Dr. Rebecca Nugent is the Stephen E. and Joyce Fienberg Professor of Statistics & Data Science and the Head of the Statistics & Data Science Department at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU). She also serves as an affiliated faculty member of the Block Center for Technology and Society at CMU.
Dr. Nugent earned her Ph.D. in Statistics from the University of Washington in 2006. She holds a B.A. in Mathematics, Statistics, and Spanish from Rice University and an M.S. in Statistics from Stanford University. Throughout her career, Dr. Nugent has been recognized for her innovative contributions to statistics education. She received the American Statistical Association’s Waller Award for Innovation in Statistics Education and serves as a co-editor of the Springer Texts in Statistics series. As the Founding Director of CMU’s Statistics & Data Science Corporate Capstone program, Dr. Nugent has facilitated experiential learning by connecting faculty and students with data science challenges in industry, non-profits, and government organizations. Her research interests include clustering and classification methodology, particularly in high-dimensional data contexts, record linkage applications, and the development of accessible data analysis platforms to enhance data science education.