Marie Davidian is William Neal Reynolds Professor, Department of Statistics at ... What challenges do women face in stat
Meet Inspirational Women in Statistics & Data Science
Marie Davidian Editor, Wiley StatsRef; Executive Editor, Biometrics Marie Davidian is William Neal Reynolds Professor, Department of Statistics at North Carolina State University, she is also the Adjunct Professor of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics at Duke University, and collaborates with clinicians and biostatisticians at Duke Clinical Research Institute on problems in cardiovascular disease research. How or why did you choose statistics as a career path/area of study? Math was my favorite subject, with physics a close second. I also liked figuring out how things work. I entered university as a mechanical engineering (ME) major, but soon realized that it wasn’t for me. I saw a statistics course being offered by Dave Harrington, took it and was hooked immediately. I could see how important and applicable the ideas and methods were to real life.
What inspires you about statistics and data science? It allows me to use my quantitative skills to solve important problems. Being able to formulate real problems and answer important questions using statistical theory and methods, never ceases to excite and humble me.
What challenges do women face in statistics and data science professions/ academia? Women are still the small minority in some data science professions where culture is challenging. In statistics, they do encounter some cultural barriers and fewer women than men are recognized, but the increase in women entering the field and moving into leadership positions is encouraging. Achieving a work-life balance and handling two-career partnerships is a continuous challenge across science.
What is the ratio of female to male in your workplace/faculty? In my department at NC State University, about 25% of our faculty is female. Up until recently our department head was female (she left to become a dean!). About 50% of our PhD students are female.
What is the most exciting thing about your job? Getting to work with and teach students. Hearing that one of my former students received a promotion or took a new position in a leadership role is the most gratifying thing about what I do.
What would you say to girls in school/college who may be considering statistics or data science as a study option/career choice? I strongly encourage them and tell them that statistics is a field where women can and are excelling. I point to all the women leaders of the field. The great thing about being a statistician is that you can contribute to almost any area in science and society and make a difference.
Do you think the perception of statistics or data science as a male-dominated career can be changed, and if so, how? I think the perception is already changing. For the past 15 years, I have had grants from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to run a summer program called SIBS that is meant to encourage US undergraduates to pursue graduate training in biostatistics. Approximately two-thirds of applicants and participants are female. I am very hopeful that as women continue to enter the field, the perception will simply fade away on its own.
