The University of Waterloo named a noted statistician and senior administrator as its next vice-president academic & provost
WATERLOO, Ont. (Monday, Jan. 23, 2012) - The University of Waterloo named a noted statistician and senior administrator as its next vice-president academic & provost.
Professor Sallie Ann Keller is currently the director of the Institute for Defense Analyses Science and Technology Policy Institute, a government-funded research and development centre in Washington, D.C. She leads more than 40 researchers who gather and analyze information on international and national science and technology issues for the White House, the National Science Foundation, the National Institutes of Health and the federal commerce and energy departments. Her five-year term at Waterloo begins July 1, 2012, when she will also become professor, with tenure, in the Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science.
"The breadth of Sallie Ann Keller's experience at respected universities and scientific organizations in addition to her strong record of academic leadership and scholarship will benefit Waterloo as we continue on our path to becoming one of the top 100 universities in the world. We look forward to welcoming her to our community," said Feridun Hamdullahpur, president & vice-chancellor of the University of Waterloo.
Keller has held leadership roles in academic and government settings. She was the William and Stephanie Sick Dean of Engineering and professor at Rice University in Houston, and a professor and director of graduate studies in statistics at Kansas State University. Keller was also the group leader in statistical sciences at the Los Alamos National Laboratory and program director of statistics and probability at the National Science Foundation. She received the National Institute of Statistical Sciences' Jerome Sacks Award for Outstanding Cross-Disciplinary Research. A past-president of the American Statistical Association, she is also an active member of the JASON Study Group.
"Waterloo is an institution known for being focused on how to bridge the boundaries of the disciplines," said Keller. "I have had success in building these kinds of connections, and so I believe in institutions like Waterloo that promote entrepreneurial activity and faculties working together."
Keller earned a PhD in statistics from the Iowa State University of Science and Technology. She holds BS and MS degrees in mathematics from the University of South Florida.
Keller succeeds professor Geoff McBoyle, who served as vice-president academic & provost on an interim basis when he replaced Hamdullahpur, who became president and vice-chancellor.
Image: Sallie Ann Keller.
