Nan Laird facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Nan Laird
|
|
|---|---|
| Born |
Nan McKenzie Laird
September 18, 1943 Gainesville, Florida, USA
|
| Education | Rice University University of Georgia Harvard University |
| Known for | Expectation-maximization algorithm, DerSimonian-Laird estimator |
| Awards | (2021) International Prize in Statistics (2016) 25th Annual Distinguished Statistician Lecture from UCONN, the American Statistical Association and Pfizer (2011) 25th Annual Lowell Reed Lecturer from the American Public Health Association (2011) Samuel S. Wilks Award, from the American Statistical Association |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health |
| Thesis | Log-linear models with random parameters: an empirical Bayes approach (1975) |
| Doctoral advisor | Arthur P. Dempster |
| Doctoral students | Christl Donnelly, Rebecca DerSimonian, Fong Wang Clow, Joseph W. Hogan, Garrett M. Fitzmaurice, Nicholas J. Horton, Stephen Lake and Steve Horvath |
Nan McKenzie Laird (born September 18, 1943) is a very important scientist. She is a professor of Biostatistics at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. She used to lead the Biostatistics Department there from 1990 to 1999.
Contents
Nan Laird's Education Journey
Nan Laird started college at Rice University in 1961. She first studied math, then changed to French. She left college for a while and moved to New York City.
Later, she went back to school at the University of Georgia. She first studied computer science. Then she found her passion in statistics. She earned her bachelor's degree in 1969.
Before starting her advanced studies, Nan worked as a computer programmer. From 1969 to 1971, she helped with the Apollo program. This was at MIT's Draper Laboratory.
In 1971, she began her PhD studies at Harvard University. She focused on statistics. She earned her PhD in 1975. After graduating, Harvard hired her as a professor. She worked there until she retired. Now she is an emeritus professor, which means she is a retired professor who keeps her title.
Nan Laird's Career and Research
Nan Laird is famous for her important work in biostatistics. Biostatistics uses statistics to solve problems in biology and health. She created many new methods and ideas.
One of her most well-known contributions is the expectation–maximization algorithm. This is a special way to find answers when you have missing information in data. It helps scientists understand complex data sets.
Important Publications
Nan Laird has written many important scientific papers. These papers help other scientists learn and grow.
- Laird NM and Ware, JH. (1982) "Random effects models for longitudinal data: an overview of recent results". Biometrics; 38:963-974.
Awards and Honors for Nan Laird
Nan Laird has received many special awards for her work. These awards show how much her contributions are valued.
In 2021, she won the third International Prize in Statistics. This is like the Nobel Prize for statistics!
She also received the Samuel S. Wilks Award in 2011. This award is from the American Statistical Association. It is one of the highest honors in statistics.
Other awards include:
- 2016: 25th Annual Distinguished Statistician Lecture from the University of Connecticut, the American Statistical Association and Pfizer.
- 2011: 25th Annual Lowell Reed Lecturer from the American Public Health Association.
- 2004: Myra Samuels Lecturer award from Purdue University.
- 2003: Janet L. Norwood Award from the American Statistical Association.
- 2001: Florence Nightingale David Award from the Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies.
Nan Laird is also a Fellow of important groups. These include the American Statistical Association and the Institute of Mathematical Statistics. She is also an Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute.
See also
- Nan Laird para niños (Nan Laird for kids in Spanish)
