Robert R. Sokal
Encyclopedia
Robert Reuven Sokal is an Austria
n-American
biostatistician
and anthropologist
. Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the State University of Stony Brook, New York, Sokal is a member of the National Academy of Sciences
and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
. He has promoted the use of statistics in biology and co-founded the field of numerical taxonomy
, together with Peter H. A. Sneath.
when the Nazis seized power in Austria
. He earned his bachelor degree at St. John's College in Shanghai
and from there moved with his wife Julie to the University of Chicago
, where he also worked as a librarian to complement his scholarship. Under the influence of Sewall Wright, who supervised his dissertation work, Sokal developed an interest for statistics
and quantitative biology. In 1959 he moved to the University of Kansas
, where he developed, initially in collaboration with Charles Michener
, quantitative techniques for classifying organisms and building evolutionary trees, which later came to be called numerical taxonomy
methods. At the State University of New York
, Stony Brook, in collaboration with F. James Rohlf, Sokal worked on new statistical methods for the analysis of geographic variation. His interests shifted to anthropology
and population genetics
, and he directed studies on the population history of Europe
as inferred from genetic and ethnohistorical data. Along with Luca Cavalli-Sforza, he pioneered the comparative study of linguistic and genetic variation.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n-American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
biostatistician
Biostatistics
Biostatistics is the application of statistics to a wide range of topics in biology...
and anthropologist
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
. Distinguished Professor Emeritus at the State University of Stony Brook, New York, Sokal is a member of the National Academy of Sciences
United States National Academy of Sciences
The National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
. He has promoted the use of statistics in biology and co-founded the field of numerical taxonomy
Numerical taxonomy
Numerical taxonomy is a classification system in biological systematics which deals with the grouping by numerical methods of taxonomic units based on their character states.. It aims to create a taxonomy using numeric algorithms like cluster analysis rather than using subjective evaluation of...
, together with Peter H. A. Sneath.
Life
Robert Sokal escaped with his family to ChinaChina
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
when the Nazis seized power in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
. He earned his bachelor degree at St. John's College in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
and from there moved with his wife Julie to the University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
, where he also worked as a librarian to complement his scholarship. Under the influence of Sewall Wright, who supervised his dissertation work, Sokal developed an interest for 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 quantitative biology. In 1959 he moved to the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
, where he developed, initially in collaboration with Charles Michener
Charles Duncan Michener
Charles Duncan Michener is an American entomologist born in Pasadena, CA.-Biography:Much of his career has been devoted to the systematics and natural history of bees. His first peer-reviewed publication was in 1934, at the age of 16. He received his B.S. in 1939 and his Ph.D. in Entomology in...
, quantitative techniques for classifying organisms and building evolutionary trees, which later came to be called numerical taxonomy
Numerical taxonomy
Numerical taxonomy is a classification system in biological systematics which deals with the grouping by numerical methods of taxonomic units based on their character states.. It aims to create a taxonomy using numeric algorithms like cluster analysis rather than using subjective evaluation of...
methods. At the State University of New York
State University of New York
The State University of New York, abbreviated SUNY , is a system of public institutions of higher education in New York, United States. It is the largest comprehensive system of universities, colleges, and community colleges in the United States, with a total enrollment of 465,000 students, plus...
, Stony Brook, in collaboration with F. James Rohlf, Sokal worked on new statistical methods for the analysis of geographic variation. His interests shifted to anthropology
Anthropology
Anthropology is the study of humanity. It has origins in the humanities, the natural sciences, and the social sciences. The term "anthropology" is from the Greek anthrōpos , "man", understood to mean mankind or humanity, and -logia , "discourse" or "study", and was first used in 1501 by German...
and population genetics
Population genetics
Population genetics is the study of allele frequency distribution and change under the influence of the four main evolutionary processes: natural selection, genetic drift, mutation and gene flow. It also takes into account the factors of recombination, population subdivision and population...
, and he directed studies on the population history of Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
as inferred from genetic and ethnohistorical data. Along with Luca Cavalli-Sforza, he pioneered the comparative study of linguistic and genetic variation.
Awards and honors
- American Academy of Arts and SciencesAmerican Academy of Arts and SciencesThe American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
- Guggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim FellowshipGuggenheim Fellowships are American grants that have been awarded annually since 1925 by the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to those "who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts." Each year, the foundation makes...
, 1975, 1983 - United States National Academy of SciencesUnited States National Academy of SciencesThe National Academy of Sciences is a corporation in the United States whose members serve pro bono as "advisers to the nation on science, engineering, and medicine." As a national academy, new members of the organization are elected annually by current members, based on their distinguished and...
, 1987 - Darwin Lifetime Achievement Award, American Association of Physical AnthropologistsAmerican Association of Physical AnthropologistsThe American Association of Physical Anthropologists is an American-based international scientific society of physical anthropologists. It was formed in 1930, with Morris Steggerda as one of its founding members. They have 1,700 members. They publish the American Journal of Physical...
, 2004
Selected scientific bibliography (original articles)
- Sokal R.R. and Michener C.D. (1958) "A Statistical Method for Evaluating Systematic Relationships". The University of Kansas Scientific Bulletin 38: 1409-1438.
- Sokal R.R. (1988) "Genetic, geographic, and linguistic distances in Europe." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 85:1722-1726.
- Barbujani G. and Sokal R.R. (1990) "Zones of sharp genetic change in Europe are also linguistic boundaries." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 87:1816-1819.
- Sokal RR, Oden NL, Wilson C. (1991) "Genetic evidence for the spread of agriculture in Europe by demic diffusion." Nature 351:143-145.
- Chen J, Sokal RR, Ruhlen M. (1995) "Worldwide analysis of genetic and linguistic relationships of human populations." Human Biology 67:595-612.
- Barbujani G, Sokal RR, Oden NL. (1995) "Indo-European origins: a computer-simulation test of five hypotheses." American Journal of Physical Anthropology 96:109-132.
- Sokal R.R., Oden N.L., Rosenberg M.S., Thomson B.A.(2000) "Cancer incidences in Europe related to mortalities, and ethnohistoric, genetic, and geographic distances." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 97:6067-6072.
Selected scientific bibliography (books)
- Sneath P.H.E. and Sokal R.R. (1963) Principles of Numerical Taxonomy. Freeman & Co., San Francisco
- Sokal R.R. and Rohlf F.J. (1987) Introduction to Biostatistics. Freeman & Co., San Francisco
- Sokal R.R. and Rohlf F.J. (1994) Biometry. 3rd ed. Freeman & Co., San Francisco
Further reading
- Stefan Schomann: Letzte Zuflucht Schanghai. Die Liebesgeschichte von Robert Reuven Sokal und Julie Chenchu Yang. München: Heyne 2008. ISBN 978-3-453-15260-1. (Paperback: Der große gelbe Fisch. ISBN 978-3-453-64525-7)
- David L. Hull: Science as a Process. An Evolutionary Account of the Social and Conceptual Development of Science. Chicago: University of Chicago Press 1988. ISBN 978-0-226-36051-5