Patrick J.F. Groenen

Patrick J.F. Groenen is a full Professor of Statistics at the Erasmus School of Economics (ESE), Erasmus University Rotterdam, and currently serves as its Dean. His academic career spans leadership roles, including Director of the Econometric Institute (2014-2020) and President of the International Association for Statistical Computing (2015-2017). He has held visiting positions at Stanford University and contributed extensively to multidimensional scaling (MDS), data science, and statistical genetics.

His research focuses on numerical algorithms for MDS, support vector machines, and optimization techniques applied to diverse fields. He is a founding editor of the open-access journal Journal of Data Science, Statistics, and Visualisation and has authored major textbooks including Modern Multidimensional Scaling and Applied Multidimensional Scaling and Unfolding. His work appears in top journals like Nature Genetics, Psychometrika, and Journal of Machine Learning Research.

Recent publications highlight advancements in convex clustering, genomic prediction, and robust statistical methods. He has developed influential R packages such as GenSVM, SVMMaj, and smacof for multiclass classification and MDS software. His supervisory record includes 14 PhD students across economic psychology, genetics, and data science.

Academic activities include editorial roles at Advances in Data Analysis and Classification and Psychometrika, alongside organizing international conferences like CARME 2007 on correspondence analysis. His contributions to nonlinear biplots and response style modeling have advanced visual data interpretation in social sciences.