Yili Hong

Yili Hong is a Professor in the Department of Statistics at Virginia Tech's College of Science. Her research focuses on statistical methodologies in reliability analysis, machine learning, survival analysis, and spatial data analysis. She holds a Ph.D. from Iowa State University (2009), with prior degrees from the same institution and the University of Science and Technology of China. Hong has been recognized with awards such as the ASA Physical and Engineering Sciences Award (2017) and the DuPont Young Professor Award (2011). She serves on editorial boards for journals like Technometrics and Journal of Quality Technology, emphasizing contributions to statistical reliability and big data applications. Her work bridges theoretical statistics with practical challenges in engineering and public health, including studies on Lyme disease emergence in Virginia through spatial modeling.

Education:

• Ph.D. in Statistics, Iowa State University, 2009
• M.S. in Statistics, Iowa State University, 2005
• B.S. in Statistics, University of Science and Technology of China, 2004

Research interests span machine learning robustness, reliability of AI systems, degradation analysis, and statistical computing. Notable achievements include pioneering work on mixture experiments for AI algorithm evaluation and statistical methods for high-performance computing variability. Her recent projects address the reliability of autonomous systems and AI safety through recurrent event data analysis.

Awards and recognitions highlight her contributions to statistical methodology and industrial applications. Editorial activities reflect her leadership in advancing statistical practice through peer-reviewed journals.