Leland Wilkinson
Encyclopedia
Leland Wilkinson is a statistician
and computer scientist
at SYSTAT
Software Inc. Dr. Wilkinson developed SYSTAT in the early 1980s, sold it to SPSS in 1995, and now serves as Executive VP of SYSTAT Software Inc. in Chicago. His research focuses on scientific visualization
and statistical graphics
.
, a writer for New Yorker. He is married to Reverend Ruth VanDemark, and is the father of Amie Wilkinson, a professor at Northwestern University
, and Caroline Wilkinson.
in 1966, an S.T.B. from Harvard in 1969, and a Ph.D. in Psychology from Yale University
in 1975. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was a full-time faculty member at the University of Illinois at Chicago
. He is presently Adjunct Professor of Statistics at Northwestern University
and Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at University of Illinois at Chicago
.
in 1995. At SPSS, he assembled a team of graphics programmers who developed the nViZn platform that produces the visualizations in SPSS
, Clementine
, and other analytics products. The nViZn platform was modeled after Wilkinson's book on statistical graphics, The Grammar of Graphics. This book also influenced the development of the R
package ggplot2
and the Polaris project at Stanford. Wilkinson now serves as Executive VP of SYSTAT Software Inc. in Chicago.
, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
, and an elected member of the International Statistical Institute
.
Statistician
A statistician is someone who works with theoretical or applied statistics. The profession exists in both the private and public sectors. The core of that work is to measure, interpret, and describe the world and human activity patterns within it...
and computer scientist
Computer scientist
A computer scientist is a scientist who has acquired knowledge of computer science, the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and their application in computer systems....
at SYSTAT
SYSTAT
SYSTAT is a statistics and statistical graphics software package, developed by Leland Wilkinson in the late 1970s, who was at the time an assistant professor of psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago...
Software Inc. Dr. Wilkinson developed SYSTAT in the early 1980s, sold it to SPSS in 1995, and now serves as Executive VP of SYSTAT Software Inc. in Chicago. His research focuses on scientific visualization
Scientific visualization
Scientific visualization is an interdisciplinary branch of science according to Friendly "primarily concerned with the visualization of three-dimensional phenomena , where the emphasis is on realistic renderings of volumes, surfaces, illumination sources, and so forth, perhaps...
and statistical graphics
Statistical graphics
Statistical graphics, also known as graphical techniques, are information graphics in the field of statistics used to visualize quantitative data.- Overview :...
.
Family life
He is the son of Mr. and Mrs Kirk C. Wilkinson. He is brother of Alec WilkinsonAlec Wilkinson
Alec Wilkinson is a writer who has been on the staff of The New Yorker since 1980. According to The Philadelphia Inquirer he is among the "first rank of" contemporary American "literary journalists... of Naipaul, Norman Mailer and Agee." He is the author of nine books: "Midnights," , "Moonshine,"...
, a writer for New Yorker. He is married to Reverend Ruth VanDemark, and is the father of Amie Wilkinson, a professor at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
, and Caroline Wilkinson.
Education and academic work
Wilkinson received an A.B. from Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1966, an S.T.B. from Harvard in 1969, and a Ph.D. in Psychology from Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1975. In the 1970s and 1980s, he was a full-time faculty member at the University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois at Chicago, or UIC, is a state-funded public research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, near the Chicago Loop...
. He is presently Adjunct Professor of Statistics at Northwestern University
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research university in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, USA. Northwestern has eleven undergraduate, graduate, and professional schools offering 124 undergraduate degrees and 145 graduate and professional degrees....
and Adjunct Professor of Computer Science at University of Illinois at Chicago
University of Illinois at Chicago
The University of Illinois at Chicago, or UIC, is a state-funded public research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its campus is in the Near West Side community area, near the Chicago Loop...
.
Professional career
Wilkinson wrote SYSTAT, a statistical software package, in the early 1980s. This program was noted for its comprehensive graphics, including the first software implementation of the heatmap display now widely used among biologists. After his company grew to 50 employees, he sold it to SPSSSPSS
SPSS is a computer program used for survey authoring and deployment , data mining , text analytics, statistical analysis, and collaboration and deployment ....
in 1995. At SPSS, he assembled a team of graphics programmers who developed the nViZn platform that produces the visualizations in SPSS
SPSS
SPSS is a computer program used for survey authoring and deployment , data mining , text analytics, statistical analysis, and collaboration and deployment ....
, Clementine
Clementine
A clementine is a variety of mandarin orange , so named in 1902. The exterior is a deep orange colour with a smooth, glossy appearance. Clementines can be separated into seven to fourteen segments. They tend to be very easy to peel, like a tangerine, but are almost always seedless...
, and other analytics products. The nViZn platform was modeled after Wilkinson's book on statistical graphics, The Grammar of Graphics. This book also influenced the development of the R
R (programming language)
R is a programming language and software environment for statistical computing and graphics. The R language is widely used among statisticians for developing statistical software, and R is widely used for statistical software development and data analysis....
package ggplot2
Ggplot2
ggplot2 is a data visualization package for the statistical programming language R. Created by Hadley Wickham in 2005, ggplot2 as an implementation of Leland Wilkinson's Grammar of Graphics--a general scheme for data visualization which breaks up graph into semantic components such as scales and...
and the Polaris project at Stanford. Wilkinson now serves as Executive VP of SYSTAT Software Inc. in Chicago.
Awards
Wilkinson is a Fellow of the American Statistical AssociationAmerican 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...
, a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science
American Association for the Advancement of Science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science is an international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific responsibility, and supporting scientific education and science outreach for the...
, and an elected member of the International Statistical Institute
International Statistical Institute
The International Statistical Institute is a professional association of statisticians. The Institut International de Statistique or International Statistical Institute was founded in 1885 although there had been international congresses from 1853.. The Institute publishes a variety of books and...
.