John Duchi is an Associate Professor at Stanford University, holding positions in the Department of Statistics and the Department of Electrical Engineering (with a courtesy appointment in Computer Science). He is affiliated with the School of Engineering. His research focuses on statistical learning, optimization, information theory, and computation, with an emphasis on balancing computational efficiency, privacy, and robustness. Key interests include developing algorithms for large-scale optimization, privacy-preserving techniques, and tools for evaluating machine learning systems' validity. Education: BS and MS in Computer Science (Stanford University, 2007–2008), MA in Statistics (UC Berkeley, 2012), and PhD in EECS (UC Berkeley, 2014). Research Interests: His work addresses three core areas: (1) optimizing trade-offs between computational resources and statistical performance, (2) creating scalable optimization methods, and (3) quantifying confidence in machine learning systems. Recent publications highlight contributions to privacy in federated learning, robust statistical validation, and uncertainty quantification. Articles: His recent work explores topics like distribution-free M-estimation, private federated learning, and instance-optimal mechanisms for statistical estimation. These studies emphasize privacy, robustness, and scalable solutions for modern data challenges. Advising & Grants: While no advisees are listed, his research has been supported by grants focused on optimization, privacy, and statistical theory.
Tamara Broderick is an Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at MIT, specializing in machine learning and statistics. Her research focuses on developing methods for uncertainty quantification in data analysis, Bayesian nonparametrics, and scalable inference algorithms. She leads a research group advising PhD students and postdocs in statistical machine learning. Her work spans Bayesian modeling, variational inference, spatial statistics, and applications in epidemiology and environmental science. Recent projects involve uncertainty-aware forecasting, robustness analysis of statistical methods, and efficient algorithms for high-dimensional inference. Broderick teaches Bayesian Modeling and Inference and contributes to MIT's statistics and data science initiatives.
Matthias Feurer is a Thomas Bayes Fellow and interim professor at the Chair of Statistical Learning and Data Science, funded by the Munich Center for Machine Learning (MCML) at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. He is a member of the Department of Statistics at LMU Munich, working under Prof. Dr. Bernd Bischl. His academic background includes: PhD in Computer Science from Albert-Ludwigs-Universität Freiburg, supervised by Prof. Dr. Frank Hutter M.Sc. in Computer Science from the University of Freiburg B.Sc. in Computer Science and Media from the Media University Stuttgart Feurer's research focuses on simplifying machine learning usage through Automated Machine Learning (AutoML). His work encompasses hyperparameter optimization, meta-learning, and model selection, with increasing emphasis on multi-objective AutoML that considers factors beyond predictive performance such as interpretability, deployability, and fairness. He actively develops open-source tools to advance the field. His recent publications demonstrate a strong trajectory in practical AutoML systems, with growing attention to tabular machine learning, foundation models integration, and addressing real-world constraints in optimization. His work consistently bridges theoretical advances with practical implementations through several widely-used open-source projects. Notable achievements include: 1st place in the warmstarting-friendly leaderboard of the BBO NeurIPS challenge Winner of the 2nd AutoML challenge Winner of the kdnuggets blog contest on AutoML Feurer is actively mentoring and teaching, having advertised PhD positions focused on AutoML, optimization, and benchmarking. He co-founded the Open Machine Learning Foundation supporting OpenML.org. His upcoming move to TU Dortmund as an assistant professor in AutoML and Optimization signals continued growth in his academic career while maintaining his research focus on making machine learning more accessible and rigorous.
