Mei-Cheng Wang’s journey began in Taiwan, where she earned her bachelor’s in mathematics from National Tsing Hua University. In 1981, she moved to the University of California at Berkeley to pursue a PhD in statistics. After completing her PhD, she joined the department of biostatistics at Johns Hopkins University, where she has been a faculty member ever since.
A Statistician's Life
Nalini Ravishanker
Nalini Ravishanker grew up in Chennai, India, in a huge extended family that nurtured her love for mathematics. Inspired by talks by leading statisticians at the University of Madras, she decided to pursue a PhD in statistics.
Brenda Gaydos
Brenda Gaydos built a distinguished career in the pharmaceutical industry. Even though her parents thought college was a waste of money, especially for a girl, Gaydos pursued a degree.
Peggy Carr
Peggy Carr’s journey began in Cleveland, Ohio, where her family moved during The Great Migration. Carr was the first person of color in executive management at the National Center for Education Statistics and among the first to join the Federal Senior Executive Service.
Bailey Fosdick
When Bailey Fosdick began college at the Colorado School of Mines, she was drawn to science but quickly realized she disliked lab work. Mathematics, however, stood out as the common thread tying her interests together. Seeking a pure math degree, she transferred to Colorado State University, where an introductory coding class sparked an unexpected love for computer science, leading her to double major in both fields. However, it was the COVID-19 pandemic and her work on university and public health modeling teams that reignited her true purpose—solving real-world problems with statistics. Seeking to make a deeper impact, she left academia and is now institute data scientist at GTI Energy. The transition required courage, but it brought immense growth and the fulfillment of seeing her work make a tangible difference.
Nairanjana (Jan) Dasgupta
Nairanjana Dasgupta’s life has been shaped by serendipity and survival. Born under extraordinary circumstances when her mother, at over 40, discovered her pregnancy after needing surgery, the odds of her survival were slim. Growing up on a small university campus near the Himalayas, Dasgupta developed an early love for numbers, logic, and word puzzles. Torn between mathematics and English at 18, she was introduced to statistics and her decision proved to be transformative. She is now a Regents professor at Washington State University and president of the Western North American Region of the International Biometric Society.
Marie Diener-West
Marie Diener-West pursued biology and mathematics at Loyola University of Chicago. It wasn’t until her senior year that a physical chemistry professor suggested graduate school—a simple comment that changed her life.
Shannon Ellis
Shannon Ellis attended King’s College, where she earned a bachelor’s in biology and Spanish while playing Division III sports. A pivotal moment came when her genetics professor, Jeramia Ory, invited her to join his research lab.
Qixuan Chen
Qixuan Chen’s journey into statistics was deeply inspired by her father, who pursued a self-taught degree in statistics while managing more than 100 employees, achieving the highest GPA in his class. Growing up on a beautiful island in southeast China, Chen was captivated by his explanation of the bell curve, sparking her passion for the field. She later earned advanced degrees in the United States and developed a research philosophy grounded in problem-driven methods, community engagement, and clear communication. As a dedicated educator and mentor, Chen finds joy in supporting students, believing—like her father—it’s never too late to achieve greatness.
Alexandra M. Schmidt
Alexandra Schmidt was born in Nova Friburgo, Brazil. Her interest in computers started at age 13, when she taught herself programming in Basic.