More About Nick

Current Position

Beitzel Professor of Technology and Society (Statistics and Data Science), Department of Statistics, Amherst College (since 2013)

Former Positions/Employers

• Asst/Assoc/Professor of Statistics, Smith College (2003-2013)
• Bureau of Labor Statistics (2012-2013)
• University of Auckland, New Zealand (2007-2008)
• Assistant Professor of Biostatistics, Boston University (2000-2003)

Degrees

• ScD in Biostatistics, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health (1999)
• AB in Psychology, Harvard University (1987)

Publications

(selected from 210 publications and books)

• American Journal of Public Health: 2003
• The American Statistician: 2001, 2003, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015a, 2015b, 2018, 2019
• Annals of Applied Statistics: 2014
• Biometrics: 2001
• Harvard Data Science Review: 2021, 2023a, 2023b
• Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education: 2010 (best paper awardee), 2015, 2018, 2021a, 2021b, 2021c, 2022a, 2022b, 2022c, 2023, 2024
• New England Journal of Medicine: 2005
• Statistics in Medicine: 1999, 2004, 2006, 2008, 2010, 2023
• Co-author of open access Modern Data Science with R (2e)
• Co-author of SAS and R: Data Management, Statistical Analysis, and Graphics (2e)
• Co-author of Using R for Data Management, Statistical Analysis, and Graphics (2e)

Link to Google Scholar page

Activities

• Program Chair, Electronic Conference on Teaching Statistics (2026)
• Chair, National Academies (NASEM) K-12 Data and Computing Competencies Consensus Study (2024-2026)
• Vice-President and member of the Board of Directors, American Statistical Association (2022-2024), Council of Chapters representative to the Board of Directors, American Statistical Association (2009-2011)
• Editor, ASA Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education (2022-2024)
• Co-chair of NASEM Committee on Applied and Theoretical Statistics (2020-2023)
• Chair, Committee of Presidents of Statistical Societies (COPSS) (2016-2018)
• Chair, ASA Presidential Initiative Workgroup to Revise Guidelines for Undergraduate Academic Programs in Statistics (2013-2014)
• Chair, ASA/National Council of Teachers of Mathematics Joint Committee on K-12 Curriculum in Statistics and Probability
• ASA Section Chair (Statistics and Data Science Education), Secretary/Treasurer (Statistical Learning and Data Science), Program Chair (Mental Health Statistics), Council of Sections Representative (Statistical Computing)
• ASA Chapter Rep (Boston Chapter), Board representative to the Council of Chapters, Vice Chair of the Council of Chapters Governing Board

Awards

• Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics (IMS) (2025)
• Waller Distinguished Teaching Award for excellence in teaching, innovation, scholarship, and creative efforts in education, and impact beyond their institution, American Statistical Association
• Peter Holmes Prize (Award for paper published in 2023 in Teaching Statistics which best demonstrates excellence in motivating practical classroom activity) (2023)
• Mosteller Statistician of the Year Award and Lecture, Boston Chapter of the American Statistical Association (2023)
• Robert Tinker Fellow, Concord Consortium (2020)
• Co-recipient (Five Colleges and Mass Mutual) of the American Statistical Association Statistical Partnerships Among Academe, Industry, and Government (SPAIG) Award (2019)
• Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) (2018)
• Elected Member of the International Statistical Institute (ISI) (2017)
• Founders Award, American Statistical Association (2017)
• Lagakos Distinguished Alumni Award and Lecture, Harvard University (2017)
• David Pickard Award and Lecture, Department of Statistics, Harvard University (2016)
• Robert V. Hogg Award for Excellence in Teaching Introductory Statistics, Mathematical Association of America (2015)
• William D. Warde Mu Sigma Rho Statistics Education Award (2014)
• Fellow of the American Statistical Association (2012)
• Journal of Statistics and Data Science Education (formerly Journal of Statistics Education) Jackie Dietz Best Paper Award for 2010
• Distinguished service award, Boston Chapter of the American Statistical Association (2011)
• MassBike/Pioneer Valley Bicycle Advocate of the Year for efforts to improve safety and access for bicyclists in Massachusetts (2010)
• Waller Education Award for excellence and innovation in the instruction of elementary statistics at the undergraduate level, American Statistical Association (2009)
• Teaching awards from Boston University, Smith College, and the Boston Chapter of the ASA