Yiping Lu is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Industrial Engineering and Management Sciences at Northwestern University's McCormick School of Engineering. His research focuses on developing interdisciplinary approaches combining domain knowledge (differential equations, stochastic processes), machine learning, and experiments. Key interests include scientific machine learning (AI4Science), stochastic simulation, and robust machine learning. Education: Ph.D. in Applied and Computational Mathematics, Stanford University (2023) B.S. in Computational Mathematics, Peking University (2019) Research Highlights: Hybrid research integrating ML with scientific domains like PDEs and inverse problems Development of Physics-Informed Learning frameworks Contributions to deep learning theory (ResNets, neural collapse) Advances in kernel operator learning and adversarial robustness Awards: CPAL Rising Star Award (2024) University of Chicago Data Science Rising Star (2022) Stanford Interdisciplinary Graduate Fellowship (2021) Labs/Teams: SCALE Lab (Scientific Computation and Learning at Northwestern) Collaborations with NYU's Courant Institute and Stanford
Song Mei is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics and Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences at the University of California, Berkeley. She received her Ph.D. from Stanford University in 2020 under Andrea Montanari and maintains active research collaborations with institutions including Amazon (as a 2023 Amazon Research Award recipient) and OpenAI (where she is currently on leave). Her research spans the intersection of statistics, machine learning, information theory, and computer science, with particular emphasis on foundational theories for modern AI systems. Key interests include language models, diffusion models, quantum algorithms, and high-dimensional statistics, often leveraging insights from statistical physics literature. Analysis of her recent publications reveals a strong focus on theoretical underpinnings of generative AI, with significant contributions to understanding contrastive pre-training (CLIP), attention mechanisms in LLMs, and mathematical foundations of diffusion models. Her work demonstrates consistent interdisciplinary connections between statistical theory and practical AI development. Sloan Research Fellowship (2025) Noether Early Career Scholar Award (2025) Google Research Scholar Award (2024) Amazon Research Award (2024) She actively advises graduate students through MA programs and has secured significant research grants including Amazon Research Awards. Her work with AGI Labs at Amazon demonstrates applied impact of theoretical research. Current projects focus on mechanistic interpretability of large language models and mathematical frameworks for generative AI. Professor Mei leads research on the statistical principles behind frontier AI models, with particular focus on developing rigorous theoretical frameworks for understanding emergent behaviors in large-scale systems.
Xiaofeng Shao is a Professor of Statistics & Data Science at Washington University in St. Louis, with a joint appointment in the Department of Economics. He holds a PhD from the University of Chicago and previously served at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for 18 years. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics and the American Statistical Association. His research focuses on econometrics, time series analysis, change-point detection, high-dimensional statistics, nonparametric methods, and functional data analysis. Recent work emphasizes object-valued time series modeling and machine learning applications in high-dimensional and imaging data. Notable contributions include the dependent wild bootstrap method and self-normalization techniques for time series inference. Key awards include Fellowships from leading statistical societies. His publications span over 20 years, addressing topics like change-point detection in climate projections, statistical methods for COVID-19 infection trends, and high-dimensional dependence testing.
Rina Foygel Barber is the Louis Block Professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of Chicago, where she also serves as Co-chair of the Committee on Community, Diversity, and Inclusion (CCDI) and is a member of the Committee on Computational and Applied Mathematics (CCAM). Her educational background includes: PhD in Statistics, University of Chicago (2012), advised by Mathias Drton and Nati Srebro MS in Mathematics, University of Chicago (2009) ScB in Mathematics, Brown University (2005) NSF postdoctoral fellow, Stanford University Department of Statistics (2012-13), supervised by Emmanuel Candès Professor Barber's research focuses on the theoretical foundations of statistical problems in estimation, prediction, and inference, particularly in high-dimensional settings where classical methods may not be reliable. She specializes in distribution-free inference methods such as conformal prediction, multiple testing methods, algorithmic stability, and shape-constrained inference. Her work also extends to modeling and optimization problems in medical imaging reconstruction. Her recent publications demonstrate a strong focus on distribution-free inference, with particular emphasis on conformal prediction, false discovery rate control, and algorithmic stability. Her work bridges theoretical statistics with practical applications, especially in the medical imaging domain. Professor Barber has received numerous prestigious awards: Elected to National Academy of Sciences (2025) MacArthur Fellowship (2023) IMS Fellow (2023) COPSS Presidents' Award (2020) Peter Gavin Hall Early Career Prize (2020) She actively mentors students and collaborators, with many co-authored publications across statistics, machine learning, and medical imaging. Her research has been supported by significant grants that enable her work on theoretical foundations of statistical inference and practical applications in medical imaging. Professor Barber also co-organizes the International Seminar on Selective Inference. Her research group focuses on developing and analyzing estimation, inference, and optimization tools for structured high-dimensional data problems. They work on false discovery rate control, distribution-free inference, and applications in medical imaging reconstruction.
Debdeep Pati is a Professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, affiliated with the School of Computer, Data & Information Sciences. His research focuses on Bayesian methods, high-dimensional data analysis, machine learning, and computational statistics, with applications in health data and network analysis. He has contributed to approximate Bayesian computation, graphical models, and fair algorithms. Key research interests include Bayes theory in high dimensions, hierarchical modeling, efficient Bayesian computation, and real-time tracking algorithms. His work bridges theoretical advancements with practical applications in areas like electronic health records and nuclear physics constraints. Recent work emphasizes Wasserstein-guided nonparametric Bayes, fair clustering algorithms, and variational inference in singular models. He has developed software for covariate-dependent Gaussian graphical modeling, published in ACM Transactions on Mathematical Software . Grants: NSF proposal on Wasserstein-guided nonparametric Bayes, NIH R01/R21 grants on periodontal disease and diabetes comorbidity. Advising: No named advisees listed but actively supervising research in Bayesian computation and high-dimensional statistics. Awards: 2024 JASA reproducibility award for 'Covariate-Assisted Bayesian Graph Learning.' He is an Associate Editor for Journal of Computational and Graphical Statistics and has organized workshops at Banff International Research Station (BIRS) and the Institute for Mathematics and its Applications (IMSI).
