ISDS News

• Dr. Sayan Mukherjee wins the 2008 Young Researcher Award in Applied Statistics Dr. Sayan Mukherjee, an Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistical Science at Duke, has won the 2008 Young Researcher Award in Applied Statistics, given annually by the International Indian Statistical Association. The presentation will be made at the IISA meeting at the University of Connecticut on May 22-25.
• Department of Statistical Science ranked 6th and 3rd in two recent studies. The Department of Statistical Science at Duke University is ranked 6th among graduate programs in Statistics by US News and World Report and is ranked 3rd among statistics departments in research productivity by the Chronicle of Higher Education. Please see the url's below.
  • U.S. News & World Report: Best Graduate Schools
  • The Chronicle of Higher Education: Top Research Universities Faculty Scholarly Productivity Index

• The BEST Award for Student Research The Department of Statistical Science invites submissions for the 2008 BEST Award for student research in Bayesian statistical modeling related to time series and other methods in financial applications. The annual Award, established by the BEST Foundation, carries a prize of $4,000. For full details, visit the BEST Award web page.
• Mike West elected ISBA President Mike West, Arts & Sciences Professor of Statistical Science, has been elected as President of the International Society for Bayesian Analysis for 2009. (Mike will serve as president-elect in 2008 and past president in 2010). The International Society for Bayesian Analysis (ISBA) promotes the development and application of statistical science with specific concern for international and interdisciplinary professional outreach. ISBA administers and sponsors the journal Bayesian Analysis and several professional awards, organizes professional meetings worldwide and is active in professional advocacy across the statistical sciences.
• Spring 2008 Course Lab Schedule The schedule of labs for the Spring 2008 semester is now available on the DSS website at http://www.stat.duke.edu/courses/Spring08/labs.html.
• Duke statistics alum and the Nobel Peace Prize 2007 Duke statistics alumna Claudia Tebaldi (PhD statistics 1997) was a member of the (large) group of scientists involved in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and a contributor to key climate change reports of the IPCC in recent years. The IPCC is a recipient (along with Al Gore) of this year's Nobel Peace Prize. Here is the Nobel press release.

  Well done and congratulations IPCC and Claudia!

• Visiting Assistant Professor Positions, Fall 2008 The Department of Statistical Science invites applications for Visiting Assistant Professor positions beginning Fall 2008. Candidates must have a PhD in statistics and potential for success in teaching and collaborative research. Send a letter, curriculum vitae, and three reference letters by January 15, 2008 to:

  Dalene Stangl, Associate Chair
  DSS, Duke University
  Box 90251
  Durham, NC 27708-0251

  Women and under-represented minorities are encouraged to apply. Duke University is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.

• Duke University: Cellular Systems Biology Positions The Department of Statistical Science at Duke University is a participating department in the campus-wide systems biology program. New faculty positions in the broad field of cellular systems biology are now being advertised - see the announcement and call for applications below. Appointments can be made in any participating department. Individuals whose interests and expertise are consistent with appointment in the Department of Statistical Science can email stats-sysbiology@stat.duke.edu to indicate their interest and also any enquiries. Formal application is as described in the ad below. We would also appreciate your help in bringing these opportunities to the attention of potentially interested colleagues and past students and postdocs in statistics and allied fields, as well as to the broader scientific community at your institution.

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  Duke University seeks applications for open rank, tenure track positions in the broad field of cellular systems biology. We seek applicants from both experimental and quantitative/computational disciplines with research interests in the molecular bases of cellular function, development, and evolution. These new appointments will substantially enhance existing Duke strengths in experimental and modeling approaches to understanding the complexity of genetic, metabolic, and signaling networks. Successful applicants will have appointments in one or more Duke departments based on mutual interests. All appointees will be affiliated with the Duke Center for Systems Biology, a cross-school, campus-wide academic center that is also one of the NIH-supported National Systems Biology Centers. Applicants should submit a curriculum vitae, a brief summary of current and proposed research, reprints of 2 or 3 key publications and a statement of teaching interests via the web at http://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/Duke/. Junior candidates should arrange for three letters of recommendation to be uploaded to this website or sent directly to: Systems Biology Search, Duke University, Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708-0338. Senior candidates should give the names of three potential referees. Application review will begin on December 1 2007, and continue until the positions are filled.

  Duke University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer; women and members of minority groups are strongly encouraged to apply.

• Tenure/Tenure Track Associate or Assistant Professor Job Search The Department of Statistical Science at Duke University invites applications for faculty appointment at the level of Associate or Assistant Professor to begin in Fall 2008. Preference will be given to candidates whose core statistical science research interests are complemented with collaborative research interest in systems biology, neurosciences, social sciences, or environmental science.

  The Department of Statistical Science is an internationally recognized center of excellence for research and education in the development and application of contemporary statistical methodology. Particular emphasis is directed toward Bayesian modeling in many scientific fields as well as emerging computationally intensive methods. The Department offers outstanding computational facilities and opportunities for interdisciplinary research. It currently has 12 regular rank faculty along with 13 visiting, adjunct, and post doctoral faculty and 33 Ph.D. students.

  The Ph.D. program as well as the Department's research agenda benefit from strong connections with the Statistics and Applied Mathematical Sciences Institute (SAMSI) and the National Institute of Statistical Science (NISS), both located nearby in the Research Triangle. A Statistical Science major, started last Fall, provides the primary focus of our undergraduate program. More information is available at the Department's web site http://www.stat.duke.edu .

