Runze Li

Runze Li is the Eberly Family Chair Professor of Statistics and Chair of Graduate Studies at Penn State University, with joint appointments in Food Science and Technology and Nutrition. He obtained his PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 2000.

Research Focus: Li specializes in high-dimensional data analysis, developing methodologies for variable selection, feature screening, and nonparametric modeling. His work has applications in bioinformatics, environmental science (e.g., carbon exchange modeling), and finance. Notable contributions include the distance correlation learning method for feature screening and one-step sparse estimation in nonconcave penalized likelihood models.

Honors: Recipient of the UN World Meteorological Organization Gerbier-Mumm Award (2012), ICSA Distinguished Achievement Award (2017), and NSF Career Award (2004). He is a fellow of IMS, ASA, and AAAS, and has been a Highly Cited Researcher since 2014.

Teaching: Instructs graduate and undergraduate courses including Multivariate Analysis (Stat 565) and Statistical Foundations of Data Science (Stat 597).

Professional Service: Served as Editor of Annals of Statistics (2013-2015) and associate editor for Journal of the American Statistical Association.