Skip to main content

UW's Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences Welcomes Dr. Elena Erosheva as New Director

SEATTLE, WA - The UW’s Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences is pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Elena Erosheva as the new director of the center. Dr. Erosheva joined the UW and the Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences (CSSS) in 2002 as a core faculty member, bringing with her a wealth of knowledge and experience in the field of statistics.

Dr. Erosheva received her PhD in 2002 from Carnegie Mellon University. Her work focuses on developing new statistical models and methods for understanding the complexities of human behavior and social systems. These methods aim at detecting true patterns in assessing population heterogeneity as well as natural variability around those patterns based on complex observational data . Most recently, Erosheva’s research focuses on studying peer review, e.g., how reviewer assessments of submission quality -- such as ratings/scores or rankings -- should be summarized and communicated to stakeholders for high-stakes decision-making to ensure fair and unbiased judgements. Erosheva has received numerous accolades for her work, including being named a Fellow of the American Statistical Association, the Mitchell Prize from the International Society of Bayesian Analysis and the first prize from the National Institutes of Health's Peer Review Challenge. Dr. Erosheva currently serves on the editorial board of Springer’s Statistics for Social and Behavioral Sciences book series, as an Associate Editor of the Annals of Applied Statistics and Psychometrika journals, and as arXiv moderator for Statistics.

Her work as a statistician has been heavily influenced by her advisor, Dr. Stephen Feinberg, a prominent figure in the field of statistics, widely known for his tireless advocacy of the impactful use of statistical science in government and public policy. He was a passionate believer in the importance of statistical thinking and input in shaping social sciences and public policy, particularly in relation to the census. Following in his path, Dr. Erosheva continues to promote the importance of statistics in the social sciences and her passion for the field is evident in her ongoing research and education initiatives.

As the new director of the CSSS, Dr. Erosheva is eager to continue the center's mission of graduate education and collaborative research. The center offers a menu of courses in statistical methods to students in the social sciences, preparing them for successful careers in the field. With the ever-increasing demand for data analysis in various fields, including the social sciences, Dr. Erosheva believes that this kind of education is both highly needed and highly valued.

The center was created as one of the first of its kind in the nation and has close connections with core social science departments such as sociology and political science. Under Dr. Erosheva 's leadership, the center is looking to expand its reach and build stronger connections on UW campus.

"I am thrilled to hand over the reins to Dr. Erosheva," said former director of the CSSS, Dr. Darryl Holman. "Dr. Erosheva has already played a significant role at CSSS as a core faculty member, serving on the Executive Committee, editing the Working Papers series, directing the Consulting program, and serving as Associate Director during my tenure. I am confident that under her leadership, the Center will continue to excel in its mission to advance quantitative social science at the University of Washington and support the related communities."

In addition to her role as a teacher, Dr. Erosheva is committed to continuing the CSSS's weekly seminars, which bring together experts from a variety of fields to share their knowledge and expertise on the use of statistics in their work. The seminars have been recently revitalized, and she is grateful for the help of Tyler McCormick, a core faculty member and CSSS Seminar director at the Center who played a key role in reinvigorating the seminar series and making them hybrid.

"I am honored to have the opportunity to lead the Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences," says Dr. Erosheva. "I have big shoes to fill, and I am looking forward to celebrating the silver anniversary of the Center and acknowledging all the hard work put in by previous directors of the Center. It is a big milestone to reach a silver anniversary and I am happy to be part of it."

The Center for Statistics and the Social Sciences is grateful to have Dr. Elena Erosheva at the helm of and looks forward to its continued success and growth under her leadership.

Pictured: Elena Erosheva