Associate Professor, Division of Biostatistics and Health Data Science, University of Minnesota
Sandra Safo grew up in Ghana, where she developed a love for mathematics and problem-solving from a young age. “Growing up, I always thought I would have a career combining mathematics and finance, so I pursued a dual degree in mathematics and economics and even sat for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) exam,” Safo said. She continued, “In my third year as an undergraduate student, I took a course on data analysis and loved it! I liked how we could use statistical models to reveal insights and trends and that’s when I knew I wanted to pursue a career applying mathematics instead of a career in pure mathematics.”
After completing her bachelor’s degree, Safo pursued a master’s in applied mathematics. She was eager to apply her mathematical knowledge in a real-world setting, so she interned in the quantitative research and analytics department at Allstate Insurance Company. There, she was exposed to big data with millions of observations and had to learn SAS on the fly (she was used to coding in MATLAB), along with statistical techniques to develop models for shopper segmentation and customer retention under rate changes. The internship exposed her to wide-ranging statistical applications, strengthened her desire to deepen her expertise in statistics, and made her decision to pursue a PhD in statistics an easy one.
Currently, Safo is interested in developing robust, usable, and explainable statistical and machine learning (including deep learning) methods and software for integrating high-dimensional data from different modalities to advance clinical translational research. She has also developed an interest in statistical methods for examining the intersections between individuals’ lived experiences and biological data to improve health outcomes for all.
“Throughout my journey, I’ve had the opportunity to teach and mentor students, which has been incredibly rewarding,” Safo said. One of the moments she looks back on with pride is when a former student stopped her in a grocery store to thank her for a class she taught. “The class size was large, so I didn’t know all the students personally, but hearing her excitedly share how much she appreciated the class really meant a lot to me. I know we shouldn’t expect or wait for praise, but that moment truly stuck with me and reminds me of why I’m passionate about teaching and mentoring students,” she said.
In both her academic and professional life, Safo is driven by a desire to make an impact—whether that’s through her research in statistics or helping students grow and succeed.
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