Committee on Career Development Starts Year with Webinar

Elizabeth Mannshardt, 2022 CCD Chair

The ASA Committee on Career Development (CCD) will host its first event of 2022—a free webinar, titled “Distinguished Careers in Statistics and Data Science,” January 28 at 11 a.m. EST. The webinar panel will be moderated by Donna LaLonde with members of the committee. Participants can submit questions in advance when registering or ask them during the webinar Q&A. Registration is required.

Distinguished Careers in Statistics and Data Science

In 2021, ASA CCD launched a webinar series, Along Your Career Path in Data Science, which included “Early Data Science Careers and the Job Search Process” and “Career Next-Steps and Promotions.” Featured speakers in this next installment in the series are Linda J. Young, John Bailer, and Abie Ekangaki.

Linda J. Young is the chief mathematical statistician and director of research and development at the National Agricultural Statistics Service. Her research interests include integrating diverse data, especially that involving spatial data, agricultural data, and statistical ecology.

Young has authored three books and more than 100 publications in a mixture of statistics and subject-matter journals. She also served as editor of the Journal of Agricultural, Biological, and Environmental Statistics.

Within the professional statistical societies, Young has served in a broad range of offices, including vice president of the ASA and chair of the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies. She is a recipient of the ASA’s Founders Award, a fellow of the ASA and American Association for the Advancement of Science, and an elected member of the International Statistical Institute.

John Bailer is university distinguished professor and chair in the department of statistics at Miami University in Southwest Ohio. He is the founding chair of the department of statistics at Miami. His research interests include quantitative risk estimation, the design and analysis of environmental toxicology and occupational health studies, and gerontological data analysis. He has published four books and 150+ peer-reviewed papers, many with student co-authors. He has mentored more than 50 graduate student projects and served on another 100 graduate student committees.

Bailer served as ISI president (2019–2021) and was on the ISI executive committee. He was also on the ASA Board of Directors (2011–2013) and served as a member of the IBS/ENAR Regional Advisory Committee.

Promoting quantitative literacy and enhancing connections between statistics and journalism are more recent passions, which resulted in the Stats+Stories podcast (Twitter: @statsandstories).

Abie Ekangaki is vice president of statistical consulting with Premier Research, a leading clinical research organization in the biotechnology space. With more than 26 years of experience as a biostatistician, Ekangaki has worked in different capacities within industry, academia, and the international organization system, including several senior technical and senior leadership positions. He worked as a research scientist with the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland.

Prior to joining Premier Research, Ekangaki spent 10 years with Eli Lilly before becoming head of North America Biostatistics at Quintiles, then head of Global Statistical Sciences for Immunology at UCB BioPharma. He is the founder and past chair of the BioPharm Leadership-in-Practice Committee (LiPCom) and passionate about promoting statistical leadership.

To receive notifications for all upcoming CCD events, sign up to be on the “Friends of the CCD” email list. If you have ideas for career development opportunities or are interested in serving on the committee in 2022, contact the 2022 CCD chair, Elizabeth Mannshardt.