Arthur Pentland Dempster, longtime Harvard statistics professor who developed the EM algorithm and Dempster-Shafer theory of belief functions, died on January 30, 2026, at age 96, leaving a lasting mark on statistical inference and fields from machine learning to artificial intelligence.
Professor
Professional Opportunities
Rutgers University-New Brunswick School of Arts and Sciences and The National University of Singapore are hiring professors.
Lloyd J. Edwards
Lloyd Edwards earned a master’s in mathematical statistics at the University of Maryland, College Park, in 1982 and then worked for TRW Defense Systems for three years as a software engineer focusing on antisubmarine warfare. He graduated from The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1990 with a PhD in biostatistics, leading to a career as a faculty member in the University of North Carolina Department of Biostatistics for close to 25 years. Since 2017, Edwards has been a professor in the department of biostatistics in the school of public health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Mason Statistics Welcomes New Faculty
The George Mason University (GMU) department of statistics at the new school of computing welcomed eight new faculty hired during the pandemic. They will work at the new school of computing.
Samuel Echevarría-Cruz
From his first undergraduate social statistics course, Samuel Echevarría-Cruz fell in love with both the analytical precision and creative power of statistical methods. He now spends his time teaching sociology courses to Austin Community College students and statistics in local MBA and MPH programs. He is also proud of his Mexican and Puerto Rican heritage.
Harold Hotelling
Hotelling was considered a pioneer in the field of mathematical statistics and economics in the 20th century, with contributions to the theory of demand and utility,
2017–2018 Academic Salary Survey
The 2017–2018 academic salary survey includes both faculty and nonfaculty statisticians and biostatisticians. We received responses from 68 institutions in the United States.
People News for June
News and information about members of the ASA highlighted in the June issue. For a complete listing of news and information about ASA members, click here.
Clifford Spiegelman Honored with 2016 Don Owen Award
The San Antonio Chapter honors Clifford Spiegelman for his excellence in research, statistical consultation, and service to the statistical community.
Pickard Lecture Call for Nominations
The Harvard University Statistics Department is soliciting nominations for the 2016 Pickard Lecture Award to recognize an outstanding university faculty member.