UBC researcher and alumnus Harry Joe is the 2016 recipient of the Gold Medal of the Statistical Society of Canada (SSC). The medal is awarded to a person who has made outstanding contributions to the field of statistics.
Internationally renowned for his work on multivariate dependence modelling, Joe has also played a central role in the development of ‘vine copula’ models. Joe’s work has been applied in the field of genetics, developing statistical methods in the study of neurofibromatosis, a disease that causes tumors to form on nerve tissue.
His 1997 research monograph Multivariate Models and Dependence Concepts has become a ‘go-to’ reference in the field.
Joe received a BSc in Mathematics from the University of Victoria in 1978, an MSc in Statistics from UBC in 1979, and a PhD in Statistics from Florida State University in 1982. He joined UBC as a faculty member in 1982.
At UBC Joe has supervised many graduate students and visiting students, and served the department as Department Head. Beyond UBC he has sat on several SSC committees and served the research community via many editorial roles.
The SSC Gold Medal is the highest award bestowed by the Society. UBC statisticians Jiahua Chen (2014), Jim Zidek (2000) and Constance van Eeden (1990) have also been honoured with the award.
