Pranab K. Sen
Encyclopedia
Pranab Kumar Sen is a statistician
, a professor of statistics and the Cary C. Boshamer Professor of Biostatistics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
.
He began his undergraduate studies at Presidency College, Kolkata, initially intending to study medicine but shifting to statistics when it was discovered that he was too young for medical college. He received a B.S. from the University of Calcutta
in 1955, an M.Sc. in 1957, and a Ph.D. in 1962; his doctoral advisor
was Hari Kinkar Nandi. He taught for three years at the University of Calcutta and one more year at the University of California, Berkeley
before joining the UNC faculty in 1965; although he has held visiting positions at other universities, he has remained at Chapel Hill for the rest of his career. He was the founding co-editor of two journals, Sequential Analysis and Statistics and Decisions, and was joint editor-in-chief of the Journal of Statistical Planning and Inference from 1980 to 1983.
, the advisor of over 80 Ph.D. students, and the author of over 600 research publications. He is known for inventing the Hodges–Lehmann estimator independently of and contemporaneously with Hodges and Lehmann and for the Theil–Sen estimator
, a form of robust regression
that fits a line to two-dimensional sample points by choosing the slope of the fit line to be the median of the slopes of the lines through pairs of samples.
and of the American Statistical Association
. He became the Cary C. Boshamer Professor in 1982. He was the Lukacs Distinguished Visiting Professor
at Bowling Green State University
in 1996–1997. In 2002 he won the Gottfried E. Noether Senior Scholar Award of the American Statistical Association, and he was the 2010 winner of the Wilks Memorial Award
of the ASA "for outstanding contributions to statistical research, especially in nonparametric statistics and biostatistics; and for exceptional service in mentoring doctoral students."
In 2007, a festschrift
was dedicated to him on the occasion of his 70th birthday.
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...
, a professor of statistics and the Cary C. Boshamer Professor of Biostatistics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is a public research university located in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States...
.
Academic biography
Sen was the second of seven siblings; his father, a railway officer, died of leukemia when Sen was ten, and he was raised by his mother, the daughter of a physician.He began his undergraduate studies at Presidency College, Kolkata, initially intending to study medicine but shifting to statistics when it was discovered that he was too young for medical college. He received a B.S. from the University of Calcutta
University of Calcutta
The University of Calcutta is a public university located in the city of Kolkata , India, founded on 24 January 1857...
in 1955, an M.Sc. in 1957, and a Ph.D. in 1962; his doctoral advisor
Doctoral advisor
A doctoral advisor is an advanced member of a university faculty whose role is to guide a graduate student who is a candidate for a doctorate degree, helping them select coursework, as well as shaping, refining and directing the students' choice of sub-discipline...
was Hari Kinkar Nandi. He taught for three years at the University of Calcutta and one more year at the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
before joining the UNC faculty in 1965; although he has held visiting positions at other universities, he has remained at Chapel Hill for the rest of his career. He was the founding co-editor of two journals, Sequential Analysis and Statistics and Decisions, and was joint editor-in-chief of the Journal of Statistical Planning and Inference from 1980 to 1983.
Research and graduate advising
Sen is the author or co-author of multiple books on non-parametric statisticsNon-parametric statistics
In statistics, the term non-parametric statistics has at least two different meanings:The first meaning of non-parametric covers techniques that do not rely on data belonging to any particular distribution. These include, among others:...
, the advisor of over 80 Ph.D. students, and the author of over 600 research publications. He is known for inventing the Hodges–Lehmann estimator independently of and contemporaneously with Hodges and Lehmann and for the Theil–Sen estimator
Theil–Sen estimator
In non-parametric statistics, the Theil–Sen estimator, also known as Sen's slope estimator, slope selection, the single median method, or the Kendall robust line-fit method, is a method for robust linear regression that chooses the median slope among all lines through pairs of two-dimensional...
, a form of robust regression
Robust regression
In robust statistics, robust regression is a form of regression analysis designed to circumvent some limitations of traditional parametric and non-parametric methods. Regression analysis seeks to find the effect of one or more independent variables upon a dependent variable...
that fits a line to two-dimensional sample points by choosing the slope of the fit line to be the median of the slopes of the lines through pairs of samples.
Awards and honors
Sen is a fellow of the Institute of Mathematical StatisticsInstitute of Mathematical Statistics
The Institute of Mathematical Statistics is an international professional and scholarly society devoted to the development, dissemination, and application of statistics and probability. The Institute currently has about 4,000 members in all parts of the world...
and 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...
. He became the Cary C. Boshamer Professor in 1982. He was the Lukacs Distinguished Visiting Professor
Lukacs Distinguished Professor
The Lukacs Distinguished Professor chair was established in 1989 by The Department of Mathematics and Statistics at Bowling Green State University in honor of Eugene Lukacs, who came to Bowling Green with his colleagues Radha Laha and Vijay Rohatgi in 1972 to establish the doctoral program in...
at Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University
Bowling Green State University, often referred to as Bowling Green or BGSU, is a public, coeducational research university located in Bowling Green, Ohio, United States. The institution was granted a charter in 1910 by the State of Ohio as part of the Lowry Bill, which also established Kent State...
in 1996–1997. In 2002 he won the Gottfried E. Noether Senior Scholar Award of the American Statistical Association, and he was the 2010 winner of the Wilks Memorial Award
Wilks Memorial Award
The Wilks Memorial Award is awarded by the American Statistical Association to recognize outstanding contributions to statistics. It was established in 1964 and is awarded yearly. It is named in memory of the statistician Samuel S. Wilks. The award consists of a medal, a citation and a cash...
of the ASA "for outstanding contributions to statistical research, especially in nonparametric statistics and biostatistics; and for exceptional service in mentoring doctoral students."
In 2007, a festschrift
Festschrift
In academia, a Festschrift , is a book honoring a respected person, especially an academic, and presented during his or her lifetime. The term, borrowed from German, could be translated as celebration publication or celebratory writing...
was dedicated to him on the occasion of his 70th birthday.