Mats Julius Stensrud

Mats Julius Stensrud is an associate professor of statistics at École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), specifically within the Institute of Mathematics at the School of Basic Sciences. Starting January 1, 2025, he will also serve as the director of the doctoral program in mathematics (EDMA) at EPFL. His academic journey includes positions at Harvard School of Public Health as a Fulbright scholar and Kolokotrones fellow.

Stensrud holds an MD, Dr. Philos in Neuroscience, and BSc in Mathematics from the University of Oslo, along with an MSc in Statistics from the University of Oxford. Prior to his academic career, he worked as a clinical medical doctor specializing in internal medicine.

His research focuses on developing causal inference methods, particularly for longitudinal data where time-dependent exposures and outcomes are involved. He emphasizes creating methods with transparent, scientifically falsifiable assumptions that answer practically meaningful questions about causal effects and mechanisms. His work bridges theoretical statistics with real-world applications in biomedicine and epidemiology.

Analysis of his recent publications shows a strong focus on causal inference methodology, particularly addressing challenges in survival analysis, vaccine effectiveness studies, treatment effect heterogeneity, and applications in oncology. His work frequently examines interpretation, identification, and estimation of causal parameters while developing robust statistical approaches for complex data structures.

• Fulbright Scholar
• Kolokotrones Fellow

Stensrud actively mentors the next generation of statisticians, currently supervising five PhD students: Amit Sawant, Lorenzo Gasparollo, Julien Laurendeau, Gellert Perenyi, and Ignacio Gonzalez Perez. His previous PhD student, Matias Janvin, successfully defended his thesis in November 2023. He also mentors postdoctoral researchers including Elise Dumas, with previous fellows including Aaron Sarvet (now Assistant Professor at University of Massachusetts Amherst), Pal Ryalen (Senior Scientist at University of Oslo), and Anders Huitfeldt (MD at Oslo University Hospital).

He leads the Chair of Biostatistics research group at EPFL, which focuses on developing and applying advanced statistical methods for causal inference. The group includes PhD students, postdoctoral researchers, and administrative support, working collaboratively on both theoretical methodology development and substantive applications in medicine and epidemiology.