  All applicants should send a letter, curriculum vitae, and three reference letters. Applicants are encouraged to submit their materials electronically at http://academicjobsonline.org/ajo/Duke/StatSci to expedite the review process. Applicants may also mail materials to: Faculty Search Committee, Department of Statistical Science, Duke University, Box 90251, Durham, NC 27708-0251

  For inquiries and e-mail correspondence please write to search@stat.duke.edu . The application pool will remain open until the position is filled but screening will begin on 1 December, 2007.

  Duke University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. Applications from women and minorities are strongly encouraged.

• Duke Statistics Halloween Party The annual Duke Statistics Halloween party is 7:30PM on October 27th, 2007 at the Duke Faculty Club LeBar Building.
• Placement Exams The statistics placement exam will next be offered on October 24th, and November 6th.
• Congratulations to Carlos Carvalho (PhD, ISDS 2006) Carlos received honorable mention in the 2007 Savage Dissertation competition for "Structure and Sparsity in High-Dimensional Multivariate Analysis." The Leonard J. Savage Award is awarded each year to two outstanding doctoral dissertations in Bayesian econometrics and statistics. Dr. Carvalho studied under the direction of Professor Mike West and is currently an Assistant Professor of Econometrics and Statistics at the University of Chicago.
• Duke alumi wins Teaching Award John Kern, who earned a PhD from ISDS in 2000, won his university's highest award for teaching, the Duquesne University 2007 Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching.
• ISDS becomes the Department of Statistical Science Effective July 1, 2007, The Institute of Statistics and Decision Sciences (ISDS) at Duke University became the Department of Statistical Science. This name change reflects expansion of the program to include a new undergraduate major and minor that complements our already outstanding graduate program and makes us a full-function department. The new name also signifies that statistical research and interdisciplinary science remain as primary missions. Alan Gelfand now serves as Head of the Department, following upon Dalene Stangl's five years as Director of the Institute. Professor Stangl's service was exemplary and enabled the changes underway.

  The new department begins in growth mode. At least six new permanent positions (open rank) will be filled over the next three years. This will provide an exciting opportunity to shape the future for statistical science here at Duke and will make the department an even more attractive place for visiting researchers. Formal hiring advertisements will appear soon.

• Duke Statistics students win travel awards to JSM Duke Statistics Ph.D. students Natesh Pillai and Abel Rodriquez have won student travel awards to JSM from the SBSS.
• Dr. David Banks elected to the Board of Directors of the American Statistical Association Dr. David Banks has been elected to the Board of Directors of the American Statistical Association for a three-year term as Representative of the Council of Sections. His term begins on January 1, 2008.
• Dr. David Dunson awarded 2007 Mortimer Spiegelman Award Dr. David Dunson has been awarded the 2007 Mortimer Spiegelman Award by the American Public Health Association. It is given annually to the best public health statistician under the age of 40, and will be presented at the APHA meeting in Washington, D.C. in November.
• Dr. Jerry Reiter wins the Alumni Distinguised Undergraduate Teaching Award Congratulations to Jerry Reiter! Jerry has won the Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Teaching Award, an award that as the name states recognizes outstanding undergraduate teaching.

  A student writes, "I so enjoyed this professor's eager and enthusiastic teaching style that I convinced another senior (an English major) to take the class with me, not as a requirement (because neither of us is required to take it) but to benefit in our last semester from the passion of a gifted instructor."

• The BEST Award for Student Research ISDS is pleased to announce the establishment of a new prize for student research. For full details, visit the BEST Award web page.
• Two ISDS Students Win ENAR Competition Saki Kinney and Abel Rodriquez were two of 14 graduate students who won awards for the best student papers at the ENAR meeting in March, 2007 at Atlanta. Saki's paper was entitled Fixed and random effects selection in linear and logistic models and was jointly written with David Dunson. Abel's paper was entitled The nested Dirichlet process and was jointly written with David Dunson and Alan Gelfand. There were 83 papers submitted to the competition; each winner received a monetary award and a certificate.
• ISDS Seeks Four Visiting Assistant Professorships The Institute of Statistics and Decision Sciences (ISDS) at Duke University invites applications for four Visiting Assistant Professorships to begin Fall 2007.
• New Major and Minor in Statistical Science! View the details on our Undergraduate Programs page
• The 2006 Emanuel and Carol Parzen Prize for Statistical Innovation has been awarded to Alan E. Gelfand The award is given to statisticians who have made outstanding and influential contributions to the development of innovative statistical methods. Congratulations, Alan!
• David Banks appointed as Applications and Case Studies Editor Professor Banks was appointed as Applications and Case Studies Editor for the Journal of the American Statistical Association. Congratulations, David!
• Merlise Clyde Elected Fellow of the American Statistical Association Professor Clyde was elected as Fellow of the ASA for contributions to Bayesian statistics, especially in model averaging, model selection, experimental design, and wavelet analysis; and for statistical leadership in applications to the environment.
• Congratulations to NISS Affiliates! The 2005 SPAIG Award was awarded to the National Institute of Statistical Sciences' Affiliates --Twenty-seven academic institutions (including Duke University), 9 government agencies, and 15 corporations. The collaborations among these organizations through NISS programs have led to the dissemination of advanced statistical methods to corporate and federal agencies and communication of applied problems generated by those organizations to academic researchers.
• Congratulations to our Summer, 2005 Graduates Congratulations to Ming Liao (June, 2005), Christopher Hans (July, 2005) and Christine Kohnen (August, 2005) on your successful Ph.D. defenses. We wish you all the best of luck in the future.
• Statistical Education and Consulting Center Open for Business ISDS has launched the Statistical Education and Consulting Center, which provides TA office hours throughout the day for students taking ISDS statistics courses. The Center is in 211A and 211B in Old Chemistry Building. Check out the web site: http://www.isds.duke.edu/secc.