Rhonda Bacher

Affiliation:
Assistant Professor of Biostatistics, University of Florida

Educational Background
BS, Mathematics, University of Florida
BS, Statistics, University of Florida
PhD, Statistics, University of Wisconsin-Madison

About Rhonda
Since childhood, Rhonda Bacher found interest in patterns and solving problems. She never would have thought those interests would propel her into a statistics career.

Growing up in Virginia Beach, Virginia, Rhonda’s favorite subject was math, and her teachers said she asked too many questions. She moved to Key West, Florida, in high school and completed almost all the math courses available by her junior year. The only one left in her senior year was AP Statistics. She knew nothing about statistics and would have preferred to continue with more conventional math courses, but she took a liking to it after delving into the textbook. She realized statistics was its own powerful language, capable of explaining patterns and problems. She was in love.

On her first day of classes at the University of Florida, Rhonda went to the registrar’s office and changed her major to statistics. She was unsure of the career options she would have with a degree in statistics, but her mind was set. She recalls telling someone her major and they replied, “What are you going to do with that?” Of course, there would be a variety of careers statistics could provide. After Rhonda began speaking with statistics classmates who had their minds set on actuarial, research, and other analytical paths, she realized she could use her skills in a variety of professions.

Rhonda started doing research with a professor in statistical genetics and found her passion. Her goal was to become faculty and solve problems in biostatistics.

With the guidance of her mentors, Rhonda had the opportunity to pursue her goal. She attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison to earn a PhD in statistics, fine-tuning her abilities in statistics and developing research skills. Rhonda then returned to her alma mater, the University of Florida, as an assistant professor in the department of biostatistics. Her research focuses on developing statistical methodology and software for analyzing genetics and genomics data.

Despite challenges along the way, Rhonda is proud to have achieved her goal and glad to have found her passion through statistics. She is humbled to work alongside incredible colleagues, where she can help answer important questions. Rhonda teaches and mentors biostatistics students and—like her mentors—she’s able to help students discover their careers, passions, and paths.