Amanda Koepke

Affiliation: Mathematical Statistician, National Institute of Standards and Technology

Amanda Koepke’s love of math began at a young age. Her first experience with math in school was in a gifted and talented program in Garland, Texas, where she faced none of the discouragement young girls often encounter. It wasn’t until her family moved during her middle-school years that she became aware of those stereotypes, and it was too late by then. She was hooked. “I believe that this early, positive experience with math is a key contributor to my success as a statistician,” says Koepke.

In high school, she took her first statistics course and relished this application of the math she loved so much. Despite this, Koepke didn’t know what careers were available in math or statistics, so she started at Texas Tech University as an accounting major. Later, realizing the potential of a math degree, she switched to a dual major in psychology and mathematics and statistics.

After finishing her undergraduate work, becoming a statistician seemed like the perfect way to merge her love of math and the social sciences, so Koepke pursued her PhD in statistics at the University of Washington. Her dissertation focused on modeling endemic cholera in Bangladesh, and, through this, she discovered the social sciences weren’t the only sciences that interested her.

After Koepke earned her PhD, she joined the National Institute of Standards and Technology Statistical Engineering Division as a mathematical statistician. Part of the Department of Commerce, NIST is the National Metrology Institute for the United States, responsible for the standards and protocols that determine how things are measured. From calibrating the scales you use at the grocery store to developing standards for photon detectors to keep your future business transactions safe using quantum cryptography, NIST develops, maintains, and calibrates measurement standards and methods for basically everything.

Statisticians at NIST have worked on making the Vietnam draft fairer, studied the collapse of the World Trade Center to improve building safety, and worked to understand the Deepwater Horizon oil spill to assess environmental damage. At NIST, Koepke works side-by-side with scientists doing cutting-edge research on everything from developing standards in forensics to making more accurate measurements of the second using optical atomic clocks, which resulted in co-authorship of an article in Nature.

One of Koepke’s greatest professional achievements so far is her success in recruiting talented statisticians to the Statistical Engineering Division—about 20 percent of the current staff of 35—and shaping the future of statistics at NIST. She has also helped make an impact on diversity, equity, and inclusivity at NIST through contributions to a benchmark DEI report and co-organization of events promoting DEI. In 2021, Koepke was acknowledged for these efforts with the Outstanding Contribution to Enhance Diversity Award. “I am deeply excited to be part of this scientific community and look forward to continuing to apply my statistical skills to problems that have such global and ongoing impact over time,” she says.