Steve C. Wang

Steve C. Wang is a Professor of Statistics and Department Chair at Swarthmore College, with a Faculty Affiliate appointment in Environmental Studies. He develops statistical methods for studying paleobiology, evolution, and extinction, focusing on mass extinctions, macroevolutionary trends, and the Signor-Lipps effect (incompleteness of the fossil record).

His research spans interdisciplinary applications of statistics to paleobiology, evolutionary trends, and macroevolutionary patterns. Additional interests include data visualization and sabermetrics (baseball analytics). He has taught at Stanford (Geology), Harvard, Williams, and the University of Chicago (Mathematics/Statistics).

Opportunities for students include supervised projects on statistical paleontology (Stat 93: Directed Reading) and paid undergraduate research positions in summer 2025. Prerequisites emphasize curiosity, CS 21 or equivalent, and some statistical background.

Contact: scwang@swarthmore.edu | Department Profile