Dayanand N. Naik

Submitted by N. Rao Chaganty and Ravi Khattree

Dayanand N. Naik, who was a professor of statistics at Old Dominion University in the department of mathematics and statistics, passed away on October 26, 2012, after a three-year battle with prostate cancer. He is survived by his wife, Sujatha, and his two sons, Naveen, 16, and Rishi, 10, in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Dayanand was born on January 1, 1952, in Hillur—a small village in the state of Karnataka—India, to a family of hard-working farmers who owned a small plot of land. His parents were particular about the education of their children and, since Dayanand was an exceptional student, they were determined to send him to college. Upon completing his master’s in statistics at Karnataka University, he served as a lecturer at Karnataka College for a year and then moved to the Indian Statistical Institute to work on his PhD. At the suggestion of S. Rao Jammalamadaka, he transferred to the University of Pittsburgh and earned his PhD under C. R. Rao. Afterward, he joined Old Dominion University as a faculty member and remained there throughout his academic career.

Dayanand was an active researcher, working in the areas of linear models, multivariate analysis, and statistical inference. He comfortably switched back and forth between theoretical and applied research. He wrote many influential articles on detection of outliers, random effect models, growth curve models, repeated measures and longitudinal data, familial correlations, and graphical methods—especially those related to correspondence analysis. Many of these articles have been widely referred to in published textbooks. Two applied textbooks on multivariate analysis, which he coauthored with R. Khattree and were published in 1995 and 2000, are still regarded as important references for applied researchers. In addition, in 2008, he co-edited a book volume, titled Computational Methods for Biomedical Research, with R. Khattree that contains the novel research work useful for biomedical researchers. At Old Dominion University, he advised more than 10 students on their PhD dissertations.

Dayanand was a Fellow of the American Statistical Association and an elected member of the International Statistical Institute. He was an active member of both organizations, serving on many committees in various capacities. He was also an active member of the Virginia Academy of Sciences.

“That who sees me in everything and everything in me, to him, I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to me.”

If you would like to make a tax-deductible contribution in memory of Dayanand, contact Michele Catalano, development officer for the College of Sciences at Old Dominion University, at mcatalano@odu.edu.