Welcome to the web site of the Statistics Graduate Interdisciplinary Program (GIDP) at The University of Arizona. Here you will find information about our graduate program, the science of statistics, and links to useful resources.

The GIDP in Statistics:
The GIDP in Statistics here at the University of Arizona is an interdisciplinary training program designed to focus and enhance statistical training and research across the UA campus.  We administer both the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees, as well as a Ph.D. Minor and a 12-unit Graduate Certificate, in Statistics.  The primary foundations for the Program exist dually in the Department of Mathematics and in the Division of Epidemiology & Biostatistics. Faculty in Mathematics contribute theoretical and methodological expertise in statistics through course offerings, student mentoring/advising, and statistical research collaborations. Similar contributions come from Faculty in Epidemiology & Biostatistics, where the focus is on biostatistical research derived from practical applications in the biosciences.  This results in extensive coordination across the campus' statistical/biostatistical graduate curricula, course offerings, student involvement, and in the overall support of the GIDP's mission.

Overall faculty expertise in the Program spans a wide range of topics, examples of which include bioinformatics, biostatistics, classification and regression trees, computational biology, data mining and visualization, econometrics, environmetrics, network analysis, population & quantitative genetics, and quantitative risk assessment. GIDP graduate students develop core knowledge in statistical theory and methodology, but also gain experience in practical, trans-disciplinary research; approximately one-third of their graduate program is devoted to a chosen, subject-matter specialization. Areas for this specialization center on current faculty interests and expertise, and include the topics mentioned above. Through these offerings the GIDP in Statistics promotes University-wide activities in the broad areas of both theoretical and applied, interdisciplinary statistics.

This available Slide Presentation gives a short overview of our program; also see our University Showcase video, produced in 2006. Prospective students who wish to learn more about the program may also visit the Admissions section at the Graduate College website.

The Science of Statistics:
Put simply, statistics is the science of data.  It employs mathematical relationships about probability and uncertainty to understand the patterns underlying random phenomena.  Statistical analysis provides guidance in determining what information is reliable from observed data and which predictions can be trusted; this is useful in a broad variety of fields, including medicine, government, education, agriculture, business, and law.  Professional statisticians use such analyses to search for the solution of a scientific mystery, and sometimes keep investigators from being misled by false impressions.  Their efforts impact the development of surveys and censuses, the progression of scientific research, how governments operate, and how business and industry quantify uncertainty in order to optimize resources.

GIDP News:

Faculty openings for 2008 are available in the GIDP, pending budgetary approval, through a number of units on campus:

•  Associate or Full Professor of Biometry and Director of Statistical Consulting. See
http://www.uacareertrack.com/applicants/Central?quickFind=189989
for more details and to apply online.

•  Assistant or Associate Professor in biostatistics. See
http://www.uacareertrack.com/applicants/Central?quickFind=190465
for more details and to apply online.

•  Assistant, Associate, or Full Professor in mathematical statistics. See
http://www.mathjobs.org/jobs/242/1020
for more details and to apply online.

More news on other openings will be available at this site in the near future.

GIDP member and Professor of Archeology Mark Aldenderfer has led an excavation in South America that uncovered what is, to date, the oldest collection gold artifacts found in the Americas. The team excavated a site in the Peruvian Andes, and uncovered a necklace made of turquoise and native gold that had been hammered into shape. Such materials were not available from the local region, requiring either a trade or a trip of some distance to acquire the raw gold and turquoise, or the finished necklace itself. Professor Aldenderfer published this research in the prestigeous Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and gives a short "PodCats" podcast at http://uanews.org/node/19378.

The GIDP is pleased to announce that three new faculty members will join us in Fall 2008:
Dr. Christopher S. Johnson of the University of Michigan will come to UA's Department of Educational Psychology as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Johnson, who holds degrees in Educational Studies, Applied Statistics, and Mathematics, specializes in hierarchical regression/multilevel modeling, repeated measures analysis, and item response theory. His scholarly interests will complement and enhance greatly the GIDP's activities in psychometric analysis and education measurement & testing.
Ms. Lingling An of Purdue University will come to UA's Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering as an Assistant Professor. Ms. An, who will complete her doctoral degree in Statistics this year, specializes in statistical genetics/genomics, bioinformatics, and computational biology. Her research will serve as an important bridge into the GIDP's development of statistical advances for modern biological, biomedical, and biotechnological study.
Dr. Chengcheng Hu of the Harvard School of Public Health will come to UA's Division of Epidemiology & Biostatistics as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Hu has extensive research experience in both statistical methodology and collaborative clinical studies, and has also served as a Senior Statistician in the Center for Biostatistics in AIDS Research at Harvard. His current research interests arise from studies of viral and human genetics in HIV-infected patients, and focus on methodological innovations to investigate the relationship between high-dimensional genetic information and longitudinal markers or survival endpoints.
We look forward to welcoming Drs. Johnson, An, and Hu to campus this Fall!