Axel Gandy is a Professor of Statistics at the Department of Mathematics, Imperial College London. He serves as Director of the EPSRC CDT in Modern Statistics and Statistical Machine Learning , overseeing PhD supervision and advanced statistical training.
Wojciech Jarosz is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Dartmouth College, affiliated with the College of Engineering and Computer Science. His research focuses on computer graphics, particularly light transport simulation, rendering algorithms, and digital fabrication. He co-founded the Visual Computing Lab and previously led the rendering group at Disney Research Zürich. Jarosz holds a Ph.D. and M.S. from UC San Diego and a B.S. from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. His educational background includes studies in computer science and engineering, with a strong emphasis on graphics and rendering. Research interests span light transport simulation, Monte Carlo methods, appearance capture, and fabrication. Notable achievements include the Eurographics Young Researcher Award (2013) and the NSF CAREER Award (2019). Jarosz's work integrates theoretical rigor with practical applications, such as real-time rendering techniques and volumetric light transport. His lab develops tools for artistic authoring, including intuitive metaphors for volumetric lighting in animated films. Recent projects explore wave-optics BSDF models, optical heterodyne rendering, and unifying radiative transfer models. Key awards include the SIGGRAPH 2024 Best Paper Award and Neukom Institute prizes. His teaching includes courses on rendering algorithms, computer graphics, and computational photography. Jarosz collaborates with industry (e.g., Disney, NVIDIA) and advocates for diversity in computer graphics research.
Bruce E. Hansen is the Mary Claire Aschenbrener Phipps Distinguished Chair and Trygve Haavelmo Professor of Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Economics. He maintains an active research program with publications extending through 2025, demonstrating his continued prominence in econometric methodology. His research interests include: Econometric theory and methodology Time series analysis and forecasting Model selection, averaging, and shrinkage techniques Threshold and structural change models Statistical inference for clustered and dependent data Hansen's recent work focuses on innovative approaches to model averaging, standard error estimation for complex data structures, and unit root testing. His publications demonstrate both theoretical rigor and practical applicability to economic data analysis, with particular attention to handling clustered data, serial correlation, and model uncertainty. His influential publications include 'Least Squares Model Averaging' in Econometrica (2007) which introduced Mallows Model Averaging, and 'A Modern Gauss-Markov Theorem' (2022), both representing significant theoretical contributions to econometrics. His two textbooks 'Probability and Statistics for Economists' and 'Econometrics' (Princeton University Press, 2022) reflect his commitment to teaching and disseminating econometric knowledge. Hansen's research has been supported by multiple National Science Foundation grants (SES-9022176, SES-9120576, SBR-9412339, and SBR-9807111), highlighting the significance and quality of his contributions to the field.
Ben Bloem-Reddy is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of British Columbia (UBC), Vancouver Campus. His research focuses on statistical theory and applications in machine learning, particularly in causal inference, Bayesian methods, neural networks, and probabilistic models. He advises current students Quanhan (Johnny) Xi, Kenny Chiu, and Gian Carlo Diluvi. His work bridges foundational statistical theory with practical machine learning challenges, including causal discovery, model identifiability, and uncertainty quantification. Recent research explores topics such as latent variable models, generative processes, and symmetry in data and algorithms. His contributions span interdisciplinary areas like particle physics applications and information theory-based compression techniques. Ben’s research trends emphasize advancing theoretical guarantees for modern machine learning systems while addressing real-world problems. His publications frequently intersect with algebraic topology (e.g., cocycles in causal inference) and nonparametric methods. He maintains an active lab within the Department of Statistics, fostering collaborations across UBC’s academic ecosystem. No scientific awards are explicitly listed in the provided information. His advising and grant activities focus on statistical methodology development, as evidenced by his student supervision and published work. His office is located in ESB 3168, and he can be reached at benbr@stat.ubc.ca.
