John F. MacGregor
Encyclopedia
John Frederick MacGregor (b. 1943 in Ontario
, Canada
) is a statistician whose work in the field of statistical process control
has received significant recognition. His pioneering work was in the area of latent variable
methods (principal components analysis
and partial least squares) applied to industrial processes.
Among his contributions are:
He received his PhD degree in Statistics, and his M.S. degrees in both Statistics
and in Chemical Engineering
from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
, and his Bachelor of Engineering degree from McMaster University
in Canada. At Wisconsin, he worked under the statistician George EP Box.
MacGregor is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association
, and has received many awards for his work in applied statistics and chemometrics, among them, the prestigious Shewhart Medal
and the W.G. Hunter Award from the American Society for Quality
, and the Herman Wold Medal from the Swedish Chemical Society.
He currently holds the title of “University Professor” (the highest honor awarded to faculty at McMaster University) as well as the Dofasco
Chair in Process Automation and Information Technology at McMaster University. He is a cofounder of the McMaster Advanced Control Consortium that is sponsored by many international companies.
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
) is a statistician whose work in the field of statistical process control
Statistical process control
Statistical process control is the application of statistical methods to the monitoring and control of a process to ensure that it operates at its full potential to produce conforming product. Under SPC, a process behaves predictably to produce as much conforming product as possible with the least...
has received significant recognition. His pioneering work was in the area of latent variable
Latent variable
In statistics, latent variables , are variables that are not directly observed but are rather inferred from other variables that are observed . Mathematical models that aim to explain observed variables in terms of latent variables are called latent variable models...
methods (principal components analysis
Principal components analysis
Principal component analysis is a mathematical procedure that uses an orthogonal transformation to convert a set of observations of possibly correlated variables into a set of values of uncorrelated variables called principal components. The number of principal components is less than or equal to...
and partial least squares) applied to industrial processes.
Among his contributions are:
- A latent variableLatent variableIn statistics, latent variables , are variables that are not directly observed but are rather inferred from other variables that are observed . Mathematical models that aim to explain observed variables in terms of latent variables are called latent variable models...
framework for Model Predictive ControlModel predictive controlModel Predictive Control, or MPC, is an advanced method of process control that has been in use in the process industries such as chemical plants and oil refineries since the 1980s...
(MPC). - Latent variable modeling, monitoring and control of batch processes.
- Differential Geometric control of polymer processes.
- Introduction of StochasticStochasticStochastic refers to systems whose behaviour is intrinsically non-deterministic. A stochastic process is one whose behavior is non-deterministic, in that a system's subsequent state is determined both by the process's predictable actions and by a random element. However, according to M. Kac and E...
states in the Extended Kalman FilterExtended Kalman filterIn estimation theory, the extended Kalman filter is the nonlinear version of the Kalman filter which linearizes about the current mean and covariance...
for integral action.
He received his PhD degree in Statistics, and his M.S. degrees in both Statistics
Statistics
Statistics is the study of the collection, organization, analysis, and interpretation of data. It deals with all aspects of this, including the planning of data collection in terms of the design of surveys and experiments....
and in Chemical Engineering
Chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering that deals with physical science , and life sciences with mathematics and economics, to the process of converting raw materials or chemicals into more useful or valuable forms...
from the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
, and his Bachelor of Engineering degree from McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
in Canada. At Wisconsin, he worked under the statistician George EP Box.
MacGregor is a Fellow of the American Statistical Association
American Statistical Association
The American Statistical Association , is the main professional US organization for statisticians and related professions. It was founded in Boston, Massachusetts on November 27, 1839, and is the second oldest, continuously operating professional society in the United States...
, and has received many awards for his work in applied statistics and chemometrics, among them, the prestigious Shewhart Medal
Shewhart Medal
The Shewhart Medal, named in honour of Walter A. Shewhart, is awarded annually by the American Society for Quality for ...outstanding technical leadership in the field of modern quality control, especially through the development to its theory, principles, and techniques. The first medal was...
and the W.G. Hunter Award from the American Society for Quality
American Society for Quality
American Society for Quality , formerly known as American Society for Quality Control , is a knowledge-based global community of quality control experts, with nearly 85,000 members dedicated to the promotion and advancement of quality tools, principles, and practices in their workplaces and in...
, and the Herman Wold Medal from the Swedish Chemical Society.
He currently holds the title of “University Professor” (the highest honor awarded to faculty at McMaster University) as well as the Dofasco
Dofasco
Dofasco is a steel company based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, which is also home to longtime Canadian rival Stelco. Dofasco is currently a standalone subsidiary of ArcelorMittal, the world's largest steel producer. Previously ordered by the U.S...
Chair in Process Automation and Information Technology at McMaster University. He is a cofounder of the McMaster Advanced Control Consortium that is sponsored by many international companies.