The GIDP has gained approval to offer a 12-unit Graduate Certificate in Statistics. The Certificate expands existing opportunities for potential or current University of Arizona graduate students wishing to obtain a deeper understanding of statistical methodology, inference, and practice, and offers greater depth of focus to their data-analytic training. The Certificate’s program of study provides a prescribed format for such learning, while also allowing for a flexible curriculum that addresses this need over a wide variety of disciplines. Applications are currently being accepted; see http://stat.arizona.edu/GradCert.php for more details.

Past GIDP News Releases:
Fall 2007

Useful links:

The American Statistical Association (ASA), founded in 1839, is one of the oldest professional organizations in the United States. Sections are organized within the Association on the basis of subject matter interest in specialized fields. Student membership in the ASA is available; join online at https://www.amstat.org/membership/index.cfm?fuseaction=onlineapp. Membership includes a subscription to the newsletter The AMSTAT News and (upon election) one or more journals, e.g., the prestigious Journal of the American Statistical Association (JASA) or the ASA student publication Stats. The AMSTAT News is the news periodical of the Association and includes articles on current events affecting statisticians, discussions of professional problems, job listings, and information concerning members and Association activities. JASA publishes selected papers on theoretical and applied aspects of statistics as well as comprehensive reviews of books bearing on the field of statistics.  In Stats, articles often discuss career information, student experiences, current problems, and interesting case studies.


The International Biometric Society (IBS) was organized in 1947 for the promotion and development of statistical and mathematical theory and methods in the biosciences, including agriculture, biomedical science & public health, ecology, environmental sciences, forestry, and allied disciplines. The Society is an international collective, organized by geographic region: persons living in the United States belong either to the Eastern or Western North American Regions (ENAR or WNAR). Student memberships (in WNAR) are available; see the WNAR website at http://www.wnar.org, or the larger IBS website at http://www.tibs.org.  The official organ of the Biometric Society is the prestigious journal Biometrics, subscription to which can be included with membership in the society.  The IBS also co-sponsors publication of the interdisciplinary Journal of Agricultural, Biological and Environmental Statistics (JABES).


The International Environmetric Society (TIES) was organized in 1993, and aims to foster the development and use of statistical and other quantitative methods in the environmental sciences, environmental engineering, and environmental monitoring and protection.  The society publishes a regular Newsletter, along with the journal Environmetrics to disseminate multidisciplinary research on the development and application of quantitative methods in the environmental sciences.  Student membership in TIES is FREE, and includes an electronic version of the TIES Newsletter.


The Econometric Society, founded in 1930, is an international society dedicated to the advancement of economic theory in its relation to statistics and mathematics. The Society publishes the world-reknowned journal Econometrica and a monograph series in economic theory, econometrics, and quantitative economics. It also organizes scientific meetings in six regions of the world, including a World Congress every five years.

The International Statistical Institute (ISI) is one of the oldest international scientific associations in the world. Its first congresses were convened in 1853, and it was formally established in 1885. The Institute is an autonomous society, which seeks to develop and improve statistical methods and their application through the promotion of international activity and co-operation.  A biennial scientific "Session" is held in odd years, and often brings together thousands of statisticians from the international community.  The official publication of the ISI is the International Statistical Review, although the institute also produces or supports a wide variety of other statistical publications.  Membership is by election only at present, although students and others interested in the ISI can join one of the many ISI Sections.


The Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS) is an international organization founded in 1935 to further research, teaching and development of applications in the field of mathematical statistics. The IMS publishes a monthly Bulletin, the renowned review journal Statistical Science, and a series of Annals: the Annals of Statistics, the Annals of Applied Statistics, the Annals of Probability, and the Annals of Applied Probability. Student membership in the IMS is FREE and includes a subscription to the Bulletin and one of the Annals.  (Additional subscriptions are available at reduced cost.)


StatSci.Org is an online portal for statistical sciences, and includes web links for statistical associations, news groups, journals, teaching, computing, and research.