Alumni Spotlight
Over 300 PhD students have completed CSSS course tracks since they were established. Select from the profiles below to hear our first few alumni share about their research journeys, reflecting on their time at the UW, and offering advice for current graduate students.
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Mark WheldonDr. Mark Wheldon is a Population Affairs Officer at the United Nations (UN). Wheldon completed his PhD at the University of Washington (UW) in 2013 with the CSSS track in Statistics. Throughout his different roles and projects, he’s always been a keen collaborator with non-statisticians in social and health science research. Wheldon spoke with CSSS about his passion for using statistics to extract insights that have real-world impact. |
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John AhlquistDr. John Ahlquist is the associate dean and a professor at the School of Global Policy and Strategy at the University of California San Diego (UCSD), and director of the school’s Pacific Leadership Fellows Program. Ahlquist completed the political science CSSS track during his PhD at the University of Washington (UW), graduating in 2008. Ahlquist spoke with CSSS about his career trajectory and how he built his confidence in statistics. |
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Junfeng JiaoDr. Junfeng Jiao is an associate professor in the Community and Regional Planning Program at The University of Texas at Austin (UT Austin). He is the founding director of Urban Information Lab, director of UT NSF Ethical AI Program, director of Texas Smart Cities, and a founding member of UT Austin's Good Systems Grand Challenge. Jiao completed the Urban Design and Planning CSSS track while at the University of Washington (UW), and graduated in 2010. Jiao shared with CSSS about how his time at the UW has informed his career path and current research. |
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Leontine AlkemaDr. Leontine Alkema is a professor of biostatistics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass) School of Public Health & Health Sciences. Alkema received her PhD in Statistics at the University of Washington (UW) in 2008, with a CSSS track concentrating on statistical demography — studying human populations. She spoke with CSSS about her academic journey, and how she hopes to contribute to statistical demography and global health going forward. |
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Siobhán MattisonDr. Siobhán Mattison is an associate professor of Anthropology at the University of New Mexico and director of the Human Family and Evolutionary Demography Lab. She recently served as a director for the National Science Foundation’s Cultural Anthropology funding program (2019-2023). Mattison earned her PhD at the University of Washington (UW) in 2010 and completed the anthropology CSSS track. Mattison spoke with CSSS about her academic and personal journey, and the value of building strong statistical foundations. |
