Professor, University of Melbourne
Aurore Delaigle grew up in the French-speaking part of Belgium, a few kilometers from the French border. In high school, her favorite topic was mathematics, although she also loved learning languages and had a passion for piano. Her parents were high school mathematics and sciences teachers, so mathematics also fit the family interests, and she naturally chose to study it when she went to college. At the time, she knew she loved teaching and pictured herself as a high school math teacher.
At Delaigle’s university, everyone who wanted to pursue studies in mathematics, computer science, or statistics had to start with two years in general mathematics, where students were exposed to all three topics. Delaigle quickly developed a strong interest in computer science and thought of pursuing it in year three. On the other hand, she had also developed a taste for statistics. “The real data aspect of it made the mathematics studied there much more connected to reality, which I really enjoyed,” she said. Statistics also involved programming and mathematics, which she still liked, so she finally chose to pursue statistics.
“Statistics turned out to be the right choice for me,” Delaigle said. “I really like the balance between algorithms, methodology, programming, data, and mathematics.” For her, an important aspect of statistical research is to start with a real-life problem or question; that is what makes her really interested in the problem. She particularly enjoys methodological development, as she derives a lot of satisfaction from uncovering various tricks that pave the way to the solution.
Delaigle pursued a career in academia because she likes the mix of research and teaching. She has also done a lot of work for the statistics community, as she believes service is another important aspect of a career we should all contribute to. For example, she was associate editor for the Journal of the American Statistical Association, Journal of Computational and Graphical Statistics, Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series B, and Annals of Statistics and co-editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Royal Statistical Society, Series B for many years. She was also program secretary for the Institute of Mathematical Statistics for six years and organized and helped organize many international statistics conferences. Finally, she served on many other committees for statistics, including as chair of the Nonparametric Section and member of the COPSS G.W. Snedecor Award Committee.
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