Timo Schmid

Prof. Dr. Timo Schmid is the Chair of Statistics and Econometrics at Otto Friedrich University Bamberg and leads the Bamberger Centrum für Empirische Studien (BACES). Previously, he held the Chair of Applied Statistics at Freie Universität Berlin. He studied Mathematics at the University of Tübingen and worked as a consultant at A.T. Kearney before completing his PhD in Economic and Social Statistics at the University of Trier (2010–2012), supported by a sdw doctoral scholarship.

His research focuses on Survey Statistics, Small Area Estimation, Poverty Measurement, Spatial Analysis, and Big Data applications (e.g., mobile network data). He is also a Board member of the German Statistical Society (DStatG) and editor of its journal Wirtschafts- und Sozialstatistisches Archiv.

Key recent work includes integrating geospatial and survey data for poverty estimation in West Africa, developing machine learning-based mixed models for small area prediction, and applying mobile network data for regional unemployment analysis. His methodological contributions span variable selection in mixed models, kernel density estimation for grouped data, and robust spatial estimation techniques.

• Education: PhD in Economic and Social Statistics (University of Trier, 2012), Mathematics studies at University of Tübingen.
• Advising: Leads a team including Dr. Silvia Förtsch, Dr. Florian Meinfelder, and others. Supervises student researchers like Michael Mühlbauer and Franz Prücklmair.
• Grants & Projects: Collaborates on international projects involving geospatial data integration and methodological advancements in official statistics.