Joseph P. Romano is a distinguished Professor of Statistics and Economics at Stanford University, where he has been on the faculty since 1986. He holds joint appointments in both the Department of Statistics and the Department of Economics, reflecting his interdisciplinary research that bridges statistical theory with economic applications. Romano has established himself as a leading scholar in mathematical statistics with significant contributions to econometrics, climate science, and multiple testing methodologies. Ph.D. in Statistics, University of California, Berkeley (1986) M.S. in Statistics, University of California, Berkeley (1983) A.B. in Statistics, Princeton University (1982), Summa Cum Laude Romano's research focuses on the theoretical foundations and practical applications of statistical methods, particularly in nonparametric statistics, bootstrap and resampling techniques, and multiple testing procedures. His work addresses the challenges of analyzing massive datasets with complex structures, such as those found in biotechnology, clinical trials, and econometrics. He has developed universal statistical tools applicable across diverse fields including climate science, genetics, finance, and education. His recent work emphasizes methods for multiple testing and multivariate inference driven by the availability of massive datasets, where he tackles issues like unknown dependence structures, heterogeneity, and high dimensionality. Analysis of Romano's recent publications reveals a consistent focus on developing robust statistical methodologies for complex data structures. His work spans theoretical advances in U-statistics with growing dimensions, practical applications in seroprevalence studies, and innovative approaches to ranking inference across various domains. The interdisciplinary nature of his research is evident in publications spanning economics journals, statistics journals, and even behavioral science preprints, demonstrating the broad applicability of his methodological contributions. 2021 LGBTQ+ Scientist of the Year, Out to Innovate Fellow, International Association of Applied Econometrics (2020) Fellow, Institute of Mathematical Statistics Presidential Young Investigator Award, National Science Foundation The Canadian Journal of Statistics Award Romano has mentored dozens of doctoral students throughout his career at Stanford, serving as dissertation advisor, co-advisor, and committee member for numerous PhD candidates in Statistics. His research has been consistently supported by National Science Foundation grants, including recent funding for computer-intensive inference with applications to social sciences (2020-2023) and randomization inference for contemporary statistical problems (2013-2016). He has served in various administrative roles at Stanford including Associate Chairman and Chair of Committee on Faculty Affairs. Beyond his academic pursuits, Romano is actively involved in the 500 Queer Scientists visibility campaign and maintains a balanced life with passions in music (having performed at Carnegie Hall), competitive tennis (ranked nationally in his age group), cooking, and architecture.
Chuanhai Liu is an Associate Head and Professor of Statistics at Purdue University’s Department of Statistics. He specializes in computational methods for statistical inference, Bayesian analysis, and big data computing systems. His research emphasizes robust algorithms, inferential models, and probabilistic methods. Education: M.S., Wuhan University, Probability and Statistics (1987) M.A., Harvard University, Statistics (1990) Ph.D., Harvard University, Statistics (1994) Research Interests: Computational methods (EM algorithms, MCMC), statistical software systems for big data, theoretical foundations of inference, and prior-free probabilistic modeling. His work bridges computational efficiency and statistical validity, with applications in network analysis, environmental data, and machine learning. Awards: Fellow of the American Statistical Association (2007) Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute (2006) Frank Wilcoxon Prize (2000) Advising & Grants: Supervised 9 Ph.D. students, including interdisciplinary collaborations. His grants focus on distributed statistical computing and inferential frameworks. Active in software development for large-scale data analysis. Labs/Teams: Leads statistical computing initiatives at Purdue, contributing to scalable algorithms and probabilistic inference systems.
Ryan Giordano is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of California, Berkeley. He holds a PhD in Statistics from UC Berkeley (2019), advised by Michael Jordan, Tamara Broderick, and Jon McAuliffe, an MSc in Econometrics and Mathematical Economics from the London School of Economics (2009), and undergraduate degrees in Mathematics and Theoretical/Applied Mechanics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Prior to academia, he worked as an engineer at Google and HP and served as a Peace Corps volunteer in Kazakhstan. His research focuses on variational methods , Bayesian robustness , sensitivity analysis , and statistical computing , with applications in machine learning, environmental science, and astronomy. He is particularly known for developing scalable Bayesian inference techniques and quantifying the robustness of statistical models to data perturbations. Giordano’s recent work includes studies on Laplace approximation accuracy, MCMC sensitivity to data removal, and robustness metrics for differential expression analysis. He has contributed to open-source statistical software and collaborates with Tamara Broderick’s group at MIT on postdoctoral work (pre-2019 position). His academic trajectory combines theoretical innovation with practical applications, emphasizing reproducibility and computational efficiency in statistical methodology.
