Department of Statistics bolsters teaching and research prowess with 7 new hires for fall 2024

Seven statistical scholars and educators from around the country have converged on Madison to join the Department of Statistics this fall, enabling the department to further enhance its strengths in the teaching and research of statistics and data science. The group includes one professor, two assistant professors, three teaching faculty and a lecturer.

Learn more about each of these talented new faces below.


Depdeep Pati, Professor

Before coming to Madison, Professor Depdeep Pati served on the faculty of the Department of Statistics at Texas A&M University for seven years. He also served for several years as an assistant professor at Florida State University after earning his PhD from Duke in 2012.

Why UW–Madison: “The Statistics Department at UW-Madison is known for its depth and breadth across many branches of statistics. Being one of the top public universities in the country, UW–Madison has many strong departments, and it is easy to find interesting collaborative opportunities outside the Department of Statistics.”

Research interests: “My current research focuses on foundational aspects of Bayesian methods for structured objects ubiquitous in real life such as high-dimensional densities, vectors, matrices, complex shapes, covariance matrices, networks and graphs.”

Outside of work: “I love to stroll in the parks with my wife and three-year-old and try out various cuisines around the Madison area.”


Benjamin Lengerich, Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor Ben Lengerich joins our department from MIT, where he completed his postdoctoral training at the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) and the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard. He earned his PhD in Computer Science from Carnegie Mellon University in 2020.

Why UW–Madison: “I chose UW-Madison for its strong academic foundation, commitment to impactful research, and the culture embodied by the Wisconsin Idea—using knowledge to benefit society.”

Research interests: “My research combines AI with statistical models to solve problems in healthcare and genomics. By dynamically adapting to context, these models not only predict outcomes but also transparently reveal personalized variability. This approach leads to insights that are both accurate and useful for real-world challenges.”

Outside of work: “I enjoy spending time with my family and exploring the beautiful outdoors. I also like classical piano music, for example Rachmaninoff’s piano concertos.”


Yuling Yan, Assistant Professor

Assistant Professor Yuling Yan recently completed a one-year stint as a Norbert Wiener Postdoctoral Associate at MIT; he earned his PhD in Operations Research & Financial Engineering from Princeton University in 2023.

Why UW–Madison: “UW–Madison has a very strong Statistics Department. I was attracted by the environment created by the great researchers and educators in this department.”

Research interests: “I study statistics, optimization, and data science, with a focus on both mathematical theory and practical applications. On the applied side, my research addresses statistical challenges in social sciences, with applications ranging from peer review processes to public policy analysis.”


Matthew Bloss, Teaching Faculty

Matthew Bloss served on the Mathematics faculty at Edgewood College for the past seven years before transitioning to UW–Madison. A Badger alum, Bloss earned his PhD in Mathematics from the UW in 2002.

Why UW–Madison: “It will be a privilege to serve in this world-class department. I am excited about opportunities to share my passion for teaching and learning statistics with undergraduates and teaching assistants here.”

Research/teaching interests: “I am interested in statistics education and course design aimed at creating impactful learning experiences for my students.”

Outside of work: “I enjoy gardening, table tennis, and dad jokes.”


Moumita Karmakar, Teaching Faculty III

Before joining our department, Moumita Karmakar was an instructional assistant professor in the Department of Statistics at Texas A&M University and a research associate at the Data Science Facility Core at The Texas A&M Center for Environmental Health Research. 

Why UW–Madison: “UW–Madison has an outstanding academic reputation for undergraduate and graduate education, and Madison is a wonderful city to raise a family.”

Research interests: “My research interests involve analyzing high-throughput genomic datasets for statistical patterns and developing statistical methodology for toxicological problems. In the recent past, my projects were borne out of collaborations with subject-area experts in toxicology and veterinary integrative biosciences.”

Outside of work: “I enjoy cooking and exploring Madison with my husband and three-year-old son.”


woman in tan scarf and white shirtSahifa Siddiqua, Teaching Faculty

Sahifa Siddiqua recently earned her PhD in Mathematics and Statistics at the University of Mississippi, where she taught introductory statistics and mathematics courses as a graduate student.

Why UW–Madison: “The Department of Statistics at UW–Madison is highly ranked, and the welcoming feeling I got in my interview played a huge role in deciding to come here. I will be surrounded by amazing and supportive colleagues and mentors.”

Research interests: “I am working with stochastic processes, especially Markov Chains. These can be used in financial data where relationships among variables are not linear.”

Outside of work: “I enjoy reading (especially mystery novels), art, and cooking.”


Margaret ThairuMargaret Thairu, Lecturer

Margaret Thairu serves a dual role as a lecturer in the Department of Statistics and a scientist at the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery, where she has served since 2022. Also a UW–Madison alum, she received her PhD in Entomology from University of California-Riverside after obtaining an MS in Entomology from the UW.

Why UW–Madison: “I chose to teach in this department in part because of UW–Madison’s strong interdisciplinary nature.”

Research/teaching interests: “I am interested in understanding symbiotic relationships, especially host-microbe ones. Specifically, I am interested in understanding microbial community dynamics and interactions—both within a community and with a host.”

Outside of work: “I enjoy making pottery.”


Explore a full list of faculty in the Department of Statistics.