Mission
The Department of Statistics and Data Science at Northwestern is committed to teaching the theory and practice of statistics and data science to undergraduate and graduate students and to conducting original research in theory and methodology of statistics and data science and their applications.
The Department is relatively small but vigorously growing. The faculty in our department are known for their strong interest in applying statistical and data science techniques to a wide range of fields, including public policy, medicine and life sciences, engineering, artificial intelligence, law, and the social and behavioral sciences. With the increasing availability of large and diverse datasets, recent advancements in computing and information technology have greatly impacted the field of statistics and data science. From large-scale omics data to social media network data and massive corpus of text data, statistical and data science methods are playing more and more of a crucial role in various domains. Students in most fields must be trained to analyze empirical data and to evaluate empirical studies. Such training typically requires a strong statistical and data science education. Additionally, with the continual advance of new methods in statistics and data science, faculty outside the Department need a resource for updating their knowledge and methods.
The Department offers the advantage of a close-knit community, with opportunities for close interaction between students and faculty members. This environment fosters a supportive and collaborative learning atmosphere, allowing students to engage deeply with statistics and data science concepts and methodologies.
The Department has three missions: statistics and data science instruction at the undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral levels, statistics and data science research, and statistics and data science practice.
Statistics and Data Science Instruction. Our goal is to teach students how to think statistically, appropriately apply useful statistical and data science techniques, and perform research to advance theory, methodology and applications of statistics and data science.
Statistics and Data Science Research. We seek to advance knowledge by conducting original research in theory, methodology and application of statistics and data science, broadly viewed. The interests of the faculty are such that "applied" problems have been the motivation for our theoretical research.
Statistics and Data Science Practice. We seek to improve the practice of statistics and data science at Northwestern (and beyond) through our research, teaching, service work, and intramural and extramural consulting.