Three new faculty joined the Statistics Department in Fall 2015; Gyuhyeong Goh, Mike Higgins and Cen Wu. Trevor Hefley will join the Statistics faculty in Fall 2016.
New Faculty Fall 2015
Gyuhyeong Goh received his PhD in Statistics in 2015 under the direction of Dipak Dey at University of Connecticut. His research has mainly focused on the development of statistical theory, methodology and application for high dimensional data from a Bayesian perspective. While at Connecticut he was also involved in several medical studies as a graduate research assistant at the University of Connecticut Heath Center (UCHC). Gyuhyeong grew up in South Korea and received an MA in Statistics from Kyungpook National University in Daegu. In his spare time he enjoys hiking and playing soccer. Pictured are Gyuhyeong and his wife, Jieun Lee, on Chiak mountain in South Korea.
Mike Higgins returned to Manhattan where he was originally from with his wife, Tracie. He received his BS in Mathematics and in Statistics from K-State in 2006. His PhD in Statistics is from University of California at Berkeley. Following his PhD he spent two years as a postdoctoral research associate at the Princeton University Department of Politics. His research interests are in causal inference and quantitative methodology for the social sciences. His biggest hobby is playing music with friends – he is currently in a rock band called Funtabi.
Cen Wu received a double PhD in Statistics and in Quantitative Biology from Michigan State in 2013. He then completed a two-year postdoctoral appointment in the Department of Biostatistics at Yale University before coming to K-State. His primary research interest lies in developing novel statistical methodologies for problems rising from high dimensional genetics and genomics studies. Besides statistics he enjoys sports and travelling. The photo of Cen was taken during a trip to Crescent Lake and Singing-Sand Mountain at Dunhuang this summer. Dunhuang, a city located on the edge of Gobi desert in northwestern China and best known for the Mogao Caves, was a major frontier garrison on the ancient Silk Road.
New Faculty Fall 2016
Trevor Hefley will join us this coming fall, 2016. He is currently a postdoctoral fellow at Colorado State University. He earned his Ph.D in Statistics and Applied Ecology and bachelor’s degree in Fisheries and Wildlife from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. His research interests include spatial and spatio-temporal statistics as well as Bayesian hierarchical models with environmental or wildlife ecology applications. He also has applied research interests which focus on numerous aspects of wildlife ecology and management such as disease transmission, declining populations, and management of endangered species. Trevor is originally from Lincoln, Nebraska. He enjoys activities such as biking running, hiking, and camping. In his free time he enjoys traditional bowhunting for deer and turkeys and is excited to explore the Flint Hills. He will be joined by his partner Ashley, who also enjoys running, but much more than Trevor. If all goes well they both plan to run the 50k Race the Chase in Cottonwood, Kansas this fall.
Paul Nelson and Leigh Murray retire from department after years of service
Paul Nelson retired from K-State on January 4, 2015 after 32 years of dedicated service to the Department of Statistics. Paul held faculty appointments at Rutgers University, Bucknell University and Penn State University prior to joining the faculty at K-State, and was promoted to full professor in 1989. Paul is an established researcher with a national and international reputation having contributed fundamental work in the area of estimation for stochastic processes. In particular, his research in quasi-likelihood estimation for semimartingales provided a framework for optimal parameter estimation for general processes, widely known as the Hutton-Nelson solution. His contributions as a teacher and researcher within the department are considerable as well. Notably, while at K-State, Paul has served as major professor for nine PhD and thirty-eight MS students in Statistics, along with providing service as a committee member for many graduate students within and outside the department. The department is grateful for Dr. Nelson’s many contributions to the program and to the profession.
Leigh Murray retired from K-State on June 6, 2015. Leigh joined the K-State Department of Statistics in August 2007 as a full professor and Director of the Statistical Consulting Laboratory. She brought with her a wealth of experience in statistical consulting, having served as Director of the University Statistics Center at New Mexico State University.
While at K-State she provided statistical expertise on hundreds of research projects at K-State and directed operations of the consulting lab, while also teaching courses on Designed Experiments, Statistical Consulting, and methods in applied statistics. At the same time she was a Program Manager of the department’s annual conference on Applied Statistics in Agriculture, playing a lead role in delivering the conference to over 100 attendees into and beyond its 25th consecutive year. Leigh demonstrated a genuine affection for high quality teaching and consulting in statistics, and it showed in her mentorship of faculty and students, and in her nurturing of the consulting laboratory and the student researchers and staff who worked there.
Leigh received her PhD in Statistics from Virginia Tech in 1981. She was on the faculty at North Dakota State University before going to New Mexico State in 1984. Her expertise in experimental design and the analysis of data from complex experiments made her a sought after resource on campus. During her time at K-State she was major professor for six Master’s students and served on the graduate committees of several other MS and PhD students, while also providing consulting help to nearly 60 individual clients each year on sometimes multiple projects. The Department feels fortunate to have had Leigh on the faculty and are grateful for her leadership and service.