We are pleased to announce that the following IMS members have been selected to receive the 2026 IMS Thelma and Marvin Zelen Emerging Women Leaders in Data Science Award.
Yang Chen, Department of Statistics, University of Michigan, has distinguished herself through interdisciplinary research that unites statistics, astrophysics, and public health. She has developed Bayesian and machine learning methods for problems such as solar flare prediction and instrument calibration, leading large teams funded by NASA and NSF. Her work has produced influential publications and public datasets that enable broader scientific discovery. Beyond her research, she is a dedicated mentor and leader in the statistical community, embodying the spirit of collaborative, impactful data science.
Pragya Sur, Department of Statistics, Harvard University, has made foundational contributions at the intersection of high-dimensional statistics, statistical theory, and modern machine learning. Her work is particularly notable for bridging classical asymptotic theory with the high-dimensional regime, resulting in a rigorous understanding of algorithms such as logistic regression, least squares, and their regularized counterparts in settings where traditional theory fails. She has also developed novel inferential tools for variable selection and testing in high-dimensional models, offering insights that influence both theoretical and applied communities. Her scholarship combines mathematical depth with relevance to contemporary data science challenges, positioning her as a leader in statistical theory for the modern statistical science era.
Jingshen Wang, Division of Biostatistics, UC Berkeley, stands out for her contributions to robust and trustworthy statistical methodology, particularly in causal inference, heterogeneous treatment effect estimation, and semiparametric modeling. She has developed scalable, principled approaches that remain valid under model misspecification and data irregularities, including methods grounded in double machine learning and distributional robustness. Her contributions have direct impact in medicine, economics, and social science, advancing data science methods that are both theoretically sound and practically actionable.
The IMS Thelma and Marvin Zelen Emerging Women Leaders in Data Science Award is given annually to three women data scientists who are within 10 years of completing their Ph.D. (or similar degree). The award, consisting of a plaque, a citation, and a cash honorarium, will be presented at the IMS Presidential Awards Ceremony held at the 2026 IMS Annual Meeting in Salzburg, Austria.
The next nomination deadline is July 1, 2026. Information is here: https://imstat.org/ims-awards/