The Statistics Department continues to build on the success of the inaugural Professional Development Workshop series. Four sessions occurred on an approximately monthly basis for students during the Fall 2025 semester where, in an effort to accommodate student scheduling and to make use of free parking outside of SAS Hall, the meetings all occurred on Mondays at 5-6:30pm. The respective sessions drew as many as 30-40 students from across the respective programs.

Department Head Kimberly Sellers opened the series in September to introduce herself (particularly to new students) and the seminar format to those in attendance. In this session, she heard from the students about their interests and curiosities regarding various potential career paths, and how one gains appropriate expertise and training for such careers. Dr. Sellers meanwhile surveyed the students to gain a sense of the types of subsequent sessions of potential interest. The group also touched upon various logistical matters relating to the seminar such as the rationale behind the choice of presentation format for the seminar series. Dr. Sellers explained that her vision for the workshop series is not only to host a discussion with an invited speaker or panel to address a topic of interest, but that these workshops are likewise intended to offer an opportunity for students to network with the speaker(s) and each other. That said, while last year’s workshops all occurred solely as an in-person experience, she would be willing to consider various workshop formats to assess how those changes in structure potentially influence attendance and participation.

The October 2025 speaker was Dr. Richard Barfield – a senior biostatistician from the Biostatistics, Epidemiology, and Research Design (BERD) Methods Core at Duke University. During this hybrid event, Dr. Barfield shared insights into career paths at the intersection of data science, AI, and biostatistics within healthcare. Focused discussion introduced students to the BERD core (directed by departmental alumna, Dr. Gina-Maria Pomann), descriptions of day-to-day activities and collaborative processes, etc.; students also learned more regarding internship opportunities within the core. Attendees asked poignant questions that induced thought-provoking discussions, e.g. the manner in which (if at all) AI tools are influencing the work conducted by quantitative scientists in healthcare.

In November, the department hosted two professional development workshops to offset the early end of classes in December. On November 14, 2025, Databricks representatives, Tim Boyle (Senior Director/Field CTO, Databricks Public Sector) and Romina Kirchmaier (Solutions Architect) talked with our students about market drive stemming from increased use of data and AI, and how it influences career opportunities for our majors given their relevant knowledge and expertise. The discussion enlightened students on what tools and skills to acquire, and ways in which students can gain complementary knowledge and experiences. The department also co-hosted a Graduate Program panel with the Statistics Club on November 17, 2025. Panelists included Dr. Jonathan Stallrich (Director of the PhD Program), Dr. Xinge (Jessie) Jeng (Director of the Masters and Certificates Programs), along with two alumni from our undergraduate program who are now students in the respective aforementioned graduate programs: Kris Wilson (PhD student), and Amanda Baright (Masters student). To a hybrid audience of 30 students, Department Head Kimberly Sellers moderated the discussion, where the respective directors first offered brief presentations about their respective programs, followed by a Q&A period of moderated questions both from Dr. Sellers and the audience.

Planning for the Spring 2026 workshops is underway. The department looks forward to welcoming the students back for the discussions with the upcoming speakers and panelists.