UBC Statistics is pleased to announce that undergraduate student Wei Lu has been awarded the 2025-2026 Nash Medal. This annual award recognizes an outstanding student in the BSc Statistics program and honours the significant contributions made to the field by Professor Stanley Nash (1915–2001) during his more than forty years at UBC.

On being awarded the 2025-2026 Nash Medal, Wei Lu shared that the award is “not only a recognition of academic achievement but also a reminder to remain passionate and curious about statistics. I hope to carry forward Professor Nash’s spirit of service and dedication to the statistical community.” Wei also expressed his gratitude to the UBC Statistics Department for the support he received throughout his studies. 

We are happy to announce that Wei will be joining the UBC Statistics department as an MSc student in fall 2026.

About Professor Stanley Nash

Professor Nash came to UBC in 1950 just after finishing his Ph.D. in statistics at Berkeley. For a great many years, he was the only statistician on the campus and so established himself as the statistical expert. Professor Nash kept an electrical calculator on his desk and rendered consulting advice and service to generations of students and faculty at UBC. He maintained an active interest in the developments, which eventually led to the creation of the Statistical Society of Canada. For that and his other contributions to the development of the statistical sciences, Professor Nash was awarded an honorary membership in the Statistical Society of Canada in 1987.

The Department's Nash Medal, established in 1994, is supported by the Statistics Fund for Excellence.

The UBC Statistics Department Colloquium Series features talks that are broad, accessible, and engaging - and open to everyone!

The third talk of our series will take place on Monday, June 8th where we will welcome Stephanie Hicks, Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Biostatistics at Johns Hopkins University.

Date: Monday, June 8, 2026
Time: 3 - 4 PM
Location: ESB 5104/5106

Title: Statistical methods for single-cell and spatial data science

Abstract: Genomics is going through a data revolution where we can now profile gene expression at a single-cell or 2D spatial resolution. However, these data present unique challenges that have required the development of specialized statistical and computational methods and software infrastructure to successfully derive biological insights. Compared to bulk RNA-seq, there is an increased scale of the number of observations (or cells) that are measured and there is increased sparsity of the data, or fraction of observed zeros. Furthermore, as single-cell technologies mature, the increasing complexity and volume of data require fundamental changes in data access, management, and infrastructure alongside specialized methods to facilitate scalable analyses. I will discuss some challenges in the analysis of data and present some solutions that we have made towards addressing these challenges.

This colloquium series is sponsored in part by the Constance van Eeden Endowment.

Former UBC Statistics PhD student Xiaoting Li has been awarded the 2026 Statistical Society of Canada’s Pierre Robillard Award, which recognizes the best PhD thesis in probability or statistics defended at a Canadian university.

Xiaoting’s thesis titled “Multivariate Extreme Value Inference Based on Tail Expansions of Copulas with Applications to Systemic Risk Analysis” was completed under the supervision of UBC Statistics Professor Harry Joe. 

Reflecting on the award,  Xioating shared: "It means so much to have my PhD research on copulas and extreme value theory recognized, especially as I finish my studies and transition into the next stage of my academic career. I’ve been incredibly fortunate to work with my supervisor, Professor Harry Joe. His approach to research has profoundly shaped how I view and conduct my work. I hope to carry forward that same spirit in my own research and mentorship."

While completing her PhD at UBC, Xioating was awarded the 2025 Marshall Price for Excellence in Statistics and the Lorraine Schwartz Prize in Probability. She is currently an Assistant Professor in the Department of Statistics at the University of Manitoba. 

Read more about Xioating’s Award

Congratulations to Dr. Geoff Pleiss and his students on being awarded the AISTATS 2026 Best Student Paper Award.  

The paper, “We Still Don’t Understand High-Dimensional Bayesian Optimization,” was authored by Dr. Pleiss, his former research intern Colin Dumont, his current computer science student Donney Fan, and other collaborators.

Dr. Pleiss shared: "This paper was one of the most exciting I’ve ever worked on, and I’m honoured that the community found it impactful as well. I'm especially excited for my trainees who made this project possible through their hard work."

Congratulations Dr. Pleiss and team!

Congratulations to Rachel Lobay on being awarded a 2025 Graduate Teaching Award!

Rachel is currently a PhD Student in the department of Statistics. In addition to this award, she is the recipient of a Killam Graduate Teaching Assistant Award (2025 - 2026) and a Rick White Award (2024 - 2025).

The Graduate Teaching Award recognizes Rachel's commitment to teaching and the positive impact she has had on students.

Congratulations, Rachel!

Congratulations to PhD student Gian Carlo Diluvi on receiving a 2025 Graduate Teaching Assistant Award.

Gian Carlo is currently pursuing his PhD in Statistics at UBC, having previously completed his MSc in Statistics at UBC in 2021. 

Since joining the department in 2019, he has contributed extensively as a teaching assistant, and from 2021 to 2024 he has also served as a teaching assistant trainer.

This award recognizes Gian Carlo’s outstanding commitment to teaching and his meaningful impact on student learning.

Congratulations, Gian Carlo!

UBC Statistics lecturer Daniel Chen was recently featured on CityNews Vancouver for his creative project mapping Vancouver’s top cherry blossom viewing spots.

Using data from the Vancouver Open Data Portal, Dr. Chen created an interactive map highlighting the best streets in the city to view cherry blossoms. 

Congratulations to UBC Statistics PhD student Rachel Lobay on receiving the 2025–2026 Killam Graduate Teaching Assistant Award!

This award highlights the outstanding impact that graduate teaching assistants have on teaching and learning at UBC. Each year, up to nineteen graduate teaching assistants are selected for this honour — this year, Rachel is one of them.

Please join us in celebrating Rachel for this truly well‑earned achievement!

The UBC Statistics Department Colloquium Series features talks that are broad, accessible, and engaging—and open to everyone!

Our second talk of the series will take place on Tuesday, April 21st. We’re excited to welcome Dr. Edward Kennedy, Associate Professor in the Department of Statistics and Data Science at Carnegie Mellon University.

Date: Tuesday, April 21, 206
Time: 11 AM - 12 PM
Location: ESB 5104/5106

Title: Nonparametrics in causal inference: densities, heterogeneity, & beyond

Abstract: Much work in causal inference focuses on finite-dimensional targets like average treatment effects. However, many substantively important causal questions involve inherently infinite-dimensional objects, such as counterfactual outcome distributions, heterogeneous treatment effect surfaces, and continuous treatment curves. These targets occupy a hybrid space between classical parameter estimation and nonparametric function estimation. In this talk, I survey some recent work involving these infinite-dimensional causal estimands, highlighting both model-based and model-free nonparametric approaches. I discuss how, despite the impossibility of root-n-rate estimation, ideas from semiparametric theory (like double robustness) continue to play a central role. Throughout I emphasize the relevance of these methods in applications in social sciences and medicine.

This colloquium series is sponsored in part by the Constance van Eeden Endowment.

Future talks in this colloquium series:

Monday, June 8
Speaker: Dr. Stephanie Hicks (Johns Hopkins University)
Time: 3–4 PM
Location: ESB 5104/5106