Monica Alexander

Monica Alexander is an Associate Professor (with tenure) in both the Department of Statistical Sciences and the Department of Sociology at the University of Toronto. She holds cross-appointments within the Faculty of Arts & Science and is affiliated with the Fields Institute for Research in Mathematical Sciences. Her research focuses on developing statistical methods to measure disparities in demographic and health outcomes, with a particular emphasis on mortality, maternal health, and opioid-related mortality in the United States.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Demography, University of California, Berkeley (2018)
• M.A. in Statistics, University of California, Berkeley (2015)
• M. Social Research (Demography), Australian National University (2013)
• B.Sc. (First Class Honors) in Mathematics and Chemistry, University of Tasmania (2008)

Research Interests:

Her work bridges statistical methodology and social science, addressing topics such as Bayesian demography, mortality estimation, and computational approaches to demographic data analysis. Recent projects include collaborations with the World Health Organization, UNICEF, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to improve global health metrics. She is also passionate about increasing diversity in STEM and co-founded R-Ladies Toronto to support women in data science.

Grants & Awards:

• Received over CAD 300,000 in grants from agencies like SSHRC and the Data Sciences Institute.
• Recipient of the IUSSP Early Career Award (2025) and Max Planck Sabbatical Award (2021-2023).

Advising & Lab:

She leads the Bayesian Demography Lab, overseeing a team of postdoctoral fellows, PhD, master’s, and undergraduate students. Her advisees work on projects ranging from subnational mortality modeling to opioid mortality disparities.

Labs/Teams:

Co-organizes the Formal Demography Working Group and maintains a curated list of women scholars in demography to promote gender equity in the field.