Ya'acov Ritov

Ya'acov Ritov is a Professor of Statistics at the University of Michigan, affiliated with the Department of Statistics under the Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) School. He also held the Francis Hock Emeritus Chair in Statistics at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His academic career includes positions as a Lecturer (1984), Senior Lecturer (1989), Associate Professor (1990), and Professor (1992) at Hebrew University before joining the University of Michigan as a Professor in 2015.

Ritov's research focuses on statistical theory, semiparametric models, high-dimensional data analysis, and empirical Bayes methods. He has contributed to areas such as robust Bayes procedures, errors-in-variables models, and the analysis of contingency tables. His work bridges theoretical advancements with practical applications in fields like machine learning, biostatistics, and econometrics.

Education: B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering (1973, Technion), M.Sc. in Electrical Engineering (1980, Technion), Ph.D. in Statistics (1983, Hebrew University of Jerusalem). His doctoral thesis, advised by Peter J. Bickel and Yosef Yahav, explored robust Bayesian procedures.

Scientific Awards: Francis Hock Emeritus Chair in Statistics (Hebrew University).

Students: Advised numerous Ph.D. and Master's students, including Michael Law, Hamid Eftekhari, and Debarghya Mukherjee. His academic mentorship spans foundational statistical theory and applied methodologies.

Labs/Teams: Collaborates extensively with researchers in statistics and interdisciplinary fields, contributing to projects on algorithmic fairness, transfer learning, and high-dimensional inference.