James Cochran Named Fellow of African Academy of Sciences

The African Academy of Sciences has named James J. Cochran, an American Statistical Association Founder and Fellow, one of its newly elected fellows. The academy recognized 88 distinguished scientists and scholars in its 2023 and 2024 classes, honoring their dedication to scientific excellence and contributions to research that addresses Africa’s challenges.

Cochran is a professor of statistics and operations research and the Mike & Kathy Mouron Research Chair at the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College. He earned his PhD from the University of Cincinnati in 1997 and has made significant contributions to statistics, operations research, analytics, and data visualization. He has published more than 60 research articles, 18 book chapters, and eight textbooks and has served on 18 journal editorial boards, including as editor of INFORMS Transactions on Education.

His research spans the intersection of statistics and operations research, including advances in optimization methodologies, Bayesian and predictive approaches, and political engineering. He also developed a finitization methodology for probability distributions that maintains statistical integrity.

Beyond his research, Cochran has played a pivotal role in education and professional service. He is the founding editor of the Wiley Encyclopedia of Operations Research and the Management Sciences. He co-founded Statistics Without Borders and the Institute for Operations Research and the Management Sciences pro bono analytics initiative, has delivered keynote addresses in more than 30 countries, and has organized educational events in more than 20 nations.

Cochran’s contributions have been widely recognized. His accolades include the INFORMS Prize for the Teaching of OR/MS Practice, Mu Sigma Rho Statistical Education Award, Waller Distinguished Teaching Career Award, and Karl E. Peace Award for Outstanding Statistical Contributions for the Betterment of Society. He is a Fellow of the ASA, INFORMS, and now the AAS.

View the full list of newly elected AAS fellows.