Welcome to The Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science!

Department Chair: Kung-Sik Chan
Director of Graduate Studies:  Aixin Tan
Undergraduate Faculty Advisor for Statistics & Data Science:   Rhonda DeCook
Undergraduate Faculty Advisor for Actuarial Science: Elias Shiu
Graduate Advisor for Statistics:   Aixin Tan
Graduate Advisor for Actuarial Science: N.D. Shyamalkumar

2020 Fall Count
Faculty & Staff		Students
Assistant Professor	2	Ph.D. Students	19
Associate Professor	6	MS in Statistics	15
Full Professor	8	MS in Actuarial Science	14
Lecturers/Adjunct/Visitor/ Associate Professor of Instruction	6	Undergraduate students in Statistics	149
Affiliated Faculty	3	Undergraduate students in Actuarial Science	43
Teaching Assistants	35	Undergraduate students Actuarial Science Interest	73
		Undergraduate students Data Science	23
Administrative Staff	3	Total Students	288

 

Faculty/Staff Directory

The Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science has four interrelated missions by which it serves the University, the state, and the world. These four missions are:

• to provide both undergraduate and graduate students with strong degree programs and excellent instruction in probability, statistics, and actuarial science;
• to conduct and publish outstanding research in probability, statistics, and actuarial science;
• to promote the solid practice of statistics at the University and beyond; and
• to produce leaders in the insurance, pension, and actuarial consulting industry.
   

Faculty
Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science
University of Iowa
Fall 2011

 

 

 

 

 

Row 1: Robert V. Hogg
Row 2 (left to right): Jian Huang, Aixin Tan, Erning Li, Kate Cowles, Joyee Ghosh, Qihe Tang
Row 3: (left to right): Elias S.W. Shiu, Kung-Sik Chan, Blake Whitten, Osnat Stramer, Joseph B. Lang, Ruitao Liu
Row 4: (left to right): Jerome Pansera, Russell V. Lenth, Luke Tierney, Jonathan D. Cryer (Emeritus)
Row 5: (left to right): James D Broffitt (Emeritus), Dale Zimmerman, Richard Dykstra, Johannes Ledolter, Matthew Bognar

Not Pictured: Joe Cavanaugh, Rhonda DeCook, John Geweke (Emeritus), Michael P. Jones, Paul Muhly, Mary Russo, Ralph P. Russo, N.D. Shyamalkumar, George G. Woodworth (Emeritus), Robert F.Woolson (Emeritus)

 

Department Chairs, since 1965

Bob Hogg, 1965 – 1983

John Birch, 1983 – 1986

Joe Sedransk, 1986 – 1989

Dick Dykstra, 1989 – 1992

Bob Hogg, 1992 – 1993

Jim Broffitt, 1993 – 2004

Luke Tierney, 2004 – 2010

Dale Zimmerman, 2010 – 2011

Luke Tierney, 2011 – 2015

Joe Lang, 2015 – 2019

Kung-Sik Chan, 2019 – 

 

Distinguished history of the Department

Year	Event
1847	The University of Iowa is founded.
1902-03	The first actuarial course, entitled "The Mathematical Theory of Insurance," is taught by Dr. Westfall. (Actuarial courses have been taught at Iowa every year since 1913.)
1910	Department of Mathematics offers "Least Squares and Statistics," the first statistics course at Iowa.
1918	Henry Lewis Rietz is appointed Professor and Head of the Department of Mathematics.
1947	Robert V. Hogg arrives at Iowa to study actuarial science.
1965	Department of Statistics is established.
1981	Actuarial Science major is established; department is renamed: Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science.
2009	Designated by the Society of Actuaries as one of its 12 inaugural Centers of Actuarial Excellence.
2014	Renewal of designation as a Center of Actuarial Excellence. (Through December 2019)
2015	Semi-Centennial Symposium, April 24-25.
2018	Data Science major is established.
2020	Renewal of designation as a Center of Actuarial Excellence. (Through December 2024)
2020	75% of classes taught by Online and Hybrid teaching due to Covid-19