Sonja D. Winter

Sonja D. Winter is an Assistant Professor in the Statistics, Measurement, and Evaluation in Education program at the University of Missouri’s College of Education and Human Development. She holds a Ph.D. in Quantitative Methods, Measurement, and Statistics from the University of California-Merced and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the Missouri Prevention Science Institute. Her research focuses on advancing Bayesian statistical methods, particularly structural equation modeling (SEM), with an emphasis on prior sensitivity analysis, longitudinal data analysis, and addressing challenges in educational research such as small samples and missing data.

Key areas of expertise include Bayesian methods, psychometrics, and the application of advanced quantitative techniques to educational and developmental psychology data. She leads the Winter Lab, which explores Bayesian SEM, measurement invariance, and the integration of prior knowledge through frameworks like prior predictive checks.

Her work emphasizes methodological rigor, including evaluating model fit indices and addressing overfitting/underfitting issues. She collaborates on projects involving LGBTQ+ community inequities, school discipline equity, and teacher stress measurement. Active in both research and education, Winter teaches graduate courses on measurement and Bayesian methods while advocating for transparent and reproducible statistical practices.