Award finalist »
Merlise Clyde and Jerome Reiter, both professors of Statistical Science, have been named 2020 Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS) Fellows. Founded in 1935, IMS is a member organization devoted to “fostering the development and dissemination of the theory and applications of statistics and probability.” Fellows are selected on the basis of the contributions to the field, as assessed by a committee of their peers. Approximately 12 percent of the 3,500 active IMS members have earned the status of fellowship. The 2020… read more about Two Duke Professors Named Institute of Mathematical Statistics Fellows »
In 2020-2021, the Duke University Energy Initiative’s Energy Research Seed Fund will support projects addressing renewable energy’s integration into the grid, battery performance, electrochemical catalysts, utilities’ decision-making, the energy-water nexus, and energy’s connections with war and health. The Energy Research Seed Fund has a strong track record of investing in early-stage projects that go on to secure external support. The program will award six grants to projects involving thirteen… read more about Energy Research Seed Fund awards six grants to Duke faculty to kickstart innovative projects »