Andrew Spieker, PhD, Associate Professor of Biostatistics and Director of Graduate Studies, has been elected to serve as the 2027 chair-elect of the American Statistical Association (ASA) Biometrics Section. Founded in 1938, the section has grown to become one of the largest of the ASA’s 30 sections, with over 1,500 current members.
Spieker earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics at Northeastern University in 2011 and a PhD in biostatistics at the University of Washington in 2016 before undertaking postdoctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania. He joined Vanderbilt in 2018.
Simon Vandekar, PhD, Associate Professor of Biostatistics and Director of Graduate Recruitment, has been elected to serve as the 2027 chair-elect of the ASA Statistics in Imaging Section, established in 2012.
Vandekar earned a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience at Pennsylvania State University in 2009 and a PhD in biostatistics at the University of Pennsylvania in 2018. He joined Vanderbilt in 2018.
Panpan Zhang, PhD, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics and Neurology, recently became an elected member of International Statistical Institute (ISI). Election to society — as opposed to other forms of membership — is considered an international professional honor recognizing contributions to statistical science and practice.
Zhang was also recently elected Program Chair for the ASA Interest Group on Statistics and Data Science in Aging, established in 2024.
Zhang earned a master’s degree in mathematics at Wake Forest University in 2012, and a PhD in statistics at George Washington University in 2016, before undertaking postdoctoral research at the University of Pennsylvania. He joined Vanderbilt in 2022.
The ASA bills itself as the world’s largest community of statisticians and the second oldest continuously operating professional association in the country. Founded in Boston in 1839 and headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia, it has approximately 19,000 members in 90 countries.
The ISI, established in 1885 and headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, has approximately 4,000 members in more than 150 countries. Since 1947, it has held consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
