For Emerging Leaders in Statistics
About the Award Current Committee
Most Recent Winners
2022 COPSS Leadership Academy

2021 COPSS Leadership Academy
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Emma K. Benn Associate Professor
Department of Population Health Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
For unmatched dedication to increasing diversity in the statistical sciences; for outstanding contributions to health disparities research; and for significant contributions to educating the next generation of clinical and statistical scientists. |

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Claire McKay Bowen Lead Data Scientist Privacy and Security
Urban Institute
For contributions to the development and broad dissemination of Statistics and Data Science methods and concepts, particularly in the emerging field of Data Privacy, and for leadership of technical initiatives, professional development activities, and educational programs. |

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Tamara Broderick Associate Professor
Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science MIT
For significant contributions to Bayesian nonparametrics and machine learning. |

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Jeff Goldsmith Associate Professor
Department of Biostatistics Mailman School of Public Health Columbia University
For exemplary leadership in teaching and training students in biostatistics, data science, and public health. |

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Stephanie Hicks Assistant Professor
Department of Biostatistics Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
For notable contributions to the analysis of high-throughput and single cell methods and data analysis; and for significant educational, mentoring, and outreach efforts to expand and diversify the community of data scientists. |

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Jonas Peters Professor, Statistics
Department of Mathematical Sciences University of Copenhagen
For path-breaking contributions to statistical issues in connection with causality research, for an extraordinary active role in research dissemination and for outstanding inspiration of junior researchers. |

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Aaditya Ramdas Assistant Professor
Department of Statistics and Data Science Machine Learning Department Carnegie Mellon University
For significant contributions to sequential nonparametric inference, uncertainty quantification in machine learning, and statistical methods for reproducibility, as well as the development of an array of unique courses and tutorials, along with extensive mentorship and outreach activities. |

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Alisa Stephens-Shields Assistant Professor of Biostatistics
Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology and Informatics Biostatistics and EpidemiologyUniversity of Pennsylvania of Medicine
For exemplary leadership in interdisciplinary collaboration; for contributions to education in causal inference; and for dedicated effort to increasing the pipeline of talented students into the profession. |

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Lingzhou Xue Associate Professor of Statistics
Department of Statistics Pennsylvania State University
For his innovative contributions to the theory and methodology of high-dimensional statistics and statistical learning, and for his outstanding and prolific service to the profession and to society. |
Purpose
To recognize early career statistical scientists who show evidence of and potential for leadership and who will help shape and strengthen the field.
Guiding Principles
In creating the new award, the COPSS recognizes the increasingly important role that early career statistical scientists are playing in shaping the future of the discipline. The award is designed both to call attention to the efforts of these individuals and to provide a mechanism for them to share their vision for the field with each other and the statistical community. The selection criteria for the award are intentionally broad and designed to highlight contributions in areas not traditionally recognized by other early career awards in the statistical sciences. Awardees will be invited to use the Leadership Academy as a platform to share their ideas broadly and to give back to the community.
Frequency and Term of Award
Awards are announced annually at the Joint Statistical Meetings and are held for three consecutive years. In steady state the Academy has at most 25 members.
Nominations and Eligibility
The award is open to all junior members of the international statistical community. An eligible candidate will have received a terminal statistically-related degree up to 10 years prior to the award year. In particular circumstances (e.g., illness, childbirth, dependent care), the eligibility period may be extended by up to two years, but in this case the nomination letter should outline the circumstances. These determine only eligibility, and do not otherwise affect the selection process.
Nominees must also be a member of at least one COPSS and Friend Societies.
Eligible candidates are expected to adhere to the highest standards of statistical practice, professional conduct, and personal conduct; for more information see the Ethical Guidelines for Statistical Practice published by the Committee on Professional Ethics of the American Statistical Association:
https://www.amstat.org/ASA/Your-Career/Ethical-Guidelines-for-Statistical-Practice.aspx
Nominations will be accepted from October 1 to December 15 of the calendar year and may be made by members of any of the COPSS affiliated organizations. Previous nomination does not exclude a nominee from consideration in subsequent years, though awardees are excluded from future nomination. No member of the Selection Committee or officer of COPSS shall be eligible during his or her term of service. The nominator should submit a nomination packet that includes a cover letter, a curriculum vitae and at least two but no more than three letters of support. The cover letter must confirm the eligibility of the nominee and their willingness to be nominated, and include a proposed citation. Other documentation may be requested by the Selection Committee.
The Selection Committee members should not prepare individual nominations nor submit letters of support, though they should actively recruit nominations for individuals they feel would be competitive for the award.
Selection Criteria
Members of the Leadership Academy will be selected based on outstanding contributions to the field of statistical science in one or more of the following areas: education, training, and mentoring; original research and software development; impactful and ethical practice; justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion; and service to the profession and to society.
Nomination Deadline for 2022 Award: December 15, 2021
A nomination packet consisting of a single PDF document (following the naming convention LASTNAME_FIRSTNAME.pdf so the file name corresponds to the nominee) with the nomination letter, CV, and two or three letters of support should be sent by email attachment to Richard Samworth, Chair of the COPSS Leadership Academy Selection Committee.