It is a pleasure to welcome you to the UC Davis Department of Statistics website. Statistics is a data science that provides methods for efficient data analysis and inference. Statistical methods are applied throughout science and technology, medicine, government, economics and finance. Statisticians develop well-reasoned models and methods and deploy these for data analysis, drawing on concepts of inference, mathematics and probability, computing and knowledge of application areas.
New technological developments such as social networks, as well as mobile and monitoring devices have led to a deluge of data streams that require analysis. Generally, the needs and challenges for the adequate analysis of ever larger and more complex data that are being generated in all fields have vastly risen in recent years, and so has the demand for statisticians at all levels. It is therefore a good time to be a statistician or to aspire to become one and to participate in the current exciting developments in our field.
One of the greatest strengths of statistics is its broad applicability, and as a consequence it accommodates a large range of specializations among its practitioners. Specializations can range from mathematical statistics to statistical methods for genomics, longitudinal studies or astrophysics, all of which are represented in our Department.
As an independent academic unit, Statistics has existed on the UC Davis campus since 1979. Since then, the Department has continuously grown in size and strength, and today we can proudly regard our Department as one of the strongest in our discipline, with unique strengths in several subspecialties. In various sections of this website, you will find detailed information about faculty, staff and students (former and present), the curriculum, courses offered, and faculty research projects. The Department of Statistics also includes a consulting unit, the Statistical Laboratory, and hosts weekly seminars and colloquia. Information about these events can be found on this web site. Prospective students will find explicit guidelines, program descriptions and forms to learn about and facilitate the application for admission to our graduate programs. Alumni are encouraged to visit our alumni site in order to provide us with updated contact information, so that we can invite you to upcoming events.
The faculty members and instructors of the Department of Statistics are deeply committed to the best possible training and instruction of undergraduate, Masters and PhD students, and welcome all potential students to obtain more information about Statistics as a profession and our Department as a place where to learn it. In our instruction, we offer a solid introduction to the foundations of Statistics, training in computing and modern areas of statistics, as well as broad opportunities for interdisciplinary research and applications of statistics.
We hope that you will have the opportunity to visit us in person in the future. Davis is a small and very nice university town in Northern California, in close proximity to the Sacramento metropolitan region. It is located two hours away from San Francisco, the Bay Area, the Pacific Coast, Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada with fantastic outdoor and winter sport opportunities, and one hour away from the Napa Valley wine region and Coast Range mountains.
If you plan to visit Davis, you should find the links to the city and campus maps and to the UC Davis and City of Davis websites helpful.
Alexander Aue
Chair of the Department