Dear Members of the Department,
As we embark on a new chapter, I am delighted to reflect on the remarkable evolution of our field and the vibrant community that characterizes our department. Over the past few decades, we have witnessed the rise of a dynamic interdisciplinary domain rooted in the profound capacity to access and interpret data. The convergence of statistics, computer science, and mathematics has catalyzed powerful insights, enabling us to make informed inferences, predictions, and decisions across diverse applied domains. This synthesis of inquiry, data, and tools has coalesced into the widely recognized discipline of Data Science. The emergence of data science, alongside the pervasive application of statistical principles, has necessitated an agile response from us in both teaching and research. As the Department of Statistics and Data Science, we remain deeply committed to nurturing future data scientists and promoting a growing acknowledgment of data’s pivotal role in shaping our world.
I am immensely proud to share that our department stands as one of the fastest-growing units within the university, marked by a remarkable surge in undergraduate enrollment—an increase of over 200% over the past decade. In Fall 2024, more than 1,000 undergraduate students enrolled as our majors and pre-majors across Statistics & Data Science and Data Theory, alongside a thriving cohort of over 200 graduate students. This expansion reflects our dedication to excellence and accessibility in statistical and data science education.
On the faculty front, I extend hearty congratulations to Dr. Guido Montúfar on his promotion to full professor, Dr. Karen McKinnon on her promotion to associate professor, and Dr. Dave Zes and Dr Guani Wu on their promotions to continuing lecturers. Their achievements epitomize our collective pursuit of scholarly excellence. We also welcomed two new assistant professors, Dr. Oscar Leong and Dr. Yuhua Zhu, who joined us in July 2024. Looking ahead, Dr. Drago Plecko will join us in the coming fall as an assistant professor through the campus-wide DataX initiative. I am also pleased to report that we are in the process of appointing the first endowed chair in our department, the Dunn Family Endowed Chair in Data Theory—an exciting milestone in our history.
Several faculty members have also been recognized for their outstanding contributions to research and service to our scholarly communities. Dr. Robert Gould received the prestigious Founders Award from the American Statistical Association. Dr. Jingyi Jessica Li was named a 2025 Guggenheim Fellow by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. Dr. Judea Pearl received the 2024 Kampe de Feriet Award and was recently elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in recognition of his pioneering contributions to artificial intelligence and causal inference. Dr. Edward Leamer, a joint emeritus faculty member in our department known for his foundational work in advancing statistical inference in empirical economic research, was posthumously elected to the National Academy of Sciences in April 2025.
Throughout the year, our department has been abuzz with intellectually vibrant research activities and events. Most notably, we hosted another successful DataFest in 2025, which brought together 80 teams, nearly 400 students, and more than 100 mentors and volunteers. We are proud of all our student participants for their creativity, persistence, and teamwork. In the annual de Leeuw Seminar, Professor Bin Yu from UC Berkeley delivered a captivating keynote on the intersection of data science and statistical uncertainty quantification. Many of our faculty and graduate students are pursuing novel research directions at the interface of modern statistics and artificial intelligence. We also continue to collaborate with other campus units to promote data science education and research, particularly through our active involvement in the DataX initiative. Professor George Michailidis is now serving as the Faculty Director of the Fundamental Data Science pillar, following Professor Mark Handcock’s impactful leadership in the role.
As you know, we are navigating a time of significant financial challenge due to the campus-wide budget deficit and growing uncertainty in federal research funding. Despite these headwinds, our department remains resolute in its mission. We are actively exploring alternative funding sources, forging new partnerships, and investing in strategic initiatives to sustain and grow our educational and research programs. Our shared commitment to academic excellence, innovation, and education will continue to guide us through these uncertain times. I have every confidence that—through the strength of our community—we will persevere, adapt, and thrive.
As we approach the end of the academic year, I extend my warmest wishes for a restful and rejuvenating summer. May you return to our department refreshed and inspired, ready to embark on another year of impactful scholarship and collaboration.
Qing Zhou
Chair of Statistics & Data Science