Former Imperial Statistician wins prestigious International Prize in Statistics

Professor Sir David Cox, 1980. Source: General Motors Cancer Research Foundation, National Cancer Institute.

The International Prize in Statistics is awarded to Professor Sir David Cox for Survival Analysis Model Applied in Medicine, Science and Engineering

Congratulations to Professor Sir David Cox, who has been awarded the inaugural International Prize in Statistics.  

The $75,000 prize has been awarded for Professor Cox’s work in developing The Cox Model, a proportional hazards model that has been vital in aiding policymakers and researchers in the fields of science and engineering since his paper was published in 1972. Susan Ellenberg, chair of the International Prize in Statistics Foundation comments:

“Professor Cox changed how we analyse and understand the effect of natural or human-induced risk factors on survival outcomes, paving the way for powerful scientific inquiry and discoveries that have impacted human health worldwide”

Professor Cox wrote the paper for which he has been recognised during his time at Imperial where he held the position of Chair of the Statistics Section, and later, head of the Department of Mathematics. More information about Professor Cox’s prize, and further details about his work and its impact, can be found in the official press release.

The biennial prize, to be awarded at the International Statistical Institute and hosted by the World Statistics Congress, has been set up to promote the “integral role of statistics in the advancement of both scientific discovery and our global society over the last 200 years of world history.” The main aim of the award is to “enhance public understanding of the depth and scope of statistics”, as well as to garner significant respect from scientists in other disciplines, the media and the public in the same way as other prominent science awards, such as the Nobel Prizes and the Fields Medal.

The awarding foundation is made up of representatives from the five major international statistical organisations; the American Statistical Association, Institute of Mathematical Statistics, International Biometric Society, International Statistical Institute, and Royal Statistical Society.

Find out more about the International Prize in Statistics.