"On of my most enjoyable classes ever! "
— Graduate Student (Anon)
We are among the best doctoral (or PhD) Statistics programs in the country! Our PhD program in Statistics at the University of Kentucky is ranked 16th among statistics PhD programs nationwide, and 11th among statistics doctoral programs at public universities in the United States. (Data provided by Academic Analytics, LCC, 2008 report). Within the university, we are among the top ten PhD programs, currently ranked 8th.
Chunxu Liu was selected as a winner of the ASA Nonparametrics Student Paper Awards Competition at the Joint Statistical Meetings 2009. This competition was organized by the Nonparametrics Section of the American Statistical Association. The award winners were chosen based on a combination of quality of the submitted paper, and quality of the presentation. Chunxu's winning paper is entitled "A Nonparametric Version of Wilks' Lambda: Asymptotics, Approximations, and Permutations". She is currently finishing up her PhD under the supervision of Dr. Arne Bathke.
Dr. Ruriko Yoshida has received funding $1.4M in funding over five years from the National Institutes of Health Research Project Grant Program (R01), the Joint DMS/BIO/NIGMS Math/Bio Program for her research, i.e., to apply algebraic geometry and combinatorics to computational problems in phylogenetics, which is the combination of two major fields in life sciences: Genomics, i.e. the study of the function and structure of genes and genomes; and Molecular Phylogenetics, i.e., the study of the hierarchical evolutionary relationships among organisms or genes.
Dr. Bill Rayens of the Statistics department was selected as a Chellgren Endowed Professor.Chellgren Professors are UK faculty members who are outstanding teachers and researchers, each with a compelling interest in undergraduate innovation and excellence. To be named a Chellgren Endowed Professor, a faculty member must propose a specific innovative project aligned with the mission of the Chellgren Center that will be the focus of the professor's scholarly agenda during his or her tenure as a Chellgren Professor.
Dr. William Griffith of the Statistics department was one of three professors honored as a 2008-2009 Arts & Sciences Outstanding Teacher. Professor Griffith has succeeded in engaging and exciting students at every level and made an impact beyond the classroom as an ambassador of statistics education in the University. Colleagues and students agree that Professor Griffith is caring, concerned, and committed to both his field and to his students.
Dr. Richard Kryscio of the Statistics department was one of four professors honored as a 2007-2008 University Research Professor. The University Research Professorships, established by the UK Board of Trustees in 1976 to recognize outstanding research achievement, carry an award of $35,000 to enable professors to devote full time to their research or continue to teach and use the award to support research activities. Funds for these annual awards are provided by the Office of the Executive Vice President for Research.
Dr. Arne Bathke won the 2007 Provost's Award for Outstanding Teaching. Nominations come from students, staff, and faculty and candidates are judged based on qualities of dedication, imagination, creativity, inspiration, and concern for students from individuals who demonstrate high aspirations and superior contributions to teaching.