David A. Stephens

David A. Stephens is a Professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics at McGill University, Montreal. He served as Chair of the Department from 2015 to 2019 and as Vice-Dean in the Faculty of Science from 2019 to 2025. His research focuses on Bayesian inference, biostatistics, causal inference, bioinformatics, and statistical genetics. He holds prestigious fellowships: International Statistical Institute (2015), American Statistical Association (2019), and Royal Society of Canada (2024). His work addresses challenges in epidemiology, HIV transmission dynamics, and clinical trial design.

Key research themes include:

• Bayesian hierarchical modeling for infectious diseases (e.g., SARS-CoV-2, HIV)
• Causal inference in dynamic treatment regimes
• Survival analysis and censored data methods
• Statistical genomics and epigenetics

His publications analyze public health trends, such as HIV transmission clusters in Quebec and SARS-CoV-2 seroprevalence in Canada. Methodologically, he develops novel techniques for time-series analysis, recruitment forecasting in clinical trials, and computational statistics.

Notable contributions include:

• Advancing phylogenetic cluster inference in HIV studies
• Optimizing warfarin dosing strategies via SMART trials
• Modeling gut microbiota impacts on growth faltering in infants

His academic leadership includes roles at McGill and prior experience at Imperial College London. His work bridges statistical theory and practical healthcare applications, emphasizing interdisciplinary collaboration.