COPSS-NISS Leadership Webinar: Leadership in Statistics and Societal Impact

Overview

Join the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies (COPSS) and the National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS) for an insightful webinar exploring the pivotal role of statistical leadership in driving societal change. This session will feature distinguished statisticians Sir Bernard Silverman FRS and Dr. Peter Song, who will share their experiences and perspectives on how statistical research and leadership can address pressing societal issues.

Panelists

Sir Bernard Silverman FRS,  Emeritus Professor of Statistics in the University of Oxford

Dr. Peter Song, Professor of Biostatistics, Ann Arbor School of Public Health, University of Michigan

Moderator

Dr. Anru Zhang, Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics and Department of Computer Science, Duke University

About the Panelists

Sir Bernard Silverman FRS is a distinguished British statistician renowned for his extensive contributions to both theoretical and applied statistics. He is particularly recognized as a pioneer in computational statistics, exploring how advancements in computing have transformed data collection, analysis, and utilization. His collaborative work spans various scientific disciplines, industry sectors, and governmental bodies. Educated at the City of London School and Jesus College, Cambridge, Sir Bernard earned his PhD under the supervision of D.G. Kendall. His academic career includes senior positions at the Universities of Bath, Bristol, and Oxford, where he served as Master of St Peter’s College. From 2010 to 2017, he was the Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Home Office, providing strategic scientific guidance across policy and operational areas. A significant focus of his recent work is the statistical estimation of modern slavery prevalence. His research was instrumental in shaping the UK’s Modern Slavery Act 2015. He has held roles such as Professor of Modern Slavery Statistics at the University of Nottingham and has advised organizations including the Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner’s Advisory Panel and the Prime Minister’s Task Force on Modern Slavery. Sir Bernard has also contributed to national statistics, chairing the National Statistician’s Methodological Assurance Review Panel, and has been involved in projects related to geospatial data, research integrity, and security oversight. He has served on the boards of the Economic and Social Research Council and the Parliamentary Office of Science and Technology. His accolades include the COPSS Presidents’ Award, Guy Medals in Bronze and Silver from the Royal Statistical Society, and fellowships with the Royal Society and the Academy of Social Sciences. In 2018, he was knighted for public service and services to science. Currently, Sir Bernard operates as an independent researcher and consultant, engaging in policy development, research, and advisory roles across various sectors. See profile 

Dr. Peter Song is Professor of Biostatistics at the University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor. He received his PhD in Statistics from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada in 1996. He has published over 230 peer-reviewed papers and graduated 26 PhD students and trained 6 postdoc research fellows. Dr. Song's current research interests include data integration, distributed inference, high-dimensional data analysis, longitudinal data analysis, mediation analysis, and spatiotemporal modeling with applications in chronic disease, nephrology, environmental health sciences, and nutritional sciences. He is IMS Fellow, ASA Fellow and Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute. Dr. Song now serves as Area Editor for the Annals of Applied Statistics, and Associate Editor for the Journal of American Statistical Association and the Journal of Multivariate Analysis. See Profile

About the Moderator

Anru Zhang is the Eugene Anson Stead, Jr. M.D. Associate Professor in the Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics and an Associate Professor in the Department of Computer Science at Duke University. He also serves as the Associate Chair for Research in the Department of Biostatistics & Bioinformatics at Duke University. Anru received his Bachelor's degree from Peking University in 2010 and his Ph.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 2015. His research focuses on high-dimensional statistical inference, tensor learning, generative models, and applications in electronic health records, genomics, and microbiome studies. Anru has received numerous awards, including the NSF CAREER Award, ASA Gottfried E. Noether Junior Award, IMS Tweedie Award, and COPSS Emerging Leader Award. Two of his Ph.D. students have also been recognized with the IMS Lawrence D. Brown Ph.D. Student Award. See Profile

About the COPSS-NISS Leadership Webinar Series

COPSS (Committee of the Presidents of Statistical Societies) and NISS have come together to organize and host a new webinar series focusing on leadership in statistics and data science. Plan to attend these webinars every month during the academic year! Visit the COPSS-NISS Leadership Series Page for previous webinars.

The COPSS-NISS Leadership Webinar Series is co-organized by the Committee of the Presidents of Statistical Societies (COPSS) Emerging Leaders in Statistics and the National Institute of Statistical Sciences (NISS). The purpose of the webinar series is to promote leadership skills for members of the statistical societies at any stage in their careers. The series features conversations with leaders throughout the discipline, including leaders from major academic and government institutions, and companies. Invited speakers share their leadership stories and answer questions about their experiences. Each webinar is moderated by a member of the COPSS Emerging Leaders in Statistics program.

Access the Full COPSS-NISS Leadership Webinar Series YouTube Playlist | COPSS-NISS Leadership Webinar Series: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoRtupvDJTjvFukMcO6NfDr0GvxDsIj81