The 2023 Founders of Statistics Prize for Contemporary Research Contributions is awarded to Professor Michael L. Stein 1999 book Professor Michael L. Stein is selected as the recipient of the 2023 ISI Founders of Statistics Prize for Contemporary Research Contributions for his 1999 book, “Interpolation of Spatial Data: Some Theory for Kriging". Professor Michael L. Stein is a Distinguished Professor at Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey. Stein’s book has had and continues to have a profound impact on spatial statistics, most prominently in theory, but also methodology and applications. Its influence extends beyond spatial statistics into other areas in which Gaussian processes are prominently used, including machine learning and computer experiments. Despite being published over 20 years ago, references to the book, currently more than 4000 citations, are at their peak and have even increased in each of the last 4 years. It is broadly cited not just in the statistics and machine learning literatures, but also in a wide range of scholarly journals in disciplines including the geosciences, physics, chemistry, engineering, marketing, ecology and epidemiology. This book has fundamentally transformed spatial statistics and statistical applications of Gaussian processes, and its far-reaching impact will continue for years to come. It richly deserves the recognition of ISI Founders of Statistics Prize.

Organiser: Mrs Olivia van Dijck-Timbol

Chair: Prof. Kerrie Mengersen

Speaker: Michael